I remember now why I hate sewing...

The last several weeks have been full to overflowing, but I have found minutes here in there to work on one of my upholstery projects. But...I remember now why I HATE sewing.

I learned to sew when I was quite young. I think I pieced a simple quilt top as a baby blanket for my sister who was born when I was eight years old, and then my grandma helped me bind and knot it. My mom believes that everyone needs practical skills and I appreciate that about her despite my childhood protests. I'm really glad she taught me how to sew, but that doesn't make me hate sewing any less. I remember in high school (I went to a podunk Christian high school in the middle of a cornfield--literally!) girls took home ec. and boys took drafting. Being an early convert (1st grade) to the feminist movement, I protested and requested the opportunity to take drafting. I thought I already knew all I needed to know and would ever use about cooking and sewing, and I felt drafting would be a more valuable tool for me.

I was overridden however and suffered through a year or two of sewing hideously ill-fitting dresses and cooking my aunts' recipes out of cookbooks I brought from home. I should note that I have stout, robust, Mennonite-farmwife aunties, and their recipes saved me from being hopelessly inept on all the domestic fronts.

All this to say that I STILL HATE sewing. I like the planning, the purchasing of bold fabrics, the measuring and the cutting. But sewing....alas, if it needs to FIT anything I quickly grow frustrated. I had to resew the seams on the first cushion for the midcentry modern rocking chair at least four times before I got it right. Arghh! Fortunately, the rest of the cushions, and I am at last declaring my first upholstery project finished.

Here's a before picture:






And here's an after picture: