Excuse the title…Sew-er…no sewer. Â When I was in 4th grade I had to read out loud. Â I hated it. Â I read the sentence pronouncing the word “sewer” as “sew-er” as in person who sews. Â The class laughed and laughed at me….I was so embarrassed but as girl whose mom sewed, my mind thought sewer was a person who sewed not a means of getting rid of waste. Â Since them I am careful about the word.
Anyway, Monday I was at the computer writing a blog post about our adventure selling antiques/junk at Clear Lake when I got a message from our son Karl. Â Sadly, his girlfriend broke up with him….she was sweet girl and seemed like a good match for Karl, but alas. Â I messaged back and forth with him a bit feeling some of his pain. Â I hate when as a mom I can’t always fix things but that’s the way it goes, especially for them as adults.
The conversation was over when the computer beeped again. Â It was Karl again. Â He asked, “In less depressing news, how do you reload a bobbin in Millie?” Â Well Millie is the sewing machine that me has at college. Â I smiled. Â Like mother, like son, a little therapy by means of sewing.
I really couldn’t explain that in words via text or phone. So I told him to look online, find the manual, and do what it says.
Apparently he must have because in a few minutes the computer dinged again. Â He was sending me pictures. Â At first, I couldn’t tell what it was.
Then I could see that is was a…draw string bag.
Then I saw it was to cover his sword.
Karl belongs to a sword fighting group at college. Â They aren’t “real” swords. Â Apparently he needed a cover for it.
Looks like a perfect fit.
Sometime in the future I’ll tell him it will last longer if you make the hole for the opening for the draw string in the seam. Â Someday I’ll explain that to the make casing for the draw string he could have turned it over twice. Â For now, I’m one happy momma that he was willing to give it a try on his own. Â The confidence to try is what any sew-er needs.
I wrote back and told him I loved it..and I do.
I also told him that he just might find that sewing is good therapy. Â I told him I use it for therapy all the time.
Then he sent me this picture…here he is sewing as part of a project he’s doing for a UNI college class.
Even though he was feeling a little sad, it sure is great to see him smiling.
He’s such a great guy, not neat, and very forgetful but in the things that count, compassion, honesty, creativity and sense of humor, he’s got it…and I can say this, I’ll put his sewing skills up to most any other 23 year old. Â He makes his momma proud.
Awwwwwwwww!!!
My 23-year-old son brings me all his hems and buttons for sewing. Why bother to learn to sew when Mom’s right here? Sigh.
He’ll make someone a good wife someday…. that’s what I always told my son (now almost 33) and guess what? He is… his wife is 7 years younger than he is and didn’t have a clue how to cook, clean, do laundry, garden, etc. They have 2 little ones and he works 60+ hours a week and does most of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. And yes, he can sew too, among a lot of other domesticated things. So proud of him and I know you are so proud of Karl too!
I am now using the word “sewist” instead of that other confusing word to describe myself.
It makes me smile to see him sewing with a happy smile! Our son had to take sewing/cooking class for one year in middle school and our daughter had to take shop/auto for a year. Neither one of them suffered from learning some of life’s skills and both can handle all of them now as adults. Our children live far from us so both of them have been given a sewing machine as well as some good basic tools. We are practical parents when it comes to gifts :)
Karl, nice going on the creativity! Great smile too!
Jo, both my mother and my grandmother called their Singers “machines”. I remember hearing about “the tension on my machine”, “I’ll mend that on the machine”, “my machine has a loose belt” etc. Guess that made them Machinists (not sew-ers). haha!
and there are girls there with him! He will find someone 23 is awful young to find a forever person (although I thought I had then and many others do)
So, it looks to , as a mother of a LAARP player, that he LARPS. My daughter loves running thru the woods playing on the weekends they have a LARP meeting. I had never heard of it until she started and now I seem to hear it everywhere!
Hi Jo. I read several quilting/sewing blogs and most of the authors use the word “sewist” now. I like that better. Sounds like you raised a wonderful young man. Things happen for a good reason. One day he will be looking back at this experience and think, “I sure am a lucky guy! I would not have this wonderful life with (___fill in the blank with the name of his future wif____), if(___fill in the blank of former girlfriend___) hadn’t broken up with me.”
What a lovely post you wrote. I am missing my 3 boys away at college, so this was so great to read. One of my sons had a very bad breakup two years ago and I only wish he could have found a little art therapy source. He’s doing fine today, but I worry for the next loss that comes. I applaud you for your support and love, not judging but lifting your son up. It’s a tough job for us mothers raising young men! I can tell your son is wonderful and one day, he will make some young lady an excellent partner!! Plus, he’ll be able to sew curtains…how cool is that!
Aww…so sweet & glad you tAught him survival tricks. You & your family inspire me. Hope the cast will be gone soon.