Life Waits for Nobody

The years roll by whether you are going "with the flow" or "against the currant". They just don't sit there and wait for you to make up your mind which path you will take. Sometimes it seems like the currents of life just take you along with them and you bob to the surface enough times to keep you surviving. I made a few car seat covers for family members and a by now my baby girl was a young woman who wanted curtains for her first nest . She picked out the fabric and I let the needle and thread do the work and we came out with a set of those curtains that puff up and we stuffed them with newspapers and they looked lovely. (At least to us they did - lol )

Years went by and I took a job working for a paper plant and with my First paycheck I hit the Wal-mart store and laid away a little Brother sewing machine. I did not even take it out of the box - it was like an insurance policy to me! Finally I was free from that monster machine in my past!It had tormented me for almost 30 years! I was determined to see if EVERY sewing machine in the world created "bird nests" on the back of the fabric! But there was not enough time and energy in my life right then - so I hide my new treasure in the closet and waited and waited for what turned out to be two years later.

Time rolled by and brought Helen Compton into my life. She was one of the greatest ladies that I know God ever put on the face of the earth and with her came her brother, Harley. They were in their 80's and Harley still was working Everyday in his little shoe shop that he had worked in ever since he was about 16 - when he was apprenticed to learn the trade, since he was deaf from birth and his father wanted a way his son could survive and support himself. One day Harley had a break down , it was a giant vacuum in his shop that sucked up all the debris from the processes. . It had a giant bag to contain all the mess and it had blowed up. When he checked on how much a new one would be - it was ridiculous ! I pulled out my little sewing machine and Harley and I took sheets and we made him a new Giant bag. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, and I discovered that NOT ALL sewing machines Hate you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful feeling - like I had found my new best friend???????????

This was just about the time that I had met the world of computers! O MY - what an eye-opening experience. My first little computer was like my first sewing machine - very Used and I think it hated me! So, we had many disagreements and Many learning experiences along the way. I don't know if I killed it OR if it just gave up the ghost , But I moved onto my very first New computer - which was like my very first - NEW sewing machine - a dream come true - as far as things working and co-operating with you! As I was surfing the net one night I accidentally ran across a sewing site. UTT - OOO - I was a captive audience as I devoured every detail and finally in little print it talked about sewing teachers and you could click on your state to see if any were available. SURE ENOUGH - a miracle - a teacher about 15 miles from my home????????

I was terrified to send that first e-mail. Thinking I would never have enough money and if she knew what a failure I was - she would boot me out the door. But , you can never know - if you do not try and I was not getting any younger as I was searching - so I pushed that button and sent that little message on its way, while I resigned myself to the thought that I would probably never get a return. Well, as you know - life is just too darn busy for all of us each day - and who in the world would have time to share their knowledge ?????? After all, if they know enough to teach - then they have worked hard to gain what they know - right. Plus, you would have to care about others and also about this craft - we call sewing????

About a day later I opened the computer and low and behold I had a reply! My heart was jumping out of my body - joy flooded right in. This Goddess of Sewing said that we should meet and talk and we planned it for the weekend. By the weekend she had a new gal who had contacted her also and we three met and we two students bought our sewing machine for the first free lesson . My sewing angel introduced us to our Machine! Now for the first time I REALLY got to know my little "insurance policy" and appreciate her. I know she is not worth a million bucks - but to me she was because she worked Perfectly! I believe each machine has her own domain that she rules from. I appreciate Brother for letting me afford a wonderful piece of equipment to learn on and I received much JOY from her. From top to bottom and the ins and outs and my mind could not believe all this new Basic knowledge - but - she topped it off - like icing on a cake with a display of garments she had made in her sewing career . This included all different types of garments with all different types of fabrics - O MY! Fabrics I had never heard of and they all had different properties and I thought my poor little mind would explode with this new knowledge. She had brought us a manual with the layout of her lessons and made it affordable!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it. She was opening up this Magic World that I had Always wanted to pry open - she was my magic key. I could hardly contain myself with JOY. She was indeed - My Mentor! If only she would let me share in this magic and some of her talents would rub off on me?

I will Never be able to tell you how blessed it is to have a Knowledgeable teacher and a teacher I had found. She was an angel - a perfectionist and when someone like this agrees to share with you - it is a Gift indeed. There is NO WAY I will ever be able to repay her for what she has shared with me. You can say, "Thank you" - but thank you does not even touch base with the gratitude I was feeling in my heart. She was sharing a part of her and my "sewing soul" was being nurtured.