D is for DAD
My dad is my #1 contractor! He has helped me build a useful, cozy space in every home (and classroom) that I have lived in.
When I was living at home during high school & college, he was tired of seeing my piles of stuff in the dining room, so he helped me build a space in the corner of the basement. We used drawers from an old waterbed, metal shelves from dorm rooms, and a giant table that I found at the St. Vincent dePaul! He also very kindly gave up his “man cave” to allow me space to create!
After I got married, my dad helped me move into our new house! The second bedroom was all mine (more on that later!), and dad and I spent a day going to the Re-Store and UC Surplus Sale to find me base cabinets, shelving, and a chair. He then spent an afternoon with his handy dandy tool bag assembling it all! In addition to my giant table that came with me from their house, he re-purposed a door as a sewing table!
In the interim of moving, dad helped us pack everything up and haul it to a storage facility. Once upon a time, I knew the number of trips of van + sedan it took to empty a house then the storage space, but that number is probably better left forgotten! ;)
Finally, at my new house, my dad has been around to help me build my sewing table. I send him ideas and ask for help or advice on the best way to go about it. My current sewing table is two metal carts on wheels, with a wooden block screwed to the top. It cannot fit outside of the room without being taken apart, but it does move easily around the room AND gives extra storage! Dad also helped balance and build my large counter top table for my machines.
E is for #EXTRA
When you have a talent to help things be special, they tend to become #Extra. For example: birthday theme is ice cream? Why, of course mom and dad have matching emb
roidered & appliqued shirts to the birthday girl. Christmas time? Why wouldn’t the family - and the dog - have coordinating shirts?? A bag needs a name on it to differentiate from classmates…you bet It’s getting monogrammed with cuteness.
In addition to my sewing skills, I have a slew of
random craft supplies from past projects, projects in my brain, and just random things from life. Need a feather? CHECK. Out of glue? HERE IS MORE. Clothespins to hang pictures for a cute shower display? BOOM. Something needs laminated? GOT IT!
In my head, I know things would be just as fine being plain and normal. But in my heart, they want to be extra! I have a sewing machine, embroidery machine, serger, Cricut, and laptop at my disposal, as well as a room full of goodies to use those tools with. Why not?!
F is for FASHION DESIGN.
It is a “Fashion Design” art elective that I have to thank for my dive into the world of sewing! Freshman year of high school, I had to choose some electives. I’ve always been interested in art and crafting, so Fashion Design sounded great!
There was a group of about 15 of us. We learned how to sew buttons, zippers, and do different kinds of hands and machine stitches. We made patchwork pillows, a tote bag, and pj pants. I still have my binder which served as the final exam. It has examples of the different types of stitches and skills we had to learn.
My favorite part of the class though, was Thursdays. Project Runway was just starting and it aired on Wednesday nights. My teacher recorded it every week ON VHS TAPE and brought it in every Thursday for us to watch! Thus began my love of Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum! I have kept up with the show and some of its iterations since then, and they’re all on streaming platforms now, but what a great way to spend an hour each week! I also love that Kyle has gotten into a few seasons with me, and he and I would be couch critics of the designs. Nowadays, I don’t have much free time to just sit and watch a show, so Project Runway is one of the shows I will have on while I work. It’s entertaining enough to keep my interest, but also “fluff-enough” that I don’t have to have 100% of my attention trained on it.
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