I am not wrapped up in my possessions at all, but there are a few things in my life that I use every day and must have in excellent condition. One is my pillow. Another is my toothbrush. And there's my sewing machine.
Actually I own two machines. One is a Sears model that I learned to sew on as a child and subsequently inherited from my grandmother. The other, my spouse bought me right after we married. It is your basic machine, 16 stitches, automatic buttonholer, no electronic frills or twists. I keep it oiled and maintained, and heretofore it has been satisfactory.
I was really looking forward to sewing today. I'm starting a new dress. It's going to be the chevron-striped version of this DKNY dress. In cutting the few pieces I have so far, I've spent a lot of time carefully matching the stripes. I guess in a way, half the fun is the planning. But I also love the implementation of ideas: the fabric running through my fingers, the whirr of the machine, the pressing of seams and clipping of thread ends. And there's the mystery: What will this dress become? What I've planned, or something else? When sewing I can hardly work for trying the item on after every seam just to see.
So. I decided to sew the bodice front together to aid in cutting the back pieces properly, and that's where the frustration began. The long and short of it is that after taking the entire machine apart three times, the tensioner is still shot and I have no clue where a spare screw belongs. It's going to need professional help.
I still have my Sears in good operating condition, but after fighting the other one I was in no mood to figure out how best to match stripes on a curved seam. This is why I have unfinished projects: unforeseen interruptions.
Right now I have several things I want to do, but can't because of various factors seemingly beyond my control. More time wasted in daydreaming, waiting, and disappointment. It feels like I'm going to implode some days.
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wakeful dreamer