Oh, Snow!

Hey hey hey.

There is a LOT of snow out there. Snow storm #2 in just as many weeks.

Good sewing weather, I say.

We saw lots of people in the store this weekend stocking up on supplies so they could spend the duration of the "Weather" squirreled away and hunkered down, stitching up a storm.

Which leads me to an interesting question...

Lately on the Oliver+S blog, Liesl Gibson has been hosting a discussion on the various reasons why people sew. In this day and age, it would be much less expensive to buy a quilt, bag, article of clothing, etc. than it would be to make one yourself (By the way, there are exceptions to this rule), so given that information (and the economy these days), why is sewing so wildly popular right now?

I have a few theories myself...

• People love to create. Most people need this kind of outlet and whether your poison is sewing, knitting, crafting, scrapbooking, etc... all the experts (and by "expert," I mean anybody on the "Today" show) agree that having a hobby is good for you. So, good for you!

• People like to be unique. Here's a quick(ish) little story for you:

When I was a senior in High School, there was a Porteous store in Brunswick that sold prom dresses and I found a gorgeous silver number that had my name all over it. I begged my Mom to buy me this dress, but alas for me, she is not that kind of Mom and if I was going to own that dress I was going to have to find a way to buy it myself. Upon receiving this information I immediately re-shifted my priorities and probably spent my hard earned ice-cream stand money on Foo Fighters CD's and Galactic Bowling, but the point is I was suddenly sans prom dress.

What did I do? I scoured the attic at my Grandmother's house and found one of my Mom's old dresses: a long, yellow-y golden brocade dress with a very interesting sleeve situation. Mom and I went all Sarah-Jessica on that dress: we chopped off the sleeve-ish type things, hemmed the dress and jazzed it up with some shoes and jewelry, and I was actually perfectly happy with this less-expensive option (which is very un-like me, I assure you).

Fast forward to the night of the prom, and who do I see wearing the silver Porteous dress that I had originally coveted, but one of the girls from my very own homeroom. AND, the strap of this very expensive dress had already broken and was being held up with a safety pin, while I was high and dry in my vintage yellow-golden dress. No way no how was anybody showing up in that dress but me! So, it all turned out okay.

The moral of the story? Sometimes you might be seduced by Off-the-Rack, but just as often, you can inexpensively and easily re-construct your wardrobe and go from silver to gold.

• There is a social aspect to sewing in a group unlike anything I have ever seen. All you ladies out there who go to "Therapy" (translation: Sewing Lounge) every Friday night know EXACTLY that of which I speak. I don't know what it is about the sewing machine that makes people feel secure, but people share a LOT when they are sewing. I know I've said it before that I sometimes feel like a bartender at the store. I've also said that Sewing Lounge would make a great reality show. We laugh, we cry, we solve the problems of the world. It's kind of like the View, only with irons.

• Finally, in this day and age, we are all a little stressed by the economic situation, and we all deal with stress in different ways. Some people might get a pedicure, or a facial, or a massage and all of those things are GREAT stress-relievers, but their calming effects will only last so long. But sewing is different. Sewing is one of the rare stress-busters where you enjoy the process as much as the finished result. And the finished result will be around forever and ever!

And today, as the snow falls outside my window in ridiculous amounts, even though it is my day off, I can think of nothing I would rather do than be over at the store, stitching away.

How about you? What is it about sewing that has you hooked?

See you again soon,

XOXO

Rhea