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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of “Don’t Try to Walk before You Can Crawl” (without using the actual phrase or literal example). (01/17/08)
TO GET THE HANG OF IT


Vee was home for a short break n her nursing training far, far from home. She was bubbling with the excitement of being introduced to a new hobby. A friend in the nurses home had a sewing machine, and was encouraging Vee to try her hand at dressmaking. She wanted my help to finish off the garments she had started.

Sewing was not my favourite past-time. I swallowed as we shook out the frocks, and shuddered when I saw the patterns she had chosen. These were the ‘five star difficulty’ type, strictly not for beginners. I thought of the difficulties I had faced so many years before, and tried to find words to encourage while correcting.

Fortunately with the development of sewing machine techniques, we were able to over-sew unfinished seams. We worked and chatted through a number of small tips and examples until three of her four frocks were successfully completed, pressed and hung. Only the linen and lace remained. And I quailed.

The pattern was elegant. It was a heavily encrusted lace bodice with a slender linen skirt having a deep pleat to one side. The pleat did not hang as it should. The material had not been cut on the correct bias, and linen is very unforgiving. Vee had no extra cloth, and we were unable to match it locally. We finally overcame the problem with a little unauthorized stitching and a few highly ornamental buttons. Vee learned the importance of correctly reading her patterns.

Today, sewing is still not my choice of past-time. I still plod, hesitate and don’t do anything fancy. Vee, on the other hand, is very creative, making her own designs, using unusual combinations of cloth and colour; and I am grateful to have had a tiny part in the development of her talent.





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Member Comments
Member
Date
Carol Shaffron
01/25/08
This is a very touching piece! Bless you for helping this woman gain confidence in her talents. Just one little comment: past-time is pastime. Good writing and story telling. Keep writing.
Dee Yoder
01/25/08
Good take on the topic and I like the title you chose for your entry! I could visualize the lesson very well.
Yvonne Blake 
01/25/08
I remember trying to sew something too hard!
At first I thought you were Vee. It was a little confusing in the second paragraph. I was hoping for more descriptions of the fabrics and patterns..and some of the problems.
Good job...keep writing.