DIY - The Curse

          Unable to find what I wanted in any stores, I’m now into day three of my McCall’s 90 minute curtains.
As a complete departure from my usual seat-of-my-pants method of sewing I began by actually reading the directions beforehand. Or at least trying to. If nothing else, this pattern has proven what a dearth of decent technical writers there is today.

          Before I ever got near the actual directions I had to first plow through a page full of oh-so-helpful hints, some of which were screamingly obvious and others that had no bearing at all on this pattern. (A board? When am I going to be attaching this valance to a board? And why isn’t it listed in the notions to buy?)

Yes, I admit to making not only the pillows,
but the curtains and pad for the bench.

          It’s not that I’m lacking in sewing experience. I’m still the pillow queen. I’ve whipped up pillows for the porch, the couch, the kitchen. Big ones, long ones, quilted ones.  Just last week I felt positively hedonistic when I bought one ready-made at a store.

          Years ago, due to a lack of money and a large dash of stay-at-home-mom cabin fever I made many of our kids' clothes. Aside from skirts and shirts, I’ve made a bathing suit and a blazer, both of which I actually wore, several quilts, and a slipcover or two, although I will say I’ve never been any good at trousers.

          Knowledge may be power, but it’s also loaded with guilt. I wrote a couple of days ago about paying someone else to paint a room and our hallway. With our history here in Welcome Words Land, this wasn’t the easiest thing to do. We’re not used to paying other people to do what we know we’re perfectly capable of doing ourselves. If you can do it yourself, we probably have.

          Just last year I painted the living room myself. We’ve refinished furniture, wallpapered (some rooms 3 or 4 times), and upholstered at least two chairs. When we moved here from our home of 22 years where we raised our kids, we didn’t do anything so spineless as to hire a moving company. We rolled up our collective sleeves and rented a truck.

          When our sweet future son-in-law from Queens came to visit for the first time, my husband was building a deck and I was kneading bread while fried chicken simmered on the stove.  It was an eye-opening moment for him, but to his credit I will say that over the years he’s certainly developed into quite the do-it-yourselfer, too.

          Most people I know wouldn’t think twice about buying an apple pie as opposed to making it, or paying someone else to hem those new pants.

We’re still learning how to let go here, but I will say I’m especially enjoying viewing my newly painted walls without the usual sore back and arm.

        I’ll keep you posted on the curtains. Tomorrow – day four – could be the big day.