resolution

i'm pleased to say i've already fulfilled one of my new years resolutions.

a few years ago i scored this lovely antique sewing machine on freecycle. i am slightly embarrassed to admit that for almost three years it sat on the corner of my sewing table, mysterious and unthreaded. figuring out how to use the machine seemed daunting and i just kept putting it off. so this new year i promised myself that i would figure out how to thread the machine, and then i would actually use it!

the internet is a wonder to behold. within moments i had the manual for the machine on my desktop. and within a few more minutes, the machine was threaded. i tested it out a bit and it seemed a little sluggish. the tension was off. and every once in a while the belt would just spin while the needle did nothing. so i read through the manual. i oiled it. i adjust the tension. i learned that one is to lower the needle into the fabric before stepping on the presser foot. and this morning i made a test bib. just like that, it works. the stitches are so neat and tight. and it is fast! faster than my cheap modern ailing singer that always seems to have tension issues.



it hums so nicely. and the few scratches on its body speak to me of another time, when someone else sat at the machine, most likely making many things for her loved ones, her home and herself.




and so in these early days of 2011, when there is sadness ringing across our nation, i am able to garner a wee bit of satisfaction through a small domestic accomplishment. amidst news of senseless violence, when uncertainty shakes us to the core, may we all turn inward a bit and find what brings us peace.