Two years later

I see that the last entry was August 2011… nearly two years ago, ahem. Which, for an explanation, I can only offer that I was three months pregnant at the time. Shortly afterwards I acquired carpal tunnel syndrome – appropriately, like having pins and needles stuck in your fingers. I did make something in January 2012, shortly before Jack was born (a child’s apron), but it was more pain less pleasure. And then of course, the sewing table made way for the cot, the sewing machine was shoved under a chair and the long, lazy hours of leisure vanished in a flurry of nappies. Even if I’d had a moment, I was too scared he’d hoover up any debris I dropped on the floor, as he had a wont to do, prompting our first trip to A&E . Only when he was 14 months did I feel the time had come, and booked in a sewing weekend at Mum’s, only for Sam to ring to say they were on their way to A&E once again. Fortunately all was well, and I get round to the business I’d come for. It felt weird switching on the machine. I wasn’t even sure it still worked. But of course it did. And it felt great to be sewing again. I hadn’t realised I’d missed it, but found myself relaxing as I was cutting out a pattern I downloaded from the Internet for some ‘shortalls’ – short dungarees. Partly that could have been because there wasn’t a boisterous toddler in the background. But mostly it was doing something I enjoy, with no time pressure, no need to worry about dropping pins on the floor – and the pleasure of having something to show for it at the end of the day. In this case, a pair of trousers covered in horses and cows and pigs that would have suited Old McDonald in his yoof. I brought them home, and only just managed to shoe-horn Jack into them, despite the pattern saying they were for a three-year-old. So there we are. Twenty-four hours of work for an item of clothing he’ll wear for twenty-four hours. Worth it? Absolutely.