Thursday, March 26, 2009

Not Domestically Inclined but Creatively Frustrated

I only took one Home Ec class in high school and the only thing I remember from it is that you are supposed to flip the pancakes when the little bubbles start to form and burst in the batter.

I am not very “domestic”.

I don’t really cook very often. If I ever needed something that requires minor sewing attention, such as a pair of pants that need to be hemmed or a button that need to be sewn back on, I would take it to my mom. She has since given me numerous “iron-on” hemming products. I think she is trying to tell me something, but the joke is on her because I don’t know how to iron either! In college I used to get my roommate to iron stuff for me since she was obsessed with it. (She would even iron her t-shirt and shorts before going to the gym!) Now I just throw things back in the dryer on the "wrinkle release" setting.

I know that I am officially getting old because this is starting to bother me. I want to be able to cook scrumptious meals every night. I want to be able to hem my own pants. I want to be a domestic goddess...or at least an apprentice.

But even weirder, I want to make stuff. I want to buy a sewing machine that also does monogramming. Then, not only will I be able to hem my own pants, make cute homemade dog dollars, sew my own reusable grocery bags, and maybe even make my next Halloween costume from scratch, but I will be able to monogram cute gifts for my friends…and for me!

I mean I could see myself getting obsessed with it and sewing cute little things every chance I got. (I could also see myself getting frustrated with it if it doesn’t work the way I want it to.)

The only problem is sewing machines that do monogramming are not cheap. And they seem kind of complicated.

I think I need to determine how important this is to me and then maybe save up for a sewing machine and sign up for a beginner’s class.

You see I think there is a frustrated artist inside of me wanting to get out. Every year of high school, and even in college, I took some kind of art class. I wasn’t a genius at it, but I enjoyed it. I loved my pottery, calligraphy, and color & design courses. Sewing could be a new outlet for my creativity.

Either that or photography…or pottery…or painting…hmm what do I want to do?

Sewing would be the most “practical” and “domestic” thing to do...or cooking or baking, but all that food for just little ol' me would not be good for my waist. And I don't think you want to see me getting "creative" in the kitchen.

Maybe I should wait and add something like this to my 40 Before 40 list (gosh that sounds so old!) and concentrate on marking off the things I already have on my list now. Like the dance lessons?

I don't know. What do you think?

7 comments:

GinSpaghetti said...

The only thing I can really 'cook' is homemade macaroni. David makes me make it every time we are together. I can bake, but don't do it often b/c I hate the mess afterwards. Totally do the sewing machine. Just be sure to shop around. I bought a new one a couple months ago b/c it was on sale and it turned out to be crap. I'll probably post about it later... but yes, totally do it! It is so much fun! And obsessive. And addicting. But also theraputic. And your friends will love you for it. :)

Angela said...

Music! You forgot music lol. You could take up piano. Some churches will let you use their piano for practice a few hours a week if you ask, and colleges usually have practice rooms to use, or you could buy a keyboard.

● C E L I N A ● said...

I bought a little sewing machine and just started with EASY projects with free patterns online.

Im not a seamstress by any means, but it is a lot of fun. I have made a bunch of little stuff for my nieces, and some scrap quilts for my friends who are having kids. ITs not that hard to get started...think about it. Its fun, fast and instant gratification.

Brooklyn said...

A while back, I started cutting up my old Meredith t-shirts to make into a quilt. They have lots of memories and they don't really fit anymore (back in college I liked my t-shirts super tight - what was I thinking?) and not to mention all the money I spent on them so I decided to put them to use. Just an idea for your Zeta t-shirts if you do get a sewing machine. Let me know if you need help with the idea of how to start. :-)

Heath said...

I TOTALLY understand your need to "domesticate" yourself. It must be ingrained in us once we reach a certain age. Just in the past couple of years, I've gotten into cooking, decorating, baking, crocheting, party planning, and now scrapbooking. It's crazy.
I like the idea of sewing, though...I suck at it. Good luck Suz! Be the 'seamstress' of our group!!

Steph said...

So...here's something to help you get started sewing. I figured since you can use this to change a faucet, then you can use it to learn something domestic. Check Mel out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2snSTLSznA

Etsy said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2snSTLSznA