Treading.net

The other day I was telling DBF that even though we’ve been our new apartment for a full month now, I still don’t really feel like I live here. I feel like I have to go back to the old 806 apartment still. It’s an odd feeling. It’s not like I feel when I’m in a hotel, and I feel slightly disoriented every time I walk in the door; it’s more subtle.

I can’t put my finger on why this is. Maybe it’s because we still have some boxes that aren’t totally unpacked. We’re about 85 percent unpacked, but a mixture of forces have prevented us from unpacking the rest. These forces mostly include waiting for the building storage unit to open up so we can stick all the stuff we had in storage into this storage. (I know it’s not good to squirrel away stuff just for the sake of keeping it, and I did throw out a good amount of stuff before we moved, but it’s hard. Dear God, it’s hard.) We’re also just holding off on purchasing the last few items of furniture. The big one still remaining is getting something to store all of my bags in (yes, I have that many). And shoes. Uh. Love having so many; hate having to store all of it. Shoes, shoes, shoes.

Shoes, shoes, shoes.

Ever since I was little, I’ve been afraid of sewing machines. Mom would occasionally whip her monster machine out and hem a pant or something, but she always approached sewing the way she’s approached cooking: knows how to do it, but would rather not.

The reason the sewing machine always scared me is that I’ve always pictured that ginormous needle going RIGHT THROUGH MY FINGER. I didn’t know that there’s a guard that prevents exactly that from happening. So I’ve always been a bit afraid of them.

But now, I’m ashamed to admit, TV has spurred me into action. See, I love Project Runway, and I finally stopped thinking, “If these idiots can sew, then I can too!” and did something about it. Last weekend, I took a sewing class at Home Ec. We learned the basics of sewing by sewing a bag. It took about three hours, and I came away from the class without any injuries. I think if I can learn to hem my own pants successfully, and even make some basic pieces of clothing, and perhaps a superhero cape for George, it will have been a $95 well spent.

I’m now looking for other easy projects to do; a duvet cover seems like a good idea. A coworker confirmed that a duvet cover really is as easy as sewing two sheets together and sticking on some buttons. And during a stroll in the new neighborhood yesterday, I realized that I’m in what seems to be Brooklyn’s garment district: there’s TONS of fabric stores on Coney Island Avenue!

So now I’m just looking for opportunities to use sewing machines more. I’m going to the Etsy Labs today to see if I can work on something without embarrassing myself.