Thankful for Sew Many Things

Sorry, I couldn't resist. My husband likes making fun of me by using "sew" instead of "so" all the time, especially when talking about my sewing projects. He'll even spell it out so that I know. "That dress looks sew good on you. S-E-W."

That's what you get for making fun of me. Photo by Orange Turtle Photography.

But speaking of husbands and sewing, Tasia over at Sewaholic posted a great thought-provoking entry about her fiance and his support of her sewing. It was so fun to read through everyone's comments about their own sig-o's and their support (or lack thereof). It made me so (sew) grateful for my husband's graciousness when it comes to my sewing. It being Thanksgiving and all, I'm thankful for many, many things, but my husband is definitely one of the major ones.

It seems that a lot of the other sewists who have supportive sig-o's have two things in common: they "came with" their hobby, and their sig-o has another equally engrossing hobby. This is definitely true here; my husband bought me my machine for Christmas in 2009, before we were married, and he loves watching sports on TV. Of course, I am supremely grateful for the gift of the sewing machine, without which I couldn't have produced any of my stuff. I remember how frustrating it used to be to have to wait until I went home for holidays so that I could use my mom's machine. Now, whenever I feel the itch to create something, my machine is right there! I am also grateful that football and baseball seasons take up essentially the whole year, so there's always something to keep him occupied while I sew away.  Even more so now that he has statistics and accounting homework!

And don't forget the juggling. He's got juggling to work on while I iron. Photo by OT Photography.

But beyond being my sewing machine supplier and not bothering me about my sewing time, my husband is one of my biggest supporters when it comes to a slightly obsessive hobby. He lets me have the whole spare bedroom for my sewing stuff (giant table, machine, dress form, giant ironing board, way too many boxes of fabric). He lets me take over the living room floor when I need to cut something huge (hello, fluffy skirts!). He went fabric shopping with me for a whole day in London (and carried all my bags and paid for all my purchases). He lets me know, honestly, when something does or doesn't look good (and even apologizes afterward when he has to deliver the bad news that something I've made looks strange). And he is always bragging to people about my work when I'm too embarrassed to. We'll be out with friends and I'll be wearing something me-made, and when people compliment me on my dress he'll be the first to say "Did you know she made it?"

Even better, my husband never asks me to make anything for him :) Although I guess one time he did ask me to sew a button back onto his shorts. And hem some jeans. But that's it!

And he helps with the laundry. Photo by OT Photography.

I'm so thankful that God gave me a husband that supports me and cares for me in so many ways. It's because of his encouragement that I feel like I've been given free rein to explore my creative side and pursue my interests. Of course, I'm also thankful for many, many other things, like a dad who nurtured creativity, a mom who took the time to teach me to sew, a place to live that even has space for a sewing room and a cat who loves fabric as much as I do. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!