Needle and Thread phobia

Last week one of my dcks lost the tassle off his hat..cry cry cry. I said "cheer up, mom can fix that in a jiffy". Harder crying "No mommy can't fix that!". So ma came for pickup and I tell her just needs a quick sew, and "oh no, that'll have to go to grandma. ". Ok. No prob.

Weeks ago, one of the other boys was low riding his pants which I pulled up much of the day to prevent tripping (no adjustable waistband) I mentioned to mom just needs to be taken in a bit at waist... Oh no, again. I haven't seen the pants since.

I'm not a fantastic sewer but I can figure a few things out. Sometimes I have to sew a daycare stuffed toy, or if clothing for my kids need a stitch, I don't faint.
Could be too that I'm forced to fix it instead of replace cause I'm always trying to save money.

How about you? Is needle and thread your friend or foe? Is it a dying art??

The timing of this post is perfect! I spent last night and today trying to make curtains for the daycare on my sewing machine and it was painful! I don't know what it was but the sewing machine just developed a mind of it's own and kept unthreading, breaking etc. 4 Youtube videos later and a lot of cursing and they are done (minus the velcro because my sewing machine is refusing to do that one.)

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Originally Posted by torontokids

The timing of this post is perfect! I spent last night and today trying to make curtains for the daycare on my sewing machine and it was painful! I don't know what it was but the sewing machine just developed a mind of it's own and kept unthreading, breaking etc. 4 Youtube videos later and a lot of cursing and they are done (minus the velcro because my sewing machine is refusing to do that one.)

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Feel proud ! I struggle with my machine too at times. Heard it has to do with tension of the thread on both top spool and the lower bobbin. Yay for you for not giving up.

I don't have a sewing machine and was never good on them when I did use one. I much prefer to hand sew! If it's something too big to hand sew I ask my SIL or my 12 year old cousin LOL.

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Originally Posted by torontokids

I don't know what it was but the sewing machine just developed a mind of it's own and kept unthreading

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If thread keep snapping, tension usually too tight. If thread keep unthreading, tension usually too loose.

I only sew curtains for my house and have often sewed on buttons and holes in stuffies etc. It could be a dying skill, I agree as I don't know anybody else my age who owns a sewing machine. I am in my 20s.

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Originally Posted by Suzie_Homemaker

If thread keep snapping, tension usually too tight. If thread keep unthreading, tension usually too loose.

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Thanks, it was a combination of things though including having the sewing needle in backwards!

I keep saying one day i will learn. Even just to hem my pants. my 28 inch inseam is still too short for some petite sized jeans. I never really bothered to learn, despite my mom's desire to teach me. I can repair a button hole, separated stitches, minor mends but nothing past a 3 on a 10 point scale of difficulty LOL. My mom does all my complicated mending for me. I wait usually give her a few things to hem at a time.

I spent many a Saturday morning when I was 12 having sewing lessons from my aunt. I don't sew often but can put together a piece of clothing, a quilt and fix things up around the house.

My sewing machine now a days is just a cheap basic model but it does the job. I pull it out so infrequently though that I end up struggling with the darn thread tension and forget with way the darn bobbins need to be threaded that I have to pull out the manual to remember. Which makes the task tedious!

I frequently pull out the thread and needle to fix things or take things in for my daughter. Such a simple yet useful skill. A skill most children these days won't be taught.

Along a similar note one of my greatest disappointments in high school was when I finally got to take the Home Ec cooking class. I was SOOOOO excited. Till the first class. I drop the class that day and took an extra math class (for fun). The cooking class was seriously sooooooooo simple it was mind boggling. A whole class devoted to making pasta...not the sauce like literally how to boil noodles. By high school I could prep a whole lasagna from scratch. I didn't even come from a family that had a stay at home mom that devoted her day to cooking. My mom worked...we ate decent but she somehow managed to teach me to cook solid meals. I couldn't believe high schoolers hadn't yet attempted to boil noodles!

I'd be curious to see what a home ec cooking class looks like these days in high school. A full class on microwaving cup-a-soup?

LOL so true Lee-Bee, I also only hand sew like a few others , you know the old saying - a stitch in time saves nine so I try to catch things before they get to be a big job as no sewing machine here

I know that I am really bad for fixing things because there is simply no time. I work over 55 hours a week plus all the prep work and cleaning before and after hours. Finding a needle and thread to fix things is very low on my priority list.

I have a few toys where the seams opened up, princess dresses that could use some repair and even my kids' clothes that get a hole and need some TLC but I put these things in a 'to do'pile and they never get done.

My Daughter got a hole near the cuff of her hoody and it spent over a year in the sewing pile until I finally realized she was about to grow out of it.

There is not enough time so I wold definitely think that it is the same for most parents and that buying a new item when prices are pretty low (ie $6-$12 for a pair of new kid jeans) is not crazy.:D:D:D