Bon Journal

Sew on, spinster!

One of the things I love to do when I'm "home" is to take out my mother's sewing machine and make my own clothes. Mother is there to discuss feasibility of my ideas and also troubleshoot when I'm stuck.

I learned to sew from a Vietnamese neighbour Thanh Thuy when I was fourteen. There is something magical about starting with a piece of cloth and ending with something to wear. I suppose it's similar to cooking, except you can "consume" your product over and over again.

On this visit, I warned my mom that I wanted to sew and nothing else. So I spent the next seven days sewing while she cooked and cleaned.

After not touching a sewing machine for several years, I faced a steep re-learning curve. I asked my mother for something to practise on. The first was a bedsheet which I cut over a simple top that my grandmother had made. I had forgotten how much patience and attention it took to master the cutting, handling the sewing machine, and finally the hand-stitching.

In high school, my ku-designer clothes were famous for being too loud and outrageous. I was the only one daring enough to wear them, while my friends would cover their ears when they see me in them.

Have I improved over the years? While the colours have toned down a bit, my mother still advises: "You can make whatever you want. But just don't wear them when you perform in concerts."

19 September 2003 Friday