Thursday, October 09, 2014

Superpowers

In learning to sew, I feel I have gained a superpower. Suddenly, I have the ability to make my clothes fit! While I haven't yet tackled making new clothes, I've altered a pair of pants and a sweater and a skirt is next on the list. I can make waists bigger, or smaller! I can shorten legs and arms! Very few people are actually a standard size, and I am no exception. Now I can remove all the safety pins that hold in my waistlines or the poor hand sewn seams that marked my previous hemming attempts. I wish had asked my mother to teach me years ago.

It turns out that my father has also taught me a superpower. Because of his engineering and general creative fix-it prowess, I am imbued with the belief that almost anything can be fixed and that I have a fairly good chance of fixing it. Last night the neighbor had his car towed home from the train station after it wouldn't accept a jump start. I brainstormed a few things we could try, including removing the battery and using my plug-in charger on it overnight. In the end, we were able to jump it using my car. Several important lessons: (1) It really is important to keep a pair of jumper cables in your car - almost no one I know does this. (2) The battery in a Chevy Cobalt is in the trunk. (What?!) and (3) When I try to fix stuff, sometimes it works.

3 comments:

de-I said...

I have the superpower of know that if something goes wrong there is always someone I can find or hire to fix it :)

alexis said...

You are one of the most amazing people I know. I totally admire your tireless acquisition of useful skills. I have to say having just birthed a child I have consciously put on hold all these sorts of activities, including sewing lessons I was keen to take but now with work being very intense and sleep being unknown, the energy and desire just isn't there right now.

But I LOVE the idea of being able to adjust my clothes.

Renee Michelle Goertzen said...

Alexis, you are busy acquiring the useful skills of childrearing! So pat yourself on the back for that :)