Summer feel

I've been up to a lot...going to the beach with my friends, bonfires, yoga, overpriced ice cream, farmers markets, drawing with the fan blowing in my face, replacing my blackout curtains with pink sheer ones, sitting with my cat on the back patio and watching bugs together.

I've also started learning embroidery. I've only learned some basic stitches and made some little flowers so far, but it's really fun and relaxing. So many hobbies are digital now, it's so different to do the stitches one by one and hold the finished product in your hands. I've made around 25 chapters of a comic and yet it doesn't really exist as much as my little embroidered napkin does!

Anyway, after I've gotten a handle on embroidery I want to learn some more hand sewing skills for repairing/tailoring garments. Apparently the quality of new clothing has been steadily going down, especially since 2020. I definitely get that sense when I go to the mall; the fabrics feel stiff and unnatural and gross compared to my old clothes and stuff from secondhand stores. I can do basic stuff like sew a button back on, but it seems like a good time to step up my game to repair my stuff or make it fit better. Especially with everything getting so expensive.

It's too bad that electronics and cars have become impossible to repair on your own. That's by design, obviously...but I'm glad that Right to Repair is gaining some traction even in the face of enormous lobbying against it. Aside from the whole discussion about waste and consumerism, there's a certain human dignity in knowing how your stuff works and how to repair it. And it's undeniably sexy when someone knows how to fix stuff lol.

It reminds me of a time last year when my car shut down while pulling out of a drive way. All the old dads and grandpas on the street came out and tried to help me but nobody was able to, so instead they stood around the car sharing stories of a car or machine they fixed up in, like, the 80s. I think they were spiritually wounded by being unable to fix it, rendered impotent as we could do nothing but wait for Roadside Assistance to show up.

We can still sew and embroider though! Can you imagine if clothes had sensors built in that detected you trying to repair a tear, and said it was a security concern to use third party thread, and the garment closed up and you couldn't wear it anymore? Lol tho.