Tell us a random fact about yourself.

Thank you and SS for your thoughtful and interesting posts. I haven’t yet ventured into quilting, and would have to study up on the subject before even considering getting into it.

It seems (to me, at least) that quilting versus sewing is somewhat equivalent to the comparison between fine furniture making and/or artistic woodwork versus carpentry. The former is arguably more of an purely artistic expression than the latter.

I admire the talent and skill of many woodworkers, and I enjoy seeing a particularly well designed and executed quilt. That cat quilt, for example, is an amazing piece of work.

When it comes to working with wood, I am a mere carpenter. And, at times, I’ve even been able to make a decent living at it.

And I suppose I can sew pretty well. But I’m no quilt maker. My taking up sewing and carpentry as an adult probably had their antecedents in an interest, as a curious kid, in watching my mother sew, combined with helping my dad with his various carpentry projects around the house.

What eventually motivated me to buy a used sewing machine and learn to sew was a specific need to make some insulated window shades for the new house my then wife and I had purchased. We simply didn’t have the cash left over to put up window coverings. My wife was not particularly interested in sewing.

After that, my newfound ability to actually make things with a sewing machine of course led to requests to hem pants, patch jeans and so forth. I took some sewing classes, including a tailoring class, in which I made a blazer that was decent enough to wear in public without embarrassment. I then tried my hand at making polar fleece clothing - pullover hoodies, sweatpants, hats - then on to modifying outdoor gear such my various backpacks to better suit my needs. Followed by padded lycra bicycle shorts, and a bunch of other stuff.

It’s funny, having moved early this year, I’m still in the throes of unpacking and decluttering, which includes setting up both a wood shop and a sewing room. Thinking about it as I write this, I would probably do well to put more effort into both of those projects, as their completion and use would make so many other tasks simpler and easier.
I believe I’ll go work on that this afternoon.
Thanks!

 

I'm more than impressed.... you must be aware there are quiltmakers who could not sew a decent shirt to save their lives, and I'm one of them. I can adjust the hem of a pair of jeans or sew nice patches on things that have gone out at the elbow or got ripped somehow, but that's about the extent of my tailoring abilities.

You've certainly already proven that even casual interest at the outset can evolve over time and practice into something far more skilled and engaging, spinning off into niche applications that can go way beyond simple avocation or use in meeting personal requirements. So it defintely sounds like you should develop studios for both sewing and carpentry in your new abode.

Several of my brothers did house framing and the like in their youth, after the usual apprenticeship of lugging pieces of plywood around and learning how to do that without getting blown off a roof or ladder in a stiff breeze. But one of them went into real carpentry more deeply after college, just out of a liking for it.

As time went on, he became skilled at that sort of "this old house" renovation, where no project seemed to start out with any existing plumb or square construction... and so involved figuring out whether best to line up door trim, for instance, with the ceiling or the walls since it couldn't be both.

Admirers of his work always asked how he got into it, and he always said he didn't really know, that the development of his interest finally in fine carpentry --he made some great mosaic inlays in wood flooring, and some beautiful polygonal trays for miniature plant collections-- reminded him of how his dogs would follow their noses on a spring day and somehow end up dozens of miles from home...

Anyway just from watching how my bro's interests and skills evolved, I'd say anyone with an interest in making something should follow on with it as time permits and see what it grows into. It's so satisfying to be able to make something from scratch with one's own hands, no matter if it's an omelet or clothing or jewelry or a doghouse.

There are important life skills in there too -- willingness to make mistakes and learn from them, patience, realization that "perfect" can only reliably follow plenty of practice. All the mistakes I've made in sewing have helped me be more adventurous in some of my completely unrelated endeavors like cooking or gardening. Once in awhile only a crow or raccoon could benefit from my cooking errors, but at least the sewing ones can usually end up as stairwell dusters or weirdly constructed potholders.

 

Although I am german I played american football.

 

The shame of it! Did they let you in when you tried to go home again?!

 

Well the best part is I played it here in Germany! Back when I played football it was quite exotic and explaining it was quite a task. Some people knew a word or two so when I told them I am a cornerback they were like oh you are a quarterback? Isn't it the guy who throws those funny looking balls? LOL! Nowadays football is way bigger over here with NFL games even shown on free TV.

 

That's true. Yeah, the NFL plays some games in the UK, too. American football is slightly popular in Australia. AFL is obviously the more popular sport.

 

Two superb posts @Matz and @LizKat that made for enjoyable and interesting - actually, absolutely fascinating - reading.

Actually, (random fact) I love (and am fascinated by) wood, and love well made wooden furniture or other objects, and deeply admire the work of quality woodworkers.

And yes, handmade quilts, I love them.

 

As a child my favorite room color was turquoise, but now it is one of my least favorites.

--- Post Merged, Jan 7, 2019 ---

I think mechanical inclinations draw you into this. From a very young age, I wanted to know how certain things work so I could fix them or build them myself. I used to work on my cars, and still do many household repairs that many homeowners would refrain from doing.

 

When I was still living at home I was given the opportunity to paint my room a dark blue. It was so dark as to be almost black.

The room literally sucked up the light and required a lot of paint. I also had dark blue carpet. It was great. As a person who likes it dark when I sleep this was wonderful.

Alas, I moved out and until 4/2018 every place I lived was rented. Now that my wife and I own a home, I will eventually have that dark blue room back. I just have to wait a bit still. My son will be 18 in 2.5 years so my wife gets his room for her stuff and once my daughter is 18 (about 7.5 years) I get her room for my stuff. That's when it gets repainted.

PS. My dad had the walls to my old room repainted back to white almost right after I moved out. Guess he didn't like the color.

 

I have never had chicken pox.

 

Hm.

Nor, I assume, its first cousin, shingles?

 

If you've never caught it I would suggest you consult your doctor and get the vaccine. Adult onset chicken pox can be much worse than the children's version!

 

And shingles is no fun (I can attest to this from personal experience).

 

I can surf, skate and snowboard. I usually sneeze twice.

I am a Bitcoin expert and love to teach others about Astrology and Numerology.

 

While I don't think I've ever had shingles, (my GP thinks a rash like thing I had on my face might have been shingles) I've been trying to get a vaccination for it. The new vaccine is really effective, even if you've had it before) but is in short supply. It's a shot I really want! Fortunately, my kids were vaccinated for varicella so they'll never have to worry.

 

Varicella vaccines don't eliminate all risk. You can still get it but it won't be as bad. Ideally you'll want to get a titer test that measures vaccine content in your blood to top up if you need to or have to as an adult.

Kids and adults can still get varicella even with good antibody count. But like I said, it won't be as bad as without it. Though a very good dermatologist can take care of scarring later in life through a variety of methods.

 

I have weird toes.

 

As with any vaccine, you can always get a booster later in life. The new shingles vaccine is really effective, though! And recommended for people at a younger age.

 

I knew that.

 

Webbed?

 

No, knock on wood.

Curiously, when I was a teenager, my brother and mother broke out with it, but I didn't get it.

 

Apparently, it - shingles - is some sort of biological kin to chickenpox.

 

Prehensile, I hope. Like mine.

 

Freak!

 

And some sources suggest that the herpes virus is also kin to both chickenpox and shingles.