Weekend Writing Prompt – Fabric

Published April 26, 2020 by rochellewisoff

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section.

When I figure out how to keep the machine threaded I’ll finish hemming my jeans.

NEEDLES AND THUMBS

I referred to it as home wreckanomics with good reason. I hated cleaning and I was a disaster in the kitchen.  At twelve, I’d already set my sights on, one day, becoming a professional artist. I’d never be Suzie Homemaker.

I only took the class because seventh graders were offered two of three “electives”—music, homemaking for girls and shop for boys. No art class until eighth grade. Boo. Hiss.

I still have nightmares of trying to make baked Alaska for a class presentation. What? You don’t dump sugar into the egg whites all at once?

Then came sewing. We were to make simple shifts. I chose a white cotton duck fabric with a red, white and blue nautical theme. I actually wore it once or twice before it mysteriously disappeared.

The author. The artist. The dress.

24 comments on “Weekend Writing Prompt – Fabric

  • Dear Rochelle,

    I wish they had had home economics at my school. I actually believe they should have classes on basic skills just so folks can get by yanno?

    That said, this was a hoot and a half and I never learned how to use a sewing machine so for me, you are way ahead of the curve!

    Shalom and lotsa stitched-together love,

    Dale

    Liked by 3 people

  • Yeah, I’d probably just pick up a needle and thread and got at that hem with a hidden stitch and be done with it … 😉 But I’m the impatient type when it comes to these things … threading machines (or filling bobbins, or adjusting tensions, or what not … oy vey!). But, yeah, I remember middle-school sewing classes – made an apron, and a skirt, I think. Still have the apron. The skirt might’ve gone the way of your shift … 😉
    To be fair, while I don’t ‘sew’ per se, I am pretty handy with the needle for repairs and with crochet and knitting for stuff as need be. Even enjoy embroidery and such crafts, some years more than others – but I would hate to be TOLD to do it, or HAVE to do it or be MADE to do it or HAVE to do it.
    Then it loses all the fun-factor.
    Jury’s still out on the cloth-masks I’m making. No one is forcing me to do them (which helps) and there’s immediate gratification in knowing they find good noses to and ears to ride on. … So far, so good.
    Now, about those jeans … If we lived nearby, I’d say say, ‘bring them over’
    🙂
    hugs
    Na’ama

    Liked by 2 people

    • Na’ama Y’karah,

      I’ve actually had those thoughts about just picking up the jeans and hemming them by hand. Then I get sidetracked. Yet they are a favorite pair, but for years I’ve been just rolling them up. That’s how lazy I am. I’ve not done much with the sewing machine as it was given to me a few years back and has been taking up space in a closet.
      Knitting? Crocheting? Oy. Fuhget about it. I tried them…the results weren’t pretty…barely recognizable, in fact. Good on you with the face masks. I’ve made my one from a t-shirt sleeve 😉
      I agree about the fun factor. Years ago I did a lot of embroidery…with my own designs. Someone gave me a kit. I used the thread but not the pattern. Again blessings to you for those face masks.
      Since we don’t live close 😦 I’ll get around to hemming those jeans…one of these days. 😉 Thank you.

      Hugs back atcha,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ah, well, rolled up pants work (almost) just as well as hemmed ones, and they offer a bit of ‘leaf storage’ in the folds besides! 😉 As for the face-masks — we need them here in NYC, and the medical ones are in short supply and ought to be left for the health-workers and other front-liner personage. So it is the homemade route for most of us, and if we can make’em pretty and a tad bit comfier, why not? Especially as we’re gonna be stuck with them a while. Wanna guess what color I made mine? 😉 (
        Hugs
        Na’ama

        Like

    • Dear Keith,

      I think it was a matter of timing and maturity. The time wasn’t right and I was quite immature. I made Baked Alaska once after I was married. It turned out well, but I found that I much preferred meringue on top of a lemon pie. 😉 Thank you.

      Shalom,

      Rochelle

      Liked by 1 person

  • She’s as cute as those jeans on the sewing machine.

    My grandmother had one of those, my sis has it and we are giving it to our cousin who collects antiques. I doubt if it came across the prairie in a covered wagon, but my great-great grandparents did.

    Liked by 1 person

    • p.s. I remember that Home Ec and Shop. I was as big a disaster in Shop as you were in Home Ec. But eventually you learned to ice a cake and I built houses. Funny. Now you are a full time artist.

      Like

  • Dear Ted,

    I think our schools meant well and thought they were preparing us for life ‘roles’ we were expected to fill. Miraculous I ended up in food service, but to be fair, I always saw cake decorating as another art form. 😉 Because it is. At any rate, I feel privileged to be doing what I’ve always wanted to do. Thank you for coming by and leaving your thoughtful (as always) comments.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

  • I had band and debate/forensics, so shop and auto repair was out. We DID, however, have a filmmaking class and TV class taught by a lady who was actually in “the biz” and whose husband was a photog at channel 9. She recommended (and very strongly, no joke) that I attend UCLA film school. Mom and Dad were delighted to hear that from a teacher, but they were afraid of losing me in all that show business and they didn’t have the money. But, I ended up doing what I wanted to do, too.

    Liked by 1 person

  • Speak to me so I know someone's reading me. (Your comments brighten my day.)

    Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

    WordPress.com Logo

    You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

    Facebook photo

    You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

    Connecting to %s

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    lindacapple

    Writing from the Soul, Speaking from the Heart

    Carrot Ranch Literary Community

    Making literary art accessible 99 words at a time!

    Magical Stories by Ronda Del Boccio

    Bringing Visions to Life

    Riverbrat

    Navigating the mountains and valleys of everyday life on the riverbank.

    Our Literary Journey

    Driveling twaddle by an old flapdoodle.

    Addicted To Living

    learning from one crazy experience to the next.

    saania2806.wordpress.com/

    Philosophy is all about being curious, asking basic questions. And it can be fun!

    Invincible Woman on Wheels

    Conquering the World

    This, that and the other thing

    Looking at life through photography and words

    Kelvin M. Knight

    Reading. Listening. Writing.

    Na'ama Yehuda

    Speech Language Pathologist, Writer, Blogger -- musings, anecdotes, stories, quotes, life lessons and growth

    Diane's Ponderings

    Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

    Penz-o-Paula

    Paula Shablo

    Lost Imperfect Found

    Self-discovery through self-reflection.

    Sarah Potter Writes

    Pursued by the muses of prose, poetry, and art

    Sammi Cox

    Author Aspiring

    Neil MacDonald Author

    A writer's journey

    Autumn Leaves

    For those who enjoy fiction

    Native Heritage Project

    Documenting the Ancestors

    Living In Eternity

    If Eternity Is Forever, Am I There Now?

    Rereading Jane Eyre

    Author Luccia Gray

    zicharonot

    Catskills Memories, Genealogy, travel and commentary

    e.l. dalke: survivor

    a journey of fractures, in my own words

    %d bloggers like this: