The Domestic Arts: Veni, Vidi, Vici

For the whole schoolyear, I have been putting off sewing my daughter’s badges onto her scout troop vest. Because I don’t know how to use a sewing machine. What? I graduated from college with a degree in public policy and started having babies 4 seconds later. I’ve been taught to use a sewing machine a handful of times, but it never stuck. Proficiency with machines and domestic arts are two skill sets that I lack–by nature and by choice.

Anyway, today the scouts are wearing their uniforms at school for an end-of-the-year ceremony, and proper attire is rather important to my scout. I had to figure out a way to get those patches onto her vest.

Naturally, I went knocking next door and begged our 85 year old neighbor Mrs. Patti to come teach me. We had to thread the needles for her, but she rocked the zig-zag stitch and got us started. I did the flag, first aid, and campfire songs patches myself. All five  of my kids watched in wonder. I’m not sure whether they were surprised to see me getting my homemaker thing on, or whether they thought I might prick my finger on the spindle and fall under Maleficent’s spell.

While working on the circle-shaped hiking patch, I ran into some kind of snag, and the machine stopped working.  Also, the American flag is about 45 degrees slanted. Whatever. Tell me this isn’t a good afternoon’s work: