What are you planning to do with that?

In my state of semi-retirement, I decided that I needed to spend more time on activities that nourish me. After years of sitting at a desk, pushing paperwork around, I really wanted to tap my creative side. There is only so much napping and book-reading I can do. Cooking is great, but I also knew I shouldn’t have my days revolve around food. The natural activity I gravitated towards was sewing.

I learned to sew when I was a little kid. My Grandma C taught me. I still remember the first project she had me do. It was a small pink pillow and I used all the creative stitches that our old New Home machine could put out. Each row I would change the thread to a different color. The finished project wasn’t too shabby. Grandma kept that pillow for years.

I hauled out all of the boxes of old notions, buttons and fabrics that I have stored and moved MANY times. I spent days organizing and setting up a small sewing corner. Dean has been patient as I have slowly overtaken our exercise room with all things fabric and sewing related. I even bought a new sewing machine and serger, replacing that old New Home machine that I learned on as a kid.. I’ve scoured books for ideas of projects that I want to attempt. Then, I reentered the world of the fabric store.

I love looking at all there is in a fabric store. My first trip, I selected a few bolts and went to the cutting counter. That is where I first discovered that those cutting ladies are N-O-S-Y.

‘What are you making?’, they would ask as they rolled out the fabric and cut the strips I requested. I was a little taken back by the question. What did THEY care? I felt like coming up with some crude response. ‘Oh I’m just making matching costumes for me and my husband’s role playing night. You see, every Tuesday is role playing night and I wanted to whip up a few new costumes. We like to keep things fresh and vibrant you see’. I decided against that. Instead I mumbled something, grabbed the goods and left the cutting area.

On the way home, I started wondering why I felt so insecure about telling them what I had in mind for the yardage. Was it because I thought they might tell me that they thought that was a terrible idea? That I didn’t look like I had any skill to fashion the cloth into what I described? I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was just a random question and it won’t happen again.

BUT.IT.DID. The next trip to the cutting counter, I was greeted with the same question, ‘what are you going to make?’. This continued, each trip to the store. It even happened at another fabric store close to home. What is THIS? Why do they care what I am doing. Is nothing sacred? Each time I have mumbled a reply...not sure what to tell them. I have watched others at the counter proudly declare what project they have in mind of creating. Why do I think I’m so special that I can’t reveal details?

Me, being me, began to think about this whole fabric-store-clerk-question-phenomena. I should probably add that the frequented fabric store is 30 minutes from my house, so I had some time. When you go to Victoria’s Secret and you select an item and take it to the counter, does the clerk ask you ‘what are you going to do with this?’. When you go thru the check-out line at Target and you have a cart full of items, does that clerk ask you, ‘what are you going to do with this?’. When I’m at Macy’s and purchase a new top, do they ask me ‘are you going to wear this?’. NO.THEY.DO.NOT. So why, oh why is it SO important to the fabric slashers to know about my creative plans?

I don’t know, but I DO know I need to come up with a better reply than my current mumble. Hmmmmmmm, this could be fun.