Sew Thinky Thursday!

Okay, its Friday here... But its still Thursday where Emily lives and so, I can join her new weekly blog hop! Sew Thinky Thursday!

How can I not join my best friend in her First ever blog hop!

Hop over yourselves to join the fun!

 

This will be your place for some thoughtful blog reading. Each Thursday she'll post a different question regarding sewing and quilting, then she'll write my response to that question. She'll have the linky tool at the bottom of the post so that you can link up a post sharing your response.

There are no wrong answers here. Many of these questions are open ended  personal stories. She'll leave the linky party open for a few days so that everyone has a chance to write up their post. Her hope is that by having this linkup on Thursday we'll be able to stop in over the weekend to read each other's responses! 

This week She's starting off simple. Here's her question:

When did you start sewing? Tell us a bit about your sewing history. When did you realize you were really hooked? 

 

And here's my answer :

 

 I started sewing in January 2010. I had never touched a sewing machine before that and never even thought of doing so. Like many Indian women, the image that a sewing machine brought to my mind was always that of Niroopa Roy stitching to make ends meet in the Eastman Color Bollywood Sagas...

 

I just could not imagine myself with a sewing machine!

 

Everything changed in January 2010! Actually things started changing in October 2009 itself. 

 

Rewind to October beginning ans I was enjoying myself - a full time Chief Assistant Architect at a reputed firm in town, a nice hefty paycheck coming home every month, a trip to London planned with my cousins! Wow!

 

And then IT happened. CHIKUNGUNYA! The most horrible and painful thing that can ever happen to anyone. For the first few days, I just could not move! Gradually I could move - but I used to dread getting out of bed - even at 10 am! 

 

Managing 3 fronts - A hectic workload, a chaotic home and a super-energized son - was becoming impossible. I decided to give up the one thing I could - My work - even though I loved it a lot. 

 

It was in Dec 2010 that I started Shrutiz - the 'up'cycle shop. I collected old clothes, employed women from the slums and made them into Bedspreads, Cushion Covers etc. I loved my work. I saw a lot of raised eyebrows - since it was kind of stepping down from being an architect - for a lot of people who knew me. Even my Mom was not happy with what I did.

 

 

 

In January, I brought my grandmother's machine home - just so that the women, who otherwise worked from home - could do minor changes right there in front of me. It was then that I started sewing. I remember I had even threaded the machine wrong the first time!

 

Later, in March, when I was looking for a better machine, I came across Elizabeth Hartman's blog. From there, there was just no turning back...

 

I fell in love with quilting! I was hooked. I enjoyed it.

 

With my new machine - a Bernette - came innumerable possibilities! And I experimented, learnt, enjoyed!

 

 

 

When, after using the machine for a while I was already thinking of upgrading it, I realized I was hooked! I even started planning my projects when I was lying in bed. It actually helped me cope with my joint pain and motivated me to get out of my bed!

 

Now that I have a new machine that does not restrict my creativity, I just love it!

 

 

What about you? How and when did you start sewing? Are you hooked to it?