The Friday of Sewing Camp was practically perfect. I could scarcely remember the kerfuffle of Monday, in which ten girls arrived with little or no familiarity with a machine. It was a scramble to help each of them master, or at least step into, the basics of threading, and a half inch seam. By the end of the afternoon though, they had each completed a driving
test, a pin cushion, and two other projects which we celebrated with applause.
There were bumps each day, with abandoned ideas, and four pajama leg pieces all going the same way, rather than two rights and two lefts. We brought out the band-aids a couple of times, but there were no tears.
The last day, though, was amazing. I would say it was seamless, but actually there were many. One girl powered through five pairs of fingerless
gloves. She planned to gift them to her friends, Another girl practically danced as she produced four pairs of flannel shorts for her brother. This was in the aftermath of a lukewarm response to the red and yellow pants she made for him the day before. The population of llamas and fuzzy stegosauruses went up dramatically.
There was a stack of boxes in the corner that we had not noticed. A girl opened a drawer that was labeled "Unfinished projects". We quilters
call them UFOs, or Unfinished objects. She asked if she could complete it. I sent a text to my boss. She gave us the go ahead.
It felt like Christmas. Girls pulled out half done tote bags, and lonely pajamas. Many only needed a little TLC. Amazingly, one girl found her own project from two years ago, and although the dress no longer fit over her head, she was happy to take it over the finish line.
I felt grateful as the last
precious girl skipped out the door with a backpack full of treasure. Some were completely theirs, while a few were adopted.
Their confidence had grown. The mistakes we left behind on Tuesday contributed to the skill they drew on at the end. It all felt like a microcosm of life. I hope I will remember that mistakes are the backdrop for celebration.
