New Beginnings
This past May The Viking and I sold our country home of 3 years and moved back into the city. I saw this as a new chapter in life and was pondering the idea of learning how to sew. I was reluctant to start as it seemed like an expensive hobby and the whole “what if” scenario of another thing sitting around not being used. But I had some grand plans of nesting in our new home- envisioning me creating placemats, pillows, napkins and cute aprons. And due to the pandemic, the mask shortage was high and I knew I could sew masks for a fraction the cost of what everyone was selling them for. I knew if I were to ever learn how to sew, now more than ever would be PRIME time.
I voiced my interest, concerns and the price of the machine on Amazon ($99). He of course-so encouraging- told me to Add to Cart & purchase. So I did. And Brother XM2701 sat in the box in the corner for a good week before I opened it.
I am not sure why it sat there for so long- I think I was afraid. Intimidated maybe. Finally I blocked off a whole day to learn how to thread the machine. Beginners luck, I was able to thread it in 10 minutes. (It’s a self threader, lol) So off I went making my first mask, following a tutorial I got off the internet. My stitching was wonky, pleats uneven but it was a legit usable mask- with filter pocket! I will never forget that day!!!
Wonky Stitching! 
Filter Pocket
One of the things I find so interesting about sewing is all the resources online. People are just so generous with their knowledge! It’s refreshing actually. You can get free sewing patterns, watch endless videos on YouTube, read lots of blogs and peruse countless websites. It also seems like everyone offers virtual classes too. There are so many ways to learn! Discovering all of this plus the addition of books made me feel pretty confident that my Brother wouldn’t be another thing just sitting around collecting dust.
