Just a few repairs

Do you have a to-do list of repairs? Putting in a new lightbulb outside the house, where you actually have to find a ladder? Finally fixing the door handle to the closet in the guest bedroom? Maybe there’s a pile of clothes to repair/hem/take in? Boy, me too! I don’t know what it is about making repairs, but I have to seriously work myself up to do them. Most of the repairs I take on for the business come in the form of sewing on buttons or snaps. Easy, right? Right! Do I rush over to do them? Nope. Matter of fact, I have a few sweet little wallets that have been waiting for minor repairs for probably a year.

So, what is it about getting out a needle and thread to fix a snap that is so undesirable? Here are my theories. First up, I don’t do it often enough. I have no doubt that if I had a pile to keep up with each week, I would do a better job of simply tackling it to get it off my plate. You know how that goes. Each week, you know you have to take out the garbage. Much as you don’t enjoy it, you do it because otherwise the house is going to begin smelling pretty ripe.

This little purple yarn clearly was trying to step out of line!

When I was consistently doing art fairs, I would get a couple pieces a season needing some adjustments. It simply came with the territory when dealing with the public. Sometimes it would be a yarn that got snagged, or a loose button that was accidentally yanked. The worst was when we would get a bit of precipitation and the cards attached to my inventory would get warped (ha! check out that weaving reference.). Shoot, there are many occasions when I was the one who stacked things funny and ripped off a snap, or any other number of possible scenarios. Stuff just happens.

But now that I’m not hauling my inventory around on a regular basis and putting it in front of the general public to handle, I don’t have nearly as many tweaks to tackle. This is mostly a good thing. Except that the few I have are collecting dust in my basket, and have been for some time. Sad…

Bag of repair supplies – ready, just in case!

My second theory for why I am amazingly resistant to fixing my broken lovelies is that I’m usually not thrilled with my repair skills. By the time I’m finished and reviewing my work, my typical response is, “Ah, well. It’s done.” I’ve never once looked at my newly anchored snap and said, “Man, I’m good!” (Believe me when I say that on a few occasions, I have been known to give myself a nice pat on the back after I finish weaving some fabric! So, it does happen.) I simply don’t find it to be very satisfying.

I’m guessing that it’s a combination of my mediocre hand-stitching skills and the actual task itself that lead me to find a million other things to do instead of knocking it out. (Wow – how long has it been since I dusted that ceiling fan! I should tackle that – pronto!!) Honestly, I’ve found that the best incentive has come when I really want to sell or market a specific item that’s sitting there, taunting me with its half-loose button. For instance, I know that the boutique caters to a beach crowd and I have a blue/green Mini Bag that would be perfect! That’s when I finally pull out the sad little soldier and put it back together again.

Wobbly Snap on Woven Wallet

Thanks for letting me talk this through. I can’t promise that I’m going to run over and repair everything in my pile immediately. But, at least I can explain why I’m avoiding it! What kinds of repairs do you put off on a regular basis? Happy weaving, everyone!!