Horse and Buggy Vs. A Car

Yesterday, we enjoyed a long rainy Monday of practicing music and partyin' it up while in the back bedroom I could hear the chugging away of the treadle sewing machine where Theresa was persistently and patiently coaxing production out of its worn wheels, hinges and belts. She was occasionally coming out to me with her half sewn project seeking ideas for pattern fitting, hemming on the curve and things like that.

Finally, near the end of the day, when my fingers were aching from practice, I poked my head in the bedroom to see how she was doing...

"This is like the difference between a horse and buggy and a car!" was her reply.
"Well..." I decided to shoot for the next logical question; "Then why not just use the electric one?"
"Because," she huffed, threading the treadle for the 286th time, "I don't want to have to use electricity and I do want to get good on this thing!" She spun the wheel with her hand and started treadling away only to have her thread break after a few inches yet once again. (The tension gauge has some age-related issues. I can get it to work for a little while if I clean and oil it, but it tires out fast!)

"And besides," Theresa added, licking the end of thread and rethreading it for the 287th time:

"I am stubborn."

I raised a brow and mentally agreed.

But thinking further on it, you know, you really do need a healthy dose of stubbornness to persist at such a backwards lifestyle as this. Everything takes more persistence, more patience and more stubbornness in this lifestyle vs. one of them 'ordinary' lifestyles. And maybe that's why we find everything about our life so much more fulfilling! 

Take this adorable little handmade pajama for example, sewn without electricity by my stubborn sister:

Sure, maybe we could have bought one at the thrift store for .75, but it would have been 100% polyester and pumped out of a factory line in China somewhere. Tell me, where is our humanly fulfillment in something like that?

This little garment is full of good ol' fashion handmade love and stubbornness. :)

 Donna watched and encouraged Theresa every step of the way, marveling in her two year old wonder at the finished product.

She loves it!

Oh,

and just so you don't get discouraged or anything, 

Theresa did use the electric machine for hemming those curved sleeves.

I guess everyone has their limits. ;)