Naïve but not discouraged: Tackling a brand new hobby

In a time where we're all consumed with work, I think it's beneficial to have something you can turn to, a relaxing activity to help take away workplace stress - a hobby.

Not only are hobbies a useful way to pass the time, it gives you a chance to be creative and express yourself.

I, myself, have had many hobbies over the years from rock collecting as a child to painting, but my most recent hobby is sewing.

My grandparents taught me how to sew when I was around seven years old. In fact, the first thing I made was a small snowman quilt with my grandmother.

I was given my own sewing machine a few years back but without a place to put it, the machine remained in it's box until a few days ago. Since I am no longer using my desk for schoolwork, I created my own small sewing area. While it's nowhere near as elaborate as my grandmother's sewing room (which spans her entire basement), it's good enough for me.

I have dreams of making dresses and skirts for myself and a few friends, but the first thing I am sewing are baby blankets for my friend's nephews. A small three foot by two-and-a-half foot blanket covered in animals, with batting inside so they will be warm - seemed simple, right?

Wrong.

My first problem was with my bobbin, the small spool of thread sitting in the base of the machine. The bobbin thread kept getting tangled, to the point where I became so frustrated that I gave up on the project for a few hours.

The next problem was the batting itself. Minutes of frustration later, and the end result was a hole in my fabric, so I had to recut it.

Then I had a problem with my seam, specifically getting it close enough to the edge so the fabric wouldn't fray. After various instances of trial and error, I now know how to line up my fabric with my machine to get that nice seam on the edge of the blanket...but none of the seams on the finished blanket were the quality I wanted.

During this entire process, it slipped my mind that I cannot cut, draw or sew a straight line to save my life. My seams ended up crooked, as did the blanket.

Needless to say I felt defeated, but in the midst of this defeat I have decided not to give up. This blanket is the first thing I have cut and sewn 100 percent by myself, and even though it isn't perfect, I am still proud of what I accomplished, and I don't plan to stop now.

I still have one more blanket to sew, and I hope it will turn out better than the first one did.