One thing I knew for sure is that my time was coming. I was dreading it, but in a congregation of 25 options it was inevitable. A few of those ladies have new babies or are otherwise out, so the pool was even smaller. I had managed to escape for twelve years and I was almost to the point of offering just to get rid of the awful suspense every April.

A little history is in order to help you understand why I was dreading being sewing leader so much. My qualifications were not from the standpoint of everything I know about sewing. It was more like DISqualifications from everything I didn’t know.

-I am not a seamstress. I didn’t start sewing for myself until I was 22 and left home to go teach school. My dresses were kept to plain and simple. No one could accuse me of setting any trends.

-I’m not a cute project finder or maker. I don’t have a good eye for what matches or knowing how fabric will work for certain projects.

-I’m not mechanically minded, so if a machine breaks down I will not be the one fixing it. I can usually get them threaded, though.

-I’m not mission-minded. Seeing needs in the communtiy is not something that comes naturally to me.

-I’m not a sales watcher or coupon clipper. Spending the church money scared me. I was worried about spending too much, so we mostly just used up what we had in closets and cupboards.

-I didn’t know about fleece and flannel and different cottons or stitching threads and needles.

-I didn’t know how to put a comforter in a frame for stitching.

So.

How did my year as sewing leader go? Looking at that list of what I didn’t know is slightly embarrassing, even for me. What in the world have I been doing on sewing days all these years? I will tell you what: helping in the kitchen as much as possible and tying knots the rest of the time.

Anyway… my year as sewing leader went way better than it should have!

Here’s what I learned:

-You don’t have to be a seamstress or a cute project maker. Most of being sewing leader has nothing to do with actually sewing.

-The leader from last year was kind and answered dozens of questions. She may have groaned when my name popped up again in her Whatsapp feed.

-There are ladies that shine at putting fabrics together and nowing what will look nice.

-When the machines needed a little help there’s at least one lady here that can most likely fix it. She even offered to take the serger home and service it. I didn’t say no!

-It’s OK to not watch sales. It’s just as saving to use cotton scraps up from in the closet. Everyone has their own area to save and it’s pointless to compare.

-I still don’t know a lot about types of fabrics for different projects, but I can tell the difference between fleece and flannel now. After the next time I’m sewing leader I may be able to tell you what to do with them.

-One major thing I learned is that asking two different ladies the same question about how to put a comforter in a frame is this: you will get two different answers and both of them will have reasons why their way is the right way. I sometimes asked questions just to see what I could learn about the ladies I asked. Personality has to do with the answers. That gave me room to figure out what worked for me and now I have my own way to pin a comforter in a frame. It won’t take much to convince me there is a better way, though!

-You don’t need as much fancy storage space as you think you do. I was on a sewing leaders chat and there were numerous discussions about new church building. I chuckled at out helter skelter storage solutions. We bought an old communtiy church a number of years ago and I can tell you it was not built for Mennonite sewing days. We are very thankful for the confessional, though, You can get a lot of fleece in there. It may have even heard a confession or two while we were setting up.

-The two ladies on the committee with me were super easy to work with. The both knew just a bit more than I do and we had many good laughs while setting up about how bumbling we felt. We learned together, asked questions, and mostly just faked it.

-And the biggest thing I learned? Sewing days basically run themselves. Most everyone comes to sewing here and each lady shines at something. When everyone pulls together it makes for lighter work.

(I do think the sewing cabinet we have is magic, though. Everytime we went to set up for sewing, there were more projects to be done than I remembered leaving there. Ideas came to me out of the blue. I was ever so grateful that God and my church sisters were helping me out!)

Yesterday I did the last of my deliveres, took a few machines in to be serviced and I felt great relief that the year is over, but also a twinge. It’s nice to be included and know what is going on. It’s fun to get together with the same ladies on set-up day and learn to know them in a different way. You learn what their strengths and weaknesses are and when they say something in Sunday School you just may catch each other’s eye and smile. You know exaclty what she’s talking about.

I will admit to an unfamiliar bit of pride when someone complimented a certain long stitch pattern that was done. It was my idea and I thought it would look cool, and it’s the first ever bit of ‘project’ or ‘quilting’ inspiration I’ve ever had. Who knows, I may turn into a quilter after I’ve been sewing leader a few more time.

In conclusion, if I can be sewing leader, anyone can. If you were just voted in, RELAX! You can do it! Ask questions, laugh at your mistakes and don’t feel pressure to do things the same way as previous leaders or how it’s always been done. Do it while letting your personality shine through and it will be fine! We didn’t get as much done this year as some years because I didn’t know everything that some other leaders know, and that’s just fine. The ladies here show up, we enjoy visiting, we get a good lunch and in between we make some beautiful blankets. Isn’t that the point?

Tell me your experience with being sewing leader. I hope it was as good as mine was. (If you have as many wonderful ladies in your church as I do, it will be good!)