Always Sew Busy

This Week

Exciting news– I successfully got all of my rows together and have started e front panel of this pillow cover project. Can I hear a little commotion for the dress?

One partially quilted corner of my project

Now let’s hear it for the back of the dress!

The back of the stitching is so satisfying to me!!!

I’ve been able to get a couple of the outlines I want quilted, with some minor hiccups that were solved by my aunt and mom. Last week, I struggled to get all of my rows pieced together because my machine kept breaking the thread. I assumed it had something to do with the machine tension, the bobbin, or the thread, which wasn’t the case. My mom explained to me that she thought it might be that the feed dogs were jammed up and needed to be cleaned. The feed dogs are the little tracks that run underneath the presser foot and help to move the fabric as you sew. 

See the little lines of metal that are sort of teeth-like under the foot and needle? Those are the feed dogs.

My aunt and mom explained some ways that I could safely clean out that part of the machine, as it is somewhat delicate and can be relatively easily damaged. I was able to remove the presser foot and needle, unscrew the plate that sits under the presser foot, and see inside of the machine. This gave me a better look at the feed dogs and the bobbin casing. There was definitely some dust and lint in there (which just happens naturally over time as you sew and run fabric through the machine). It needed cleaning, so I took some canned air and some q-tips with a little bit of isopropyl alcohol and was able to clean everything up. 

Squeaky clean!

Things are running so much smoother now, and I’ve been able to quilt easily and without any tension or breakage problems!

Occupational Balance

To me, occupational balance is the concept of being able to have the right amount of occupations (time to do all of the occupations I want/need), occupations that vary so that life is interesting, and having enough occupations that feel meaningful or enjoyable to me. Honestly, I do not know that I have had a time in my life where I reflect back and feel that I had true occupational balance. In high school, I involved myself in way too many things, and was definitely too busy for my own good. As soon as I got into my undergrad, I was doing school and working 2-3 jobs, and having multiple jobs continued for the two years after I graduated from college, up until I started in graduate school. These situations do not identify with me as being occupationally balanced, because I spent basically all of my time doing school, work, or homework. This usually felt like I had too much to do with not enough time, and definitely not a lot of opportunities for socializing or spending time doing my hobbies, which are occupations that are important and meaningful to me. 

Honestly as I have begun graduate school, I feel a lot closer to being occupationally balanced than I have in the past. Participating in and doing well in graduate school is something that is really meaningful to me (due to its implications on my future career and the things I want to learn). So, while I may not always enjoy exactly what I am doing, it still has some value to me, and I find it interesting. Not working like I used to and focusing more on school feels much more balanced to me, and I have found my current schedule and experience to be mostly manageable in having adequate time to complete all of the occupations I want to participate in, in addition to school. 

Some things I have implemented in the hopes of further achieving occupational balance and therefore improving my well-being during this time in my life have involved a lot of planning in my schedule. I have become more intentional about what meals I cook and the times/days I cook them so that I have leftovers for days when I am going to be busy. As of the last couple weeks, I have been trying to improve at going to bed and waking up at a consistent time, so I have adequate time and energy to complete all of the occupations I want to engage in. I have not been super successful at this yet, but it is a work in progress! 

This planning and scheduling has also applied to my hobbies, and the pursuit of my new occupation, sewing/quilting. I have been trying to make sure that I set aside time where I can work on a project for my new occupation, and maybe participate in one of my other hobbies as well. I typically do this on Saturday mornings, and planning for this has helped me to make sure that I have that period of time available to do something besides doing the things I need to do to physically survive and to survive graduate school. Being able to implement this new occupation encouraged me to do this, and also encouraged me to pursue occupational balance because it gives me an occupation to do within my routines that feels not so directly related to school and the other tasks I absolutely must do. I’ve really enjoyed my new occupation and have found that it supplies value in my life. So, I believe it is moving me closer to occupational balance because it is providing me with some positive outcomes, is something I want to do, and is something that I feel satisfied doing. There are times where I feel overwhelmed by all of the tasks I have to do, but having time to participate in activities that I typically find relaxing and enjoyable, (which has included this new occupation), helps me to find balance in my life.