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Sewing tips for macho guys

by Mark Lamendola,
Mindconnection.com

Many men hate to sew. They see it as "a woman’s job," and not a "guy thing." True, most of the people who spend much time sewing are women. It’s also true that gun-toting soldiers sew. Even the toughest Navy Seal (the elite of tough guys) is handy with a needle and thread. Why be helpless, just because you have a tear or lose a button? Here are some tips for you guys who are "sewing challenged."

1. Make three sewing kits:

1. You need a small one for your office, toolbox, pickup truck, or whatever you work out of (unless you work at home). You need another small one for traveling. You need a large one to serve as your main depository for supplies. Make sure each kit includes basic thread colors, thimble, a variety of needles, and a thread puller (the handy little gadget with the wire loop you use to get a thread through the eye of a needle).
2. To "make" the small sewing kits, just go to any discount or department store, and pick up a couple of those little emergency sewing kits that come in a plastic pouch. With these, you can do a passable job of closing up a tear or putting a button back on. You can always have a talented tailor make the permanent repairs.
3. To make the large kit, consider a small plastic fishing tackle box. This box can maintain your macho image to your sewing-impaired macho friends. Look for a box that has a ruler molded into the lid—this is meant for measuring fish, but it’s just as useful for measuring the size of a hem, the distance between buttons, etc. In this kit, you should have large needles for repairing canvas and thin leather, as well as a package of "regular" needles. You should also have larger spools of thread than what the emergency kits have. Include a pair of scissors, a few instructions on how to do basic stitches, and spare thimbles and thread pullers

2. For you guys who can’t sew without pulling the thread so tight you shrink a shirt by three sizes and have giant knots all over the fabric when you’re done, here’s a suggestion. Take a sewing class. If you’re married and your wife can sew, ask her to teach you. This is almost as good as bringing her a red rose (but bring one, anyhow). If you’re single and want to meet women, hey, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you just might meet them at a sewing class at your local community college. Or ask a woman to tutor you—combine that approach with a red rose, and, well….

3. What do you need to learn? Most guys just need to learn the basics so you can go through life not being helpless when the unexpected happens:

1. Learn to sew a button on so it looks right. A badly sewn button not only looks odd, but it is likely to break or be hard to button with.
2. Learn how to repair a torn hem or cuff in a pant leg. Droopy hems make you look like a slob. So does fixing that hem improperly. You have to do more than just match the color to make this turn out right.
3. Learn how to repair a tear in the finger of a glove. Sure, gloves don’t cost that much, but the same guys who just can’t bear to part with old underwear will keep wearing gloves that have tears in the finger seams. These are easy to fix, if you know how to do it.
4. Learn how to sew a zipper back in when it tears away from the fabric.
5. Learn how to mend torn seams in pillows, sheets, and blankets.

A final note: With some practice, you’ll find basic sewing easy and enjoyable. You can always play your favorite music or recorded book while sewing. If you volunteer to do some basic sewing for your mate or date, you’ll go a long way toward making her think of you as someone worthy of her respect. Besides, you can always use it as an excuse to cuddle up to her so she can inspect your handiwork when it’s done. Whoever said sewing wasn’t a guy thing?

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