Batteries Fail, Life Goes On

My power wheelchair's first set of batteries started showing signs of failure mere months after they were given their inaugural run. Concerned, I contacted the service representative I'd been dealing with at the store through which I purchased the (remarkably expensive) chair. It took some back and forth, but she was helpful and kind and … Continue reading Batteries Fail, Life Goes On →

Back to Reality (and My Sewing Machine)

My husband and I got home last Tuesday after a very full, very satisfying vacation. We covered a ton of figurative and literal ground in our ten days on Prince Edward Island: quality time with family on both his side and mine; visits to beaches, towns, and what pass, in that tiny province, as cities; … Continue reading Back to Reality (and My Sewing Machine) →

On the Fly

A quick post, completely unrelated to sewing so I won’t even try to make a connection, while I wait for a flight. This’ll be my fourth major trip in a twelve-month span after a many-years drought during which the idea I’d ever again leave the hospital, let alone the city, seemed laughable. Yet here I … Continue reading On the Fly →

Wrinkles

Please note that this is part one of what I swear will be a two-post series. I'm serious this time. Bear with me. In the list of sewing-related activities I dislike, a very close second to cutting is ironing. For the purposes of this post, which isn't a how-to but rather an opportunity for me … Continue reading Wrinkles →

Curse of the Solstice Gown

When I was ten or so, my mom sewed a solstice dress for me to wear to winter solstice rituals. (I won’t elaborate on the yearly event, but think “simulated birth canal.”) I still have that magnificent gown, which is in a purple 1990s celestial print that could be mistaken for nothing but a relic … Continue reading Curse of the Solstice Gown →

Oh Donny Boy

If the last three shirts I’ve sewn are anything to go by, it’s safe to say that I’m squarely in my camp-collar era. It all started, of course, with the Gilbert. Next was the Donny. For months, I kept seeing Friday Pattern Company’s Donny Shirt while perusing other people’s finished objects on Instagram. IG’s algorithm … Continue reading Oh Donny Boy →

Cutting It Out

Before I get caught up in a million project recaps, I'm going to make good on my promise to maintain the disability component of DMS. This feels important because the more time passes, the more I realize that accessibility-related considerations play into almost everything I do, hobbies included. Not always in a bad way, though: … Continue reading Cutting It Out →

When 2 Become 1,000

When my power chair and I hit 100, it felt like a significant milestone in the coming together of one soul and one motor. We'd bonded in those first 100 km, and I remember being sure that it was impossible for woman and machine to be any closer unless in a cyborg situation such as … Continue reading When 2 Become 1,000 →

(Un)burdened

At the end of an especially frustrating day earlier this week, I found myself struggling to accept how little I’d accomplished. All afternoon, I’d flitted from one task to another, never able to spend more than fifteen minutes on any given thing before getting lost in the news or rolling to the kitchen for a … Continue reading (Un)burdened →

Twelve Days Later …

… I’m free! My inner drama queen had started to wonder if my period of confinement disproved that "this too shall pass" adage that rankles me when all I'm trying to do is see the glass half empty. Yesterday, for example, which was particularly bad from the “me cooped up and resentful that most people’s … Continue reading Twelve Days Later … →