Worth Doing
When Caine decided that his third bag (after an Everyday Tote and multi-pocketed crossbody bag) was going to be a gigantic canvas tool bag, I knew it was an ambitious project but one that he would no doubt be able to master since his first two projects were so successful. What I did not expect was to witness Caine discover his ikigai, the Japanese notion of finding something that gives your life worth.
Now, if you read the last meager post, you would have found out that we created Askew Goods with only one of us having sewing experience. Initially it seemed that I would be doing the majority of the sewing and Caine would focus on the design and marketing side of things. Watching me in action though, made Caine start to envision himself as a sewist. It might have had something to do with my imprecise measuring skills, my tendency to overly rely on my seam ripper. (We did, after all, name our company Askew. And now you know the reason.)
I would prefer to think, though, that watching me sew allowed him to see that it is a process-centric craft. One where you start with a spool of thread and a cut of fabric and with a lot of patience (and measuring), you end up with your product, or bags in our case. Having a vision and solving the puzzle of how to bring that vision into tangible reality with the help of scissors and needles. And occasionally the seam ripper.
Watching Caine work on this tool bag, it reminded me of how much I enjoy the process as well. I even started using the rulers and tailor’s chalk Caine is always harping on about. It is still an amazing feeling, to work on constructing a bag, to be completely immersed in a project, then to turn it right-side out and have a functioning product. To be able to look over your work and see what you did well and what you can do better the next time. It is all part of that process, from start to finish. Knowing that it is a cycle meant to be repeated until you have something not only worth sharing with the world but worth doing.
And the stars were aligned
In most of Japan, the country I called home for most of my adulthood, July 7th is Tanabata, a holiday celebrating the one day of the year when two star-crossed deities are able to meet before being divided again by the Milky Way for another year. All over the country, wishes are hung on bamboo along with colorful paper and foil decorations that flutter in the wind, carrying the wishes skyward to the happy lovers. I mention this holiday because it seemed quite serendipitous that it was the day we received our long awaited Juki industrial sewing machine.
We did not set out to buy a brand new Juki. We really just wanted to fix our heavy duty Janome but while that was in the shop we started learning about industrial machines, which seemed to be the tool we needed to make the bags we have designed. We discovered someone here in Gainesville getting rid of a Consew from the 1970s and gleefully took it. Then that one also needed a trip to the repair shop. Right before we headed out on a camping trip to celebrate the anniversary of our first encounter, we heard the verdict about the machines: the Janome was beyond resurrection and they had very little hope for the Consew. Floating down the crystal clear Rainbow River, we watched otters swim alongside our tubes and made the decision to take all the money we had raised so far and offer it up as a down payment on the machine we really fancied: the Juki DNU-1541s.
As an elementary school teacher and chef, both of us felt a little nervous about such a big financial commitment but we also really believe in Askew and each other so we took a big breath and pressed the ‘buy now’ button when we returned home. And now we have a beautiful machine in our studio.
The first bag to be sewn on the Juki happened to also be Caine’s first completed sewing project. While I have been sewing since high school (aka a long time), Caine is teaching himself and doing an amazing job. I am very impressed with his attention to detail and insistence on doing things properly, traits undoubtedly transferred from his long career as a chef.
We have a lot of work ahead of us now that we have something other than the GenX Kenmores we thrifted. We can actually make what we want to make. And we can’t wait to share our new designs. :)
Take care.
