Freewrite Day 493 Stitch

When I lived in Appalachia there were few jobs open, and I applied for all I heard of. One of those jobs was in a factory that made blue jeans. It was one of the last places in the US that still had that type of work and they needed ten people. The ad said they would train, so I went in for it.

I met a lady in the outside office and she asked if I could sew. Yes, I could. Well, my mom could, and I watched her do it on an old fashioned machine she had from her mom. It had a foot pump instead of electricity, and she made lovely clothes with it. Sometimes I would stitch scraps and these would be a bit uneven to be kind about it.

Later I took sewing for a term in high school and never completed any project. So yes, I could sew.

After filling out some forms, we went into the main factory room which was cavernous, loud, and cold. At least 200 people were laboring below us as we had entered from an overhanging balcony. With a high round roof in the style of a Quonset Hut, but much bigger than a hut, the sound echoed as people hunched over machines or scurried about, carrying things below.

We walked down and over to a lady at a huge machine. She had a towering pile of fabric near her and only stitched one line. People at the tables next to her were doing the cutting. Beyond them, I saw those who marked the fabric to be cut. Then what this lady sewed was passed on to the lady at the next machine on a path with wheels. I saw many other people and machines down the line from there, but I could not tell what they were doing.

I thought of the scraps I had sewn with my mom.

I sat with this lady for about 30 minutes and failed the test. Even lifting the fabric was hard. Setting it straight was impossible, and forget about getting it to the giant machine. I never managed one stitch. All the while I was freezing, breathing lint, and the noise was so loud that the lady had to yell instructions and encouragement into my ear.

“This station is the easy one. You don’t have to sew a curve.”

Fleeing to the upstairs door and getting into the warm sun and clean air is one of the biggest moments of relief I have ever had in my life. Did those 200 people feel the same way each time they left the building? Only in summer. In the winter it would be dark and just as cold outside as in.

My post is for the #freewrite daily challenge by @mariannewest. Freewrite is a great way to post on steemit when you do not think you have the time, or talent, or anything to say. It’s a great way to start regular posting on steemit. I know you can do this too! Here is Marianne’s freewrite prompt post for today. Give it a try and surprise yourself.

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Minnow tips!

Here is my latest minnow tips post if you struggle here at steem. This post has all of the ideas above and lots more.

These tips can help you even if you are not new.
Monday Minnow Tips for Everyone from @fitinfun

Contents of the Above Post

What should I do EACH DAY on STEEM with low power?

What to do with your STEEM

Are you shooting blanks with your votes?

Should you use an autovoter?

Join qurator

Do not post to nowhere

Why bother to comment?

How and Why to use kryptonia

How to get Upvotes

For Twitter Users

How and Why to lease delegated sp

Curation Trails

Using Discord

Please Help Me Keep Helping at STEEM

Please follow my blogs:

@fitinfun
@fitinfunfood
@bxlphabet is my son's blog, and I am so grateful he has returned.

We all post on Busy most days, where their upvote for us is based on the collective SP of our followers. We follow back, because we love you.

Put my blogs on your curation trail

@fitinfun
@fitinfunfood
@bxlphabet

This is the power of STEEM.

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Statistics say that only 5% of people with health resolutions for the New Year will still be on track after Super Bowl Sunday. Is your fitness equipment still out handy, and are you still on a "diet?"

I lost "Half My Size" eight years ago by using natural methods. I started on December 5th and did not give up. You can do it too!

This is Sharon @fitinfun. I am posting:

• Healthy Food Ideas on @fitinfunfood

• Motivation Minnow Tips and Everything Else on @fitinfun

• @bxlphabet is posting Southern California, steemmonsters and dtube videos.

Please follow along or contact me directly if you would like some individual help with weight loss and health. Anyone can do this if I did.