Aw, sorry you've been annoyed... sometimes it's good to just let it out and rant :)
I've never heard or read "sewist", and it strikes me as really strange. Too close to "sewer" for my taste, too. I suspect well-intentioned gender-neutrality - after all, "seamstress" shares a sound sequence equal to two morphemes with "mistress" and could be read as derogatory (is "mistress" derogatory? I honestly don't know), or it could be read as excluding males who sew because (cf. "sewer") there's not really a good term for them. But I don't see it that way. I am happy to refer to myself as a seamstress, and to a guy friend who sews as a seamster. Yes, I made that up. And eventually I'll also figure out a gender-neutral term. That degree in linguistics gotta be good for something. ;)
i had to laugh - sorry. my rants come on an almost daily basis here, especially since my laptop tablet was stolen and i have no music at work to soothe my mellow.
I second the motion for better instructions and more than one photo with the pins sticking out. This shortfall has caused me to toss more than one "instruction" book into the closet and never revisit it. Well ranted and Oh, did you remember to warm the tea pot when you made the tea? :-)
January 25, 2011 at 4:49 PM
Anonymous said...
This list made me smile, that rueful half smile of understanding. Also...
You got a Stylish Blogger Award! And just in time for National Compliment Day. :) I love your blog! Not sure why the award is called "stylish" as opposed to just "good," but hey, I won't complain!
Here are the details:
Recently I got a stylish blogger award. I am passing it on to you because I love your blog and want to get it read by even more people. See my recent post for the list with your blog on it!
So here are the rules for acceptance of the award:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award. 2. Share 7 things about yourself. 3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers. 4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.
There is a button that goes with the award. Click on mine and copy the properties into your own blog.
Your rant is bringing a smile to my face. I've never hear sewist, wouldn't that be the cousin of racist and mean that you are against sewing? Now I've heard "sewer" too many times referring to someone who sews and to me it means a foul drain.
I prefer "seamster" since I was once a teamster but it seams like they've gone and removed all the tresses and esses lately I agree. That kitchen business would drive me crazy. I IMMEDIATELY painted my crazy bright yellow kitchen when bough our AZ house. xoxo Kim
My stupid under-the-sink-door does the same exact thing. It's become a serious source of curses in our house since it likes to swing open and catch shins and toes at just the right pointy angle whilst one is carrying a pot of hot, boiling water or sharp food processor blade or some other equally dangerous thing.
Also, I've found myself to be dreadfully incapable of performing "simple" sewing projects so I've found a perfectly good and easy book to inspire all my upcycling aspirations. http://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Home-Repurpose-Materials-Treasures/dp/1590305957
Love it. I agree about the 'sewist' title too. I vote that you call yourself a 'seamstrix' and see if it catches on.
January 30, 2011 at 12:22 AM
[Image]
if you're not in the mood for a rant, just look at the pretty sunrise and don't read any farther
i know i've been in an extraordinarily exuberant good mood of late and that it's probably getting on everyone's nerves, here in the dark, cold, grey depths of january. so lest you think it's all sunshine and roses in my life and moreover in my brain, i give you a few annoying things i've been thinking about...
~ WHAT is up with not using the word seamstress? all of the politically-correct supposedly hip sewing sites are referring to women who sew as sewists. why do this when seamstress is already a perfectly good word...laden with history and without negative connotation as far as my native speaker's ear can hear. i don't want to be referred to a sewist. pretentious gits.
~ why do the weirdest things stick in your mind at some stupid moment? case in point: the other day, we had guests and i was boiling water to make both coffee and tea. i made the coffee first and then needed to fill the kettle up for there to be enough water for the teapot. normal me would just top off the kettle from the tap and put it back on. but no, because there's a real brit standing there watching, some obscure warning i once read that you should only make tea by starting off with fresh, cold tap water in the kettle kicks into my head. and to the amazement of everyone watching, i poured out all that hot water and started over. and the brit wasn't even going to DRINK the tea, he was going to drink coffee!! bah!
~ i adore craft books and especially the sewing/quilting ones. today, for her birthday, sabin received the visually gorgeous sewing bits & pieces: 35 projects using fabric scraps by sandi henderson from my mom (mom likes to support our sewing habit). the book is lush and beautiful and thankfully sabin had to go to school, so i could sit down with it. the bright fabrics are just my idea of heaven, but then i got to the picnic quilt. it's a beautiful scalloped design. so far, not annoying, but here it comes...it's described as the most laid-back quilt that you can put together in an afternoon - intricately-cut scallop pieces, which you must cut with a scissors, not a rotary wheel and have to iron into a CURVE by making a special cardboard template and wrapping it in aluminum foil. and even then, you're not done, as you have to carefully lay it all out. one illustration even shows a good dozen pins holding one scallop in place. this is not an easy quilt, lady. so why say so? just to show off? because you're so much better than us? bah.
~ i'll probably be in trouble with the entire modern quilting community now for saying that...but seriously, people, someone's got to start saying something. we want need books that have good directions and good advice, and don't talk to down to us, not just pretty photos and showing off how skilled the quilter sewist seamstress writing it is.
~ you cannot use the kettle and the iron in this house at the same time. and even if you turn only one of them on, the lights visibly dim.
~ i hate my kitchen. the door under the sink, which you open frequently, since the trash is there, has a problem with the latch and will not shut properly. the kitchen is pepto-bismol pink and although i bought paint to cover that up, even husband (who has loads of energy and loves to paint) thinks it's not worth the energy to do that painting. and don't even get me started about the stove. one of those ridiculous glass-topped numbers. the only advantage of which is ease of wiping up. otherwise, whoever invented that shit should be taken out back and shot, along with the asshole who bought this one.
~ what the hell are those little "& nspb " things that get inserted into the HTML if you move a block of text from one spot to another? all they do is mess up your spacing!
* * *
i hope that reassured everyone that i haven't become some ridiculous sap on the verge of homeschooling my now 10-year-old child...i must say that now i'm feeling much better and i'm headed back to the sewing machine.
* * * and on a totally un-ranty note, please check out the house tour of our wonderful old house over on rearranged design!
13 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formRant all you want, I still hear your surplus of energy and that is music in my ears.
January 25, 2011 at 3:32 PM
Aw, sorry you've been annoyed... sometimes it's good to just let it out and rant :)
I've never heard or read "sewist", and it strikes me as really strange. Too close to "sewer" for my taste, too. I suspect well-intentioned gender-neutrality - after all, "seamstress" shares a sound sequence equal to two morphemes with "mistress" and could be read as derogatory (is "mistress" derogatory? I honestly don't know), or it could be read as excluding males who sew because (cf. "sewer") there's not really a good term for them. But I don't see it that way. I am happy to refer to myself as a seamstress, and to a guy friend who sews as a seamster. Yes, I made that up. And eventually I'll also figure out a gender-neutral term. That degree in linguistics gotta be good for something. ;)
Cheers,
poet
January 25, 2011 at 3:46 PM
i had to laugh - sorry. my rants come on an almost daily basis here, especially since my laptop tablet was stolen and i have no music at work to soothe my mellow.
kicking a chair sometimes helps.
January 25, 2011 at 4:22 PM
I second the motion for better instructions and more than one photo with the pins sticking out.
This shortfall has caused me to toss more than one "instruction" book into the closet and never revisit it.
Well ranted and Oh, did you remember to warm the tea pot when you made the tea? :-)
January 25, 2011 at 4:49 PM
This list made me smile, that rueful half smile of understanding.
Also...
You got a Stylish Blogger Award! And just in time for National Compliment Day. :) I love your blog! Not sure why the award is called "stylish" as opposed to just "good," but hey, I won't complain!
Here are the details:
Recently I got a stylish blogger award. I am passing it on to you because I love your blog and want to get it read by even more people. See my recent post for the list with your blog on it!
So here are the rules for acceptance of the award:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.
There is a button that goes with the award. Click on mine and copy the properties into your own blog.
Rock on!
January 25, 2011 at 4:51 PM
Your rant is bringing a smile to my face.
I've never hear sewist, wouldn't that be the cousin of racist and mean that you are against sewing? Now I've heard "sewer" too many times referring to someone who sews and to me it means a foul drain.
I prefer "seamster" since I was once a teamster but it seams like they've gone and removed all the tresses and esses lately I agree.
That kitchen business would drive me crazy. I IMMEDIATELY painted my crazy bright yellow kitchen when bough our AZ house.
xoxo Kim
January 25, 2011 at 5:14 PM
Just think, worse than "sewist" would be "sewer". :)
A good rant is a good thing.
January 25, 2011 at 7:00 PM
A good rant is necessary I think to keep your mind in balance. That being said those are some good rants.
January 25, 2011 at 10:22 PM
As a relatively new quilter I am relieved that a pro like you is as dissatisfied as I am. Yes! More proper and inspiring books please.
LOVE, love loved the Rearranged Design feature. Thanks for sending us over. It's a great read and fabulous eye-candy :-)
jj
January 26, 2011 at 1:35 AM
My stupid under-the-sink-door does the same exact thing. It's become a serious source of curses in our house since it likes to swing open and catch shins and toes at just the right pointy angle whilst one is carrying a pot of hot, boiling water or sharp food processor blade or some other equally dangerous thing.
Also, I've found myself to be dreadfully incapable of performing "simple" sewing projects so I've found a perfectly good and easy book to inspire all my upcycling aspirations. http://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Home-Repurpose-Materials-Treasures/dp/1590305957
January 26, 2011 at 4:38 PM
I think it's January's fault. Everyone I know is in a front. (That's my husband's word for it.)
But at least you still have your sense of humor...
January 27, 2011 at 4:21 AM
Your blog, even when you're ranting, always makes me smile!
January 28, 2011 at 12:37 AM
Love it. I agree about the 'sewist' title too. I vote that you call yourself a 'seamstrix' and see if it catches on.
January 30, 2011 at 12:22 AM