Monthly Musing – January 2026 – We are the champions
I bought some fabric to make myself a t-shirt today. I’ve been thinking about it for a while as I have a t-shirt that I really love to wear, but I’ve never seen the same style again in the shops – and as a maker, the obvious thing to me is to make it myself!
Now, this sounds simpler than it is. I am a fearless knitter because I’ve been practising for years. I am not fearless when it comes to material, and that’s because I stopped practising in an early high school year when a teacher said that I wasn’t actually that good at it. I was devastated. I’d been able to use a sewing machine from an early age, and I was confident in what I was doing – but those words from someone I had up until that point liked and admired, stopped me in my tracks and I looked at any future attempts to make any clothes for myself through different eyes.
I am not alone in this, and it’s not just making clothes – I’ve spoken to lots of people over the years who have had similar experiences with knitting, crochet, cooking, driving cars – you name it and someone has, maybe intentionally or maybe not, said something that has stopped them in their tracks and the world will never know whether they ever would have been any good at it, because they never try again.
What a waste! Who knows what could have happened if all of those people had understood that people rarely speak without an agenda of their own and it might have suited them to put someone off doing something? If only someone had said that 11 year old me. Now that I’m grown up and I can see that I let myself be affected by words that teacher probably forgot as soon as she’d spoken them, I promise that I will never put you or anyone else off the thing that I can show you what to do – knitting socks. I will always be your fiercest champion, and I will always cheer anybody on who picks up their knitting needles and wants to make socks.
Yesterday, I found a champion of my own; a friend I’ve known for some years now who makes her own beautiful clothes and talks about the fabric she buys and the dresses she makes with such confidence and joy that it’s hard not to be inspired. “You encourage people to knit socks,” she said, when I asked her about whether it would be foolhardy to re-start my on/off sewing adventures with a t-shirt, “and I encourage people to sew. Why shouldn’t you make a t-shirt? Here’s what I’d recommend …”
And just like that, we were chatting about sewing as if it was an everyday conversation for us. She told me where to look for fabric, she told me which needles to buy for my sewing machine, and she told me that she would always be there to help me if I got stuck. It suddenly seemed as if sewing a t-shirt was the most natural thing in the world.
I’d like to suggest that this is something that we can all do. It doesn’t matter what we’re good at – whether it’s knitting socks, sewing t-shirts, washing windows, growing vegetables … we all have something that is a special skill in some way, and we can be someone else’s champion – and they can be one for us. We can’t promise that we’ll never say words to upset someone, but we can know that we can do something to put it right.
I’ll be making a start on that t-shirt this week – and you? What would you try again? It might not be as far out of reach as you think.
Good for you! Can’t wait to see the new t-shirt!
I used to teach machine knitting and had many ladies come along with a machine they’d dragged out from under the bed that they’d been put off from learning because they’d been told they’d never learn to use it ( usually by a husband!!!).
They always made a basic slash neck jumper within the first 4-5 weeks, it always fit, and they usually carried on to make many more!
It’s amazing what a few kind words and the right help/instruction can achieve!
I had two teachers at high school who told me that I’d never be any good at the subjects they taught. The first was a PE teacher who told me I’d never make a tennis player as I couldn’t get the hang of serving. From then on, I did athletics every week which I got pretty good at. Many years later I played badminton – reasonably well. The other was my form and German teacher who said I’d struggle to get an O-level let alone an A-level in German (after accusing me of something I didn’t do). That just made me exceptionally determined to prove her wrong. I went on to study German at uni and work with the language for almost 50 years. I stayed in touch with her until she died and when I recounted that story years later, she had absolutely no recollection of it.
I hope the t-shirt turns out well. I used to sew all my own clothes but never think of doing it now.
Well, you’ve certainly put me to shame as I put my sewing machine away but you stuck two fingers up at your teacher – good for you! I think it’s really interesting that the teacher didn’t remember the conversation; it just shows how much we can build our lives around words that are throwaway comments for someone else. I’m really glad you were braver than me! 🙂 xx
Just go for it Christine. Don’t be put off by anyone. I’m always making something. Sometimes it works and…
I was given a gift voucher for Christmas by my daughter and I’m going to buy a mitre block and saw and do some (small scale) picuture framing.
Ooh, that sounds exciting! I think the amount of time it takes to try something new that may or may not work is a bit off-putter (if that’s a word), but I’m hoping to have time this weekend to at least print out the pattern and look at cutting out the pieces. Good luck with your picture framing! 🙂 xx
You never know what you can do ’til you try!
A favourite line from a song by the Statler Brothers. 😊
It’s a song about Noah building the ark….no-one had ever built a boat…😉
Indeed! It’s something to remember, especially when someone tries to put you off! 🙂 xx
I showed this to my sister, we both agreed completely. Sadly not
only did we have teachers like that but also a mother, who was also a teacher. I think it was typical when we were growing up in the 1950s and 1960s.
It’s a shame, isn’t it? It does make you wonder what incredible things might never have made it into the world because of someone else’s words – but I think it still happens now and we’ll never know what we’re missing out on! xx