I often find myself just being extremely grateful that when I auditioned to be in the first play of the theatre season at college, I wasn’t casted. Firstly because dance, which takes priority, keeps my schedule pretty booked, and adding on the crazy theatre rehearsals would probably drive me insane. Secondly, because it led me to join the costume shop, something I probably never would have done had I gone on into just acting. In the shop I was able to further develop my self-taught skills as well as learn new ones. I’ve written in the past about my first time using a sewing machine on a project, and the machines have not since become any more cooperative with me. Luckily, various forms of hand sewing are very useful in the shop as well. Fixing straps, attaching corsets to tutus, these important tasks all require hand sewing. This semester, I’ve picked up another new skill: embroidering.

Embroidering wasn’t necessarily a completely new thing to me, but this was the first time I was actually attempting it. It was a slow day for the shop since most of the work for the latest theater production was wrapping up and work for the next dance production hadn’t begun yet. On slow days, we like to take on personal projects to further improve and develop our abilities. I was given a hoop, some scrap fabric, a design, some floss (not the dental kind), and told to go to town on it. I was completely unsure of my skills, but as I began to make progress I realized that nothing was going wrong, and the picture was actually taking shape. There is actually something quite therapeutic about stabbing a piece of fabric with a needle over and over again, and then having a beautiful picture in the end. That night I sat in my bed, took out my hoop, put on some music and continued embroidering until my eyes began to hurt. When my roommate came in she laughed and called me an old lady, but honestly in dancer years I’m pretty much 68 years old.

It’s always scary trying out a new skill. You wonder if you’ll be any good at it, what other people will think, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying. I am blessed to be in an environment like the costume shop where I can try new skills without fear of judgement. Embroidering is not just for old ladies. It is an art form that is relatively easy to learn and fun to master. Plus, having just joined a sorority, it is a very useful skill for crafting. And hey, even Xena knew how to embroider. No one should ever be deterred from trying out something new, no matter whatever social stigma may be surrounding it.