A story came back to my head and I wanted to share it.

A few years back I was working on the suit that would be named Dirt Cookie. He was just getting to the point of being furred and I had all the fur cut out. I like to sew the parts by hand as I feel its quicker than fighting the sewing machine with all the tinny parts.

So my grandmother was part of this long arm quilting association charity group. And there was this quilting show going on. Her group had a table there and were handing out information about the group. Here is why this is important to the story. The group couldn't get enough people to commit to manning the booth. So my grandmother requested my sister and I to aid her. I had nothing better to do so I agreed.

I knew there would be long hours of nothing to do but sit at a booth and answer anyone's questions so I brought Dirt Cookie's head with me to sew.

It was the second day of the event and I was progressing nicely. I didn't have the eyes in, or a nose teeth or tung. But the ears were sewn and placed over the foam and the muzzle was mostly sewn. One of my grandmother's friends came over to chat and noticed my work. She asked about it and as some of the others from the group had done. I hid my work in my lap when show goers came by so not to detract too much from the porous of the table.

I told the older woman of my work, assuming she was just making idle chatter and wasn't too interested in the project. But she kept asking questions. And I would answer them honestly. Finally as I was testing a peace I had just sewn to the head she asked if she could try it on. To say I was surprised that this mild mannered woman wanted to try on the head was an understatement.

I told her that once I had it so there were no pins holding it together then she could.


The next day rolls around and I am finishing up sewing the fur. Still no teeth or nose, or even eyes. But there were no pins. The woman came back and asked how it was going. I told her and she eagerly asked if she could put it on and show her friends at her booth. I agreed; helped her put on the partially finished head, straighten the fur out and she giddily walked over to her table and showed them my work. She was so excited about my suit head.

I think that's what I like about making suits. It's definitely not the long hours holding scissors. Or the hot glue burns. It can't be finding stray fur in my food at lunch. No.

It's seeing people happy and excited. It's knowing that I made them happy.

That's what I like.


Just a little story.