A vested interest

I was supposed to be cutting the slots in the headstock of R’s ukulele today, but I slept in and then I decided I’d watch just one YouTube video while I drank my tea and one led to another and, and, and. This is the classic formula for wasting time as a retired person. Merely substitute YouTube for TV or Facebook or Instagram. So now, instead of starting on the headstock, I’m writing a blog post. Procrastination?  You bet.

           It does bring up a couple of things though. First, I’m putting the headstock off because I’m more than a little nervous that I might screw it up. The farther I get into this project, any project, the higher the costs of a screw-up. On the one hand I’m confident I can do it and on the other I’m reluctant to commit because even though I can do it, I might not pull it off in the way I want to. The second is the question of why, as a retired person with no real demands on my day, I bother fussing about what I should or shouldn’t be doing. I can start the headstock later tonight.  I can start it tomorrow morning, or I can do it on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. I want to have it done by Tuesday and that too, is a deadline I’ve imposed on myself. I feel like writing at the moment so that is what I’m doing while trying to convince myself that there’s nothing really wrong with that course of action. I’ll let you know how the convincing goes.

            I want to write at the moment because I want to explore the irony of the videos I’ve been watching today. I need to go back a bit. While doing a fair amount of travelling I’ve become convinced that what I need is a good travel vest. There are some on the market and I even splurged and bought myself a Tilley before going to Australia and New Zealand. I’ve looked at Tilley vests and wanted one for years but, when it actually came to wearing it, I didn’t like it that much. I had to buy a men’s size which sometimes works well for me and sometimes doesn’t. In this case it didn’t. It was too big in some places and too small in others. It just wasn’t that comfortable to wear so I’ve found a new home for it with someone who will wear and appreciate it. That leaves me without one. I don’t need one; having a travel vest will make life easier and more enjoyable so I’m searching for one.

            It’s been in intriguing little ramble around the internet. There are some high-tech vests that allow you to route your headphone wires through channels in the lining. They have RFID pockets, hidden pockets, pockets for passports and they cost an arm and a leg. Looking at the size charts I’m into men’s sizes again. I checked out hunting vests and fishing vests and even got onto a few sights that feature vests with pockets for carrying a concealed hand gun!  Yikes really? I don’t want to wear one of those even if it might function perfectly for me. I don't think it would.

            Then I thought that if I couldn’t find one to suit me, perhaps I could make one or get someone to make it for me.  Wherever my dear-departed mother is at this moment I’m sure she is having a good belly laugh at the fact that I, the kid who hated HomeEc and sewing in general, am even contemplating making a garment. Probably the kind I want isn’t the easiest thing to construct either. I started watching DYI videos and I actually ordered a vest pattern through the internet. There is one video that talks about modifying a jacket and using a man’s shirt for a lining. I rejected that one. The latest one I watched was on how to make cargo pockets. I admit to being fascinated and a wee bit excited about that prospect. This video shows how to draft a pattern for the size of pocket you want. I found myself one step ahead of her in the instructions. I’ve marvelled before at how much I learned from my mother without, I suspect, either of us really trying. I imagine she just talked to me and explained what she was doing as she sewed most of my clothes until I moved out of home.  I’ve had a go at sewing when I had to and I found, as I watched the video, that I remembered the concepts. I also found myself tying the making of the pattern into what I do when I construct something of wood. I stopped the video and took copious notes.

            I’m thinking that the next step is to try adding some cargo pockets to one of the vests I already have. I won’t admit to how many vests I found in my closet. I began to look at how they were constructed. One I had forgotten about, has two outside and four inside pockets. That might just do if it weren’t made out of fleece. I want something that is lighter so I can wear it on planes during the summer. Then I started looking at how many pieces made up the various vests. Some have four, not counting the collar; some have nine not counting the collar; some have six. Some have a yoke in the back, and some don’t; some have a yoke in the front, and some don’t. Some have a lining, and some don’t. It looks like there’s lots of choice out there. I’m thinking that I can try to draft a pattern based on the vests I have and then add cargo pockets to it. I can find good information about how to add inside pockets as well.

            One of the reasons drafting my own pattern appeals to me is, if I draft my own pattern, I’ll understand the construction in a way I wouldn’t if I used someone else’s pattern. From woodworking I have learned that few things go as planned the first time and I think I may have more patience for this project than I have had in the past when I’ve tried to sew.  The question becomes how badly I want to succeed at this and whether or not I’m ready to put in the time and put up with the frustration that will undoubtedly come with it. I’m not sure. At this point I’m leaning toward giving it a shot, starting with adding cargo pockets to a vest I already have.

            I’m very conscious as I write this that I do so from a position of privilege. I have the luxury of contemplating whether or not to make a vest or work on building a ukulele. The current situation involving the Coastal Gas Link pipeline and the Wet‘suwet’en First Nation is not far from my thoughts these days. I have friends who work for the parent company of Coastal Gas and I have a friend whose family member was arrested at a Wet’suwet’en checkpoint by RCMP officers. I’m reading information from both perspectives and there is more of a tangle than I can make my way through. I pray for wisdom, justice and a peaceful resolution although I cannot imagine how that can come about.  I hope there are people out there who can see farther and more clearly than I and that they will find ways to lead us, all of us, through this.

         Finally, am I convinced that writing this post was a good use of my time? It's easier to write these when I feel like it and it always helps me think.