The really really nice sewing machine that I borrow from my mother started having tension problems last night, which meant that I also started having tension problems.  There’s only one little old man in our area who can fix these things, and he takes a loooong time.  This is a huge problem when you plan(ned) to sew a bunch of your Christmas presents. 

After sobbing about discussing this calmly with my husband for a while, I was able to re-evaluate the things I “need” to get done before Christmas.  I’ve scaled back some projects and scrapped others, replacing them with something simpler.  And I have come up with a slow-but-adequate solution: handsewing.  Stitch by tiny stitch.  I actually really like handsewing, so this isn’t a dreadful thing (I handsewed two full-length curtains once when I moved to a new city and didn’t have any money, sewing machine, or anything else to do).  It’s just time-consuming.  If you need me any time between now and Christmas, I’ll be at work or sitting on our little couch with a pile of fabric and thread on my lap.