Time Travelling in the Time of Covid

Since Omicron arrived I’m rarely leaving the house, but I AM having a real ball time-travelling.

I don’t know if it’s age, or COVID, but I’ve been filled with nostalgia for a past life. During the first Lockdown I tidied and sorted and went through the many things I’ve kept for decades. My excuse was that I might need them one day. My grandmother used to do the same.

One thing I uncovered was my favourite old nightie – now over 40 years old!

I’d never buy anything like it now, but putting it on filled me with nostalgia and joy and transported me back in time. It’s become my favourite nightie again.

This week, however, it really showed its age, and began to disintegrate.

I know nothing lasts forever, but I wasn’t ready to stop time-travelling and say goodbye to it yet. So, for my action today, I decided to have a go at repairing it.

Fine in theory, but the problem is, I’m not a sew-er (ie. person who sews!) and this presented me with quite a challenge.

My mother and grandmother worked hard to turn me into a sew-er. They even lured me with pop-up kittens on the sewing kit they gave me (picture above).

I still have my old sewing basket and the doll’s clothes I cobbled together in the long school holidays, but somehow it never extended far beyond that. I made a couple of simple skirts, but never wore them.

Tonight, however, I was really motivated to save this nightie.

I found one of the lone socks that are scattered through the house. A remnant of the endless sock hunts with our boys. I struggled with my poor eyesight to thread the needle with the cotton from my old sewing basket, and suddenly I WAS my grandmother.

After trimming off each end of the sock, I stitched the disintegrating fabric together on this navy ‘patch’. There was enough stretch in the sock to cope with my unskilled attempt, and it’s a really soft fabric against my skin.

I was quite chuffed that I managed to do it.

In the sameness of each Covid day at home, there’s an exhilarating excitement in tackling something new each day to restore planetary health – especially when it works. I’m saving more fabric from landfill, reducing the desire to buy anything new and looking after my emotional life in a pandemic.

Once a fabric starts to disintegrate you know the writing’s on the wall, but I’m going to squeeze every last bit of juice out of this nightie and the time travel it takes me on.

Nightie Nightie, Sleep Tight