The recession has me in stitches

It’s awful and alarming what’s happening all around in the wake of the recession. My favorite Santa Monica restaurant, Violet, closed it’s doors in the last several months. The place was notable for its affordable take on the tapas/small plates craze in American fine dining and for its wonderful punk rock aesthetic. The owner was handsomely tattooed and sported a mohawk, displayed beautiful and moody paintings on the walls, and played New Order, all while serving champagne and a fabulous burger for $25. Now it’s gone, and other stores on the groovy Pico corridor in Santa Monica are also looking anemic (with the notable exception of Trader Joe’s, home of every bargain hunter who is not making a Costco run this week).

I’ve been underemployed in the sense of regular, gainful employment (coinciding with the economic downturn last year). Freelance writers are not in high demand in these uncertain times for print journalism and slashed industrial budgets. When times are tough or I need to feel occupied, I turn on my do-it-yourself mojo. Other people have their own ways of working out their nervous energy, but I do best when my hands are busy. It’s largely for this reason that I’ve turned to another Pico Boulevard business – the Sewing Arts Center. In the last few months, I’ve taken two basic sewing classes there and made a few rudimentary projects – the famous batik drawstring pants that make me feel like Jeffrey “the Dude” Lebowski, my much more sophisticated skirt, and a very quick skirt that I knocked off in an hour. I’ve learned how to construct French seams, invisible zippers, and how to use an impressive array of tools. The demands on the brain and hands of learning a new craft keep me focused on this small project in front of me that’s within my control, and whatever else is going on in my life takes a backseat to making a good seam, measuring correctly, not getting stuck by a pin. I highly recommend it to anyone else who’s prone to pacing, cuticle biting, and obsessive Googling and Facebooking. Not that I know anyone like this.

I won’t be getting a job or any financial benefit out of my recession hobby, but I am the proud owner of a couple of skirts that would have cost a few hours of freelance work. And, like I’ve observed in children, making something good or at least trying, can be the difference in a demoralizing day and one that might just be okay.

Check out Russell and the good people at the Sewing Arts Center (3330 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Ph: 310-450-4300). They are a small local business worth supporting.