I’ve been living in Margate for 5 years now and from time-to-time locals pleasantly surprise me. I once came across a chap who said he liked to write poetry. Another time when carrying a potters wheel into my home a man stopped to tell me, quite excitedly that he used to used to do wheel pottery. I was surprised. More recently, I was raiding the local charity shop when I spotted this chap looking at some shocking curtains. I felt like questioning his taste. . I’m normally the type of make a cheeky comment but I held back. At the checkout he told the cashier that he was going to make them into beach bags. I suddenly wished i had his vision and wondered how it had passed me. He further told us how he used to take clothes to his mum to repair. One day she got so fed up that she said she was going to teach him to sew and clearly he hasn’t looked back. We both agreed that this was far the cheapest place to buy fabric: it just takes vision. This chap really taught me a lesson. Firstly, boys can also sew but also that sometimes they should. Secondly, it amazing how such a skill can help in times of need or spark the start of a future business. I’m very passionate that sewing is a fundamental skill for more sustainable living: not only does it provide the skills for repair but also how to epicycle and lastly ad vale. Well done Margate for showing me that there is talent, it just needs nurturing, refining and given the opportunity to flourish!
