I really put off repairing the winter coat an elderly neighbor asked me to fix (along with three laundry baskets of other complicated mending) because I really didn't think the jacket could be salvaged. She had a deadline, too. She needed it by Wednesday. I wouldn't have done a repair like this for me. I would have just bought a new coat.
I found a similar coat on Amazon and prayed about buying that for her instead of fixing the old one. It could have been delivered the next day. My answer was that buying a new coat would be okay, but I should try to repair the old one first. That answer was a pretty hard pill for me to swallow because so many time sacrifices would be required in order to finish on time, but I understood. This neighbor had a house fire several years ago and lost almost everything. Much of the mending in the laundry baskets still has that smoky smell that just never washes away.
I understand there is sentimental value that just can't be replaced, especially after such devastating loss. I sat down to pin and smooth, pin and smooth, pin and smooth, then pin and smooth some more, before hand-stitching the extensive patching and seam repairing on the inside and then carefully machine-stitching the damage to the outside pocket. When the hours-long project was finally done, I had more than just a huge sigh of relief. I felt so good for doing what she'd asked, and she was thrilled with the results. She thinks I can fix anything. I know it's not me. I had some Heavenly Help. Even if it was just my attitude that needed all the help I could get, this was not a task I could have pulled off on my own.
