So with Summer practically gone, we needed to put the curtains back up. But there was something that needed to be done first: The curtains needed to be trimmed.

Enter my mother, who is a decent sewer; she doesn’t do it often, but when there’s something that needs some stitching, watch her whip out her old sewing machine that is most likely double my age.

But the sewing machine wasn’t the tool for this one. All she needed, were these:

Don’t adjust your screen, that is in fact a Golden Virginia Tobacco tin – again – probably twice my age.

Now if you’re expecting a play-by-play of what she did to the curtains, don’t.

But that’s a little sad, isn’t it?

I recently read an article about what we preserve in the digital age. But it’s very easy to have the preservation conversation in terms of the skills we have lost due to the digital age.

Has anybody else noticed the deluge of competition shows based solely on skills that used to be essential, but are now dwindling? Baking, sewing, woodworking, blacksmithing. I could go on.

Whilst it’s cool to see shows like this, the answer to the title of this post is a yes. These skills are now niche and will probably be niche in the future.

The reason I wanted to do this post was initially because I found it visually interesting watching my mother in silence, going in and out with the needle.

That, and… This is the only way I can get any form of my mother on camera.

And whilst I have achieved those, it brings me back to the title.

Whilst things like sewing become a niche skill to have – useful in a handful of situations – it’s an interesting thing to meditate on; should we learn sewing just in case we need to re-stich a cardigan? Or should we rest on the fact that we – as a collective – are fine with not taking this blueprint with us?

Food For Thought.