Seasons of Change
My name is Kim Weist and I’m 59 years old. God has blessed me with the ability to sew, learning how when I joined the 4-H program as a young girl. Later, I ended up using my love for sewing to choose my major in college: Fashion Merchandising.
It’s interesting to see how God has used my sewing ability to help fill in the shape of my life over the years and how my choices to use my talent evolved as I’ve gone through different life stages.
Initially, I think God used the gift of sewing to enable me to stay home and be attentive to my son while he was growing up. Shortly after he was born, I started a home-based business sewing window treatments and other soft home furnishings for interior designers. Working from home also allowed me to attend Bible Study Fellowship, where I connected with other Christian women and made friends—something I needed since I spent so many hours alone at home sewing. I knew that “season” was over when I realized my son was in high school and no longer coming home after school!
Despite the many joys that accompanied that time, in the middle of it all, I experienced depression so severe (maybe from isolating myself), that I discontinued my sewing business and was determined that I would never be able to sew again as a career. The one thing I did commit to sewing for was a small club that I belonged to called “Beaux Arts,” which is French for “beautiful arts.” We celebrated the name of our group by having members take turns giving a presentation describing a book, hobby or anything related to that person’s knowledge or passion on a particular art form.
For my program, I prepared a Victorian show titled “Unmentionables: Secrets of the Victorian Woman.” The program consisted of my layering on 7 articles of “underwear” that Victorian ladies wore to achieve the bell skirt trend that was popular in the mid-1800s. I told funny, true underwear stories during the presentation, and wore authentic undergarments I had sewn using the sewing techniques of that period—with my last article being a huge Crinoline slip! Much to my surprise, I ended up presenting this program over 100 times to various groups, inserting my personal story of how God helped me to come out of my shell of depression and start the process of healing, through an unexpected and unusual “undie” comedy presentation.
Next, enter in “Little Angel Gowns,” an endearing charity with a heartbreaking mission. They rely on volunteer seamstresses to take donated wedding dresses and make little gowns for babies who don’t survive long enough to go home from the hospital after they’re born. Many of the expectant parents are not prepared for this and have nothing special to clothe their baby for burial. The angel gowns are fully lined and softly made with couture sewing details, and they include a matching heart with some of the gown details for the parents to take home and cherish. God gives me glimpses into His compassion when I imagine the grief the parents are going through as I design and sew these special little gowns.
And now, in my late 50s, God has shown me another opportunity to use my gifts. I have begun sewing hospice gowns from fashion fabric to allow terminally ill patients to go home and have a greater sense of dignity in wearing a gown made from fabric that doesn’t remind them of the drab blue gown they would have worn in the hospital. What is interesting about this project is that a few months ago I found out that I had Stage II colon cancer. I went through surgery and was soon back to work, but I will continue to be monitored closely for a year or more. Nothing quite prepares you for the fear that accompanies these check-up visits but, as a Christian, I have found that it is possible for God to overcome the fear with a peace that can only come from Him.
I have learned to thank God every day that I wake up for the gift of another day. I am grateful that I can relate a bit to the hospice patient in that I have suffered through a cancer experience. But, more than that, I am grateful that God has once again used my hands to craft a bit of joy for a person who needs comfort.
My prayer has always been, “May the person who receives this gift feel the love of God and be blessed with comfort from the one who used God’s gift to create it.”
Thank you for letting me share my story,
Kim Weist
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