A loose constitution for an unofficial club

1. Make slowly, on purpose.
   Speed is for trains and emergency vehicles, not trousers.
2. Use the good scissors.
   And do not let anyone else use them for paper. Ever.
3. Re-use the fabric.
   Old shirts make better linings. History deserves a second outing.
4. Press your seams.
   Life is wrinkled enough already.
5. Measure twice. Then once more, just to be sure.
   Regret is a poorly placed buttonhole.
6. Unpick without shame.
   Starting over is still progress.
7. Tea counts as a tool.
   So does daylight, quiet, and a certain kind of melancholy.
8. Wear what you make, even if it’s strange.
   Especially if it’s strange.
9. Honor your foremothers.
   In this case: Flossie and Irene, whose knitting club met once for an aluminum demonstration and changed everything.
10. Sew as though someone will find it in 100 years and say, ‘Ah. They cared.’