"How did this get here?" I was left in awe as I couldn't solve the mystery behind it.
The world, even the smallest parts of it, is filled with things you don’t know.” - Sherman Alexie
Being a fashion designer, I have always looked for ways to make my work easier. I buy a lot of sewing tools to make my work very productive and effective.
I once used a razor blade or pins to loosen stitches, and then I found out that it made my work dirty and sometimes torn. "Do you know about seam rippers?" This caption popped up on my trusted online vendor's post on Instagram.
I clicked on the post to read more about it, and I loved it immediately. "I should get one for myself," I thought. Without thinking twice, I quickly placed an order, including some other items I would need, and a few days later, my order arrived.
I was so excited that now I could loosen stitches neatly without making the fabric dirty, so I began to make use of the seam ripper immediately.
Being a very organized person, I have boxes where I keep most of my stuff; my buttons have their positions; even my pins, zippers, scissors, and the likes, so my seam ripper wasn't left out; I immediately created a must for it where I drop them just immediately after use.
On this fateful day, I was in dire need of my seam ripper as I needed to loosen a garment urgently. I went straight to where I have always kept my seam ripper to collect it, but when I got there, it was nowhere to be found.
"Where could it be?" I kept asking myself the sixty-four thousand dollar question. I began the search for my beloved seam ripper. I searched all the other boxes to see if I had mistakenly dropped it in the wrong box, but it was still nowhere to be found.
"Who must have taken my seam ripper?" It was just a tough nut to crack. I told myself that if someone had used my space with me, I probably would have concluded that the person had taken my seam ripper, so this intensified my determination to look for it that day. I began another search around my office till it was almost dark, and so I gave up on my search.
"Nonso, something strange happened today, and I still can't solve the puzzle around it." I lamented to my cousin on the phone when I got home.
"What happened?" She was eager to find out why I sounded so low on the phone. "I lost my seam ripper, and it's not because I lost it; it's the way and manner in which I couldn't place my head around how it left its spot." My love for the seam ripper made me rant to my cousin about how mysteriously my seam ripper left its spot and is nowhere to be found.
"It's just a seam ripper, Amie; just get another one." She encouraged me to let go of it, and so I did partially. A part of me still wanted to know how it left its spot and was nowhere to be found, so I kept hoping that one day I'd eventually solve this mystery.
I placed another order for it as I have gotten so used to loosening stitches with it. This time I chose a different colour, I chose the green colour and in a few days, I began to use another seam ripper.
A few months later, I made plans to relocate to a bigger space as my business grew and I began to outgrow my old space.
I invited my cousin over to help me pack my stuff—the same cousin I had called on the phone the other day—and she was excited to help.
We began packing our stuff from the office to the truck, and suddenly, I saw something like a fork, shining with a tiny red ball and a blue handle sitting pretty underneath my carpet. I took a closer look at it, and lo and behold, it was my seam ripper. "What?" I exclaimed, "How did this get here?" I was left in awe as I stood still, pointing at the seam ripper, and it was even harder to explain its mystical powers as to how it left the box which it had always been down to where it was sitting pretty, almost gazing at me. I just stood there with my eyes wide open; my mind raced, and I couldn't even utter a word anymore.
My cousin rushed off to the spot, tapped me to bring me back to reality, and then the sixty-thousand-dollar question started again. "Nonso, How?"
Since it's a puzzle we still couldn't solve, I picked it up, cleaned it, and was quite excited to be reunited with it. Now I have two seam rippers, which is not a bad thing anyway.
That particular seam ripper remains my favourite, maybe because it was my first, or maybe because of the colour or how much I thought about it when I lost it anyway. I am glad I eventually found it.
All images used are mine and shot by me.