Some of my fondest childhood memories are sitting on the cool linoleum floor at my mother's feet as she made dresses for me and my two older sisters. There were three small drawers on the left side of the sewing machine, and the bottom one was filled with all sorts of fanciful things to keep me occupied as my mother sewed. Jacks, marbles, plastic coins {I swallowed a play dime once causing a delay in the making of that particular dress}, a few stray buttons, string, and rubber bands. How I loved listening to the rhythmic sounds of the treadle sewing machine, smelling the new cloth {something wonderfully anticipatory in that smell}, feeling her warmth as I lay my head against her thigh, and watching as she removed pin after pin from the seam before the needle went over them, and putting them in a bright red tomato-shaped pin cushion...
How I loved trying on the dress as she took the pins out of that tomato-shaped pin cushion and pinned the hem just so - to be finished by hand by lamp light later! There were plaid dresses with prim white collars - for the coming school year. There were dresses for church. But the fluffy clouds of organdy and lace and ribbons that went into the Easter dresses were the ones that made me feel like a princess!
3 comments:
I Love reading about all your childhood memories. You have such a way with words. How about some stories of grandma and the mischief you sisters used to get into?!!
Me, too! I used to dig and sort through my Grandma's button jar on a regular basis. Then as I got older she let me rifle through her sewing box and I'd unpack all sorts of notions, pins, ric-rack, tapes, and ribbon. Many a dress, bathrobe, skirt, pajama, and school uniform, and tops were lovingly made from her black antique sewing machine.
You were a princess and now are a QUEEN! Sweet post....my dad still quotes "Paula Cluff, 3 years old".
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