Over the years, I have bought many books on sewing, alterations, etc. If I learn even one new thing from each book, I feel it's been worth the purchase. It would be nice to win the Threads Sewing Guide and exciting to find a new idea I could use in my sewing and alteration business.

That's an easy one. On pages 36 thru 39 of your March 1994 issue, see the article: "A Ball Gown Built for Comfort". I was mesmerized by that article then and have never forgotten it. It's the kind of meaty article that gave more information than I had ever seen before or since in Threads Magazine. I never sewed costumes or inaugural gowns, but at the time I was doing alterations in a bridal shop and worked on many wedding and pageant gowns. This information gave me a lot of insight and valuable tips as I worked on some very expensive gowns and felt I had gained practical knowledge on gown construction from that article. When doing alterations I always keep in mind: For every action there is a reaction...so make sure to think ahead. Congratulations on your 25th Anniversary. I've been reading Threads for more than 20 of those years.

In 1985, after a heart attack and by-pass surgery, my husband had to stay home to recuperate and I had to find a job. I had been doing some alterations at home for friends, but wound up working for a local bridal shop. I started at $4 per hour. My first major project was a big wedding party and when the flower girl's gown came in in red instead of peach and with no time to order another, everyone was in a panic. I took the sample adult dress (in peach) off the rack and cut it down to fit the pre-teen. Everyone was amazed at the outcome, including myself, I even got a raise to $4.50 per hour after that. I wound up working for that bridal shop and another for many years. I learned so much about sewing taking apart very expensive dresses and learning how they were made before putting them back together again. Both bridal shops have gone out of business, but I still do alterations for brides, etc. out of my home. I now have a 10 month old great granddaughter, so I'll be doing some fancy dresses for her very soon.

Is it my computer? but it looks like the person displaying "Memory of Trees" has a disjointed body. The legs seem to be that of another entity. Eileen Clark