my grandmother was an accomplished seamstress. from the time i was born until way into my young adulthood she made my clothing. she also sewed for herself, my mother (her daughter)and, later for my children. this question has caused me to look back on that time and i realize i was almost always around a buzzing sewing machine! when i was very young the treadle machine was a prominent feature in her dining room. (i used to play with it a lot until i ran the needle through my finger which i didnt quite get out of the way! ouch!) later, a gift from a loving family, she received a more modern electric machine with a zig-zag! goodness, what she could create now! i watched her fashion up all sorts of dresses and suits and pants and coats. . .whatever we wished for, she could and would sew it up for us.

while i can't quite call myself a seamstress like she was, i guess i learned to be the sewing person i am today from her by osmosis because i never remember sitting down with her to to learn or be taught many of her tricks. i now am sorry i didnt ask more in the way of instructions, for a lot of her tailoring and stitching secrets left when she passed away many yrs ago. i sorely miss, for instance, handing her one of my worn coats, showing her how the lining was torn or worn. in no time at all she would hand it back to me, fully lined in a much better way, using a beautiful fabric that made the garment much more fashionable than it already was!

from my grandmother i learned my love of fabrics. she was a wealth of knowledge! she and i would go "downtown" to one of the major department stores of the time, into the basement where the yardage department was located. we could spend hours there, perusing patterns, matching them to the available yardages. she knew all of them, how they were best used and could readily determine the finest "hand!" oh, and the notions department! why, we could spend half the afternoon just looking over the buttons, trims and zippers, not to mention linings, threads and other embelishments we might fancy! after we had made our purchases, she and i would go to have lunch at the fancy hotel across the street . it was a delicious time!

i began using my mother's sewing machine when i was sometime in my teens, when i took a sewing class in jr high school. (didnt we all back then?) after that my mother, who wasnt very interested in the craft, let me move the machine into my room. i sewed a lot then, experimenting, not always successfully, building my own wardrobe. later, as a young woman, wife and mother, i sewed for my home and my daughters. my 2 girls wore these creations until they were old enough to protest and demand their clothing have designer labels in them like every one else had! it was then i rather gave up the craft.

now, many years later, i have rediscovered the unique love and joy i once felt so long ago! a recent forced retirement due to a disability has caused me to look within myself for "something to do." i opened up my old-time friend (yes i had kept the same machine i got as a young bride!) and found it too now suffered from the disability and a cantankerous-ness of old age! so my husband, bless him, bought me a new one! its not fancy but it has varied stitches and works at my command with little of the touchiness the old one had. and now i am creating again after all these years. and i love it, again. i have taken to making clothes and accessories for my three little chinese crested dogs, and, lately i have found true delight in creating pocketbooks and purses and accessories! some of my designs are downright beautiful, if i do say so myself! dare i dream of becoming an actual seamstress?