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SEWING is SEW much FUN

I remember when I was very young, laying in bed, and hearing the sound of Mom's scissors snipping sharply through fabric. Ah that sound, I still love it, I would lay there wondering if she was cutting out something new for me.

She enjoyed sewing, and made lots of our clothes when we were growing up. She waited til we were in bed, sew she could sew without interruptions. There were five of us kids, and we kept her pretty busy, she also sewed during the day when we were in school. My grandma also enjoyed sewing, and made lots of quilts. My mother didn't get started making quilts til we were all raised. Ha,, she didn't have time for quilts until then, come to think of it my grandma probably didn't either, I just didn't know her when she was raising her kids. ::laughin:::

It was always exciting to try something new on, to feel the newness of the material, and the smell of it. She would have me stand up straight and check the length, and the sleeves, to make sure everything fit well. Then she'd take it back to the sewing machine to finish, and I'd anxiously wait for her to finish.

When I was in fourth grade, I wanted to sew on the sewing machine so badly, that I began sneaking up at night after she was asleep. I'd make clothes for my barbie dolls. That was before patterns were sold for making them, sew I designed them myself, I remember there were some that didn't turn out very well, and others I was downright proud of. My favorite was a golden yellow long evening gown. I actually got the darts on that one even. ::smiling:::

I don't know how long I got away with my midnight sewing sessions before Mom discovered what I was doing. It was probably after I cut into a piece of fabric that she wanted for something, and then didn't have enough to make what she bought it for. ::laughin:: Now my daughter does that to me.

She however is not really following in our footsteps, she wants to be creative occasionally, but rarely finishes what she starts. She says sewing looks easy, but isn't.Sew it's just not a natural talent for her. The poor darlin', but she has her own God-given talents. She just fell a little further from the apple tree. ::smiles:: That's my babycakes, and I love her dearly.

When she was three I made her a set of 42 inch Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Then a friend convinced me to begin making them and selling them, that launched me into the craft sale world. I made dozens of those dolls in a variety of sizes. Oh my!! It's been some time now since I've made any Raggedy's.

Sewing clothes for my daughter was sew much fun, I loved it. I remember the dress I made her for her first day of kindergarten. It was green gingham, she still talks about having a dress just like great grandma's. Not the style, just the fabric. ::laughin::: Then when she got a little older she forbid me to put lace or ribbons on anything for her. Oh my, that was hard to stop doing. I am still a ribbons and lace person. But I had to sew to her wishes or be resigned to the fact that she'd not wear them. ::sighs:: What's a mother to do??

When she was a junior in high school she asked me to make her prom dress. I had never sewn with the "fancy" fabrics before. I was "scared" of them. She kept saying she knew I could do it, so I agreed to make it for her and goodness it wasn't that bad. Yes ,some fabrics are more slippery and harder to work with than others, but I'm no longer "scared" to work with them, and that launched me into prom dresses and bridesmaids dresses. Now I am looking forward to making her wedding dress someday.

I didn't make a decision on any given day to begin sewing for hire, it just sort of happened, as first one neighbor brought me something to repair or alter, and then another. Strange the orders always came in threes. I volunteered for every sewing project at church, and really enjoyed being involved. I was asked to work on lots of different projects and my creativity levels were stretched.

The first "costume" I was asked to do for a special program was for Eve for our Ladies Meeting. I came up with a cute little "apron" of oak leafs and a couple other individual leafs. Lets see , there's been ...... the court jester wands for the King Winceslas play, vests for the nursery workers, a skirt for the piano, a gigantic American Flag that graces the sanctuary for patiotic occasions, skirts and sashes for the girls club. There have been various costumes for the passion play and other dramas. Our youth group does some wonderful dramatic "sermons". It's all sew much fun!!!!!! I thoroughly enjoy the variety of things I'm asked to do.

It was during this time of volunteering to sew that I began receiving calls from all over for more and more sewing orders.I was astounded at the amount of orders, and where they came from. A group of dancers in Chicago needed 13 dresses for a performance. I learned a lot from this order. NEVER let your customers measure themselves. One lady from the group brought me all the measurements. I sewed night and day, finished in a few weeks, took them to Chicago for the fittings....woe is me. .every dress had to be taken apart and remade. The measurementswere sew off, luckily all were too big and not too small. Sew I did double work on these." Nevermore," quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"

Several orders came to me from a local dance studio needing costumes for their recitals.. These were for both children and adults, and always called for an extra measure of creative thinking too. What fun, what fun !!!!

And What NEXT???