Saturday, November 19, 2011

More about Sewing...

Well, I got those valances done...two of them....but I'm not happy with them, so I'll begin again. I've got lots of the fabric, as I bought enough to do full length curtains for three windows, plus, and since I've decided to do valances for two windows in another room, there's extra to use for other things (or error!)

I remember learning to sew when I still lived at home. Actually, I think Mom started to teach me when I was about twelve years old.  It was four years later, I believe, that I discovered had half an interest in it, and asked for help in creating something that I could wear.  Of course, I had to be instructed all over again, as I hadn't touched a needle and thread since Mom's first attempt to show me how to use it.  Well, no, that's not true. I had a wee bit of sewing in Home Ec. class in school, but as with most of my classes, I barely scraped through, without learning much of anything.

So...from that springboard, I dove head long into sewing things. I used Mom's machine until my 3rd year of marriage, when we bought that Montgomery Ward model.  I was given a treadle machine when some friends moved away, but for the life of me, I couldn't make it work, and not too long afterward, I decided that it didn't need to take up space, and we took it to the dump. (Oh, foolish child bride that I was! It had no value to me then....therefore, it had no value!)

I sewed grannie dresses and tops for myself in the 1960's, and then maternity things, tiny clothing and blankets for my babies, and made stuffed animals and dolls for them as they grew old enough to play. I made school clothes, then graduated to patchwork quilts and sewn items to sell.  I stopped sewing clothing after awhile, as the kids wanted to wear things like other kids in their classes wore...and I was never good at making clothing fit me correctly. After awhile, I just put that machine away....and didn't drag it out any more. My girls didn't want to learn to sew then, however two of them learned on their own when they got older, and are quite good at it. The other two still can't sew a button on!

Today, I will once again cut and pin and stitch, and hopefully I'll have better luck than I did yesterday!