This post originally appeared on Coloring Outside the Lines' blog on Sept 19, 2010.
Over at Slice of Life it's Random Picture Day.
Mama's sewing machine, circa 1960's. Center stage as it well should be. My sister and I were the beneficiaries of Mama's sewing skills and we loved our home made clothes. Granted, the clothes always came in sets of two- apparently my mom looked at us as twinkies and not individuals, but as small children, we didn't care so much that we always dressed alike.
This picture is of the bedroom in a small trailor that was put in my grandmother's side yard for my mom and us girls to live in while my father was overseas. My mother was pregnant with my brother at the time, and I am not sure if that is why we weren't with Dad or not. I just barely remember this time, and whether that is prompted by photos of the time or my own memory, I don't know.
See that popcorn bedspread? Shh, don't tell anyone, but I used to pull the threads out. Randomly of course, because I wasn't THAT stupid. But still, I must have been a little warped to think Mama wouldn't be able to tell. Not sure this is the bedspread I pulled threads on, it might have been the one on Granny's bed in her house, but nevertheless, pull threads I certainly did, and wowzer that I remember that! My memory still works!! HA HA
Back to the sewing machine. I remember some of the cute outfits Mama sewed for us. Short sets with the crisscross backs, jumpers, short sets, dresses and more dresses.All through my school years, I had home made clothes. Yes, we did order from Sears and Roebuck for jeans and droopy drawers and such, but the really cool outfits were always hand-sewn. The last outfit I remember was one I wore in the 12th grade. Yellow mini dress with bloomers. I wore the heck out of that dress, I absolutely loved it!
Last look at the picture- the piggy bank on the dresser, I don't know what's up with that, but I know my parents still save change all these years later. I wouldn't say we were poor, but yeah, we were. I never knew it though. I had fancy home made clothes and a family that loved me beyond measure.
That makes a girl rich, you know?
I'm wife to Mark (34 years & counting) , mom to Melissa and Michael , and Nana to 5 sweet peas . I'm also a retired first grade teacher, an ex military brat, webmaster, 8 year board member for Little River County Genealogy Society, and for ten years I've been a coordinator for USGenWeb, maintaining county genealogy sites in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. I'm passionate about the preservation of cemeteries In my spare time I love working with my church G.R.I.T.S. group (Seniors) , volunteering, blogging, photography, scrapbooking, writing bad poetry and traveling.
Terri Buster is the author of two blogs- Southwest Arkie and Coloring Outside the Lines, both linked from her main site- www.backwardbranch.com.
Boy, does that take me back! My mom also sewed all our clothes, including prom dresses. One year she made me a cream-colored sheath; over that I wore a cream lace tablecloth: she'd sewed in a neck and had sewed the sleeves so it was like a poncho. I felt SO elegant.
ReplyDeleteI love you story. I started sewing in the late 60's when I was about 7. My mother had a sewing machine and it looked similar to this one. I am still sewing and loving it 40 years later.
ReplyDeleteP.S. My mom is first year Reagent of DAR for Jonesboro Chapter.