Susan's Sister Talks About Sewing

by Delia
(Shreveport, Louisianna)

So, when did I start sewing? I don’t remember, it’s much too long ago. Grade school, I think. I remember a Girl Scout fashion show when I made dresses and pinafores for the three of us (sisters,that is). I had been sewing prior to that, but I’m 66 already! Who can remember that far back?
Mrs. Gillen, our Mom’s friend was a whiz at the sewing machine, and tried to teach Mom…..bust…but I thought she was really special, and wanted to do what she did. It seemed like magic to me; until I poked my fingers with pins, learned how to ease fabric ( Mrs. Gillen showed me how) and also learned to hate patterns.
But sew I did. We weren’t as well off then as when you came along, and sewing was a way to get clothes that fit (I’d been wearing my cousin Ginny’s hand-me-downs), and fashionable goodies that all girls wanted. I know that there were nights when Mom and Dad were going to bed, and I was keeping them awake with the noise of the sewing machine. It was in my blood, and I couldn’t help it.
I took that ancient Singer and the card table with the green vinyl cover with me when I married, and made clothing for myself, my children, a suit coat for my husband from fake suede, and clothing and underwear for my daughter’s Barbie doll. That’s right, underwear for a doll. Nuts, maybe, but my daughter loved it. I made quilts from Hawaiian material for many dolls, Full seat jeans and a denim bag made out of old jeans for my daughter.
When my son broke his arm playing Evil Knieval on his bike while trying to jump over a bayou outside the base hospital, I customized his tee shirts so he could wear them to school and not have them flop around.
The kids’ school years were fun. I made hand puppets for many a play from Grimm’s fairy tales.
While in Germany, I made myself a formal for a “thing” on base we were invited to, and did some alterations for my landlady’ sons, along with everything else I was sewing.
Then my husband got himself an Austin Healy 3000, and I made tuck and roll vinyl upholstery for it. Then I bought a new machine.
I made a purse for my friend who owned the stable where I kept my horse (a gas exploration company forced us out), and she dumped her purse all over the front seat of her truck while trying to load up her new one! I’ve made several purses since then, not all of them for me.
I’ve owned two Singers, a Kenmore, and now a Brother innovis 900D. I’ve had lots of fun learning all about machine embroidery. Well, maybe not ALL about machine embroidery
I chose the Brother this time because it was affordable $600.00, and had all the features I wanted. I was hooked on machine embroidery when Susan made me a purse with an embroidered horse on its front panel.
When I broke my neck flying off my horse (you’re supposed to stay in the saddle) in January, I had nothing to do with myself for months….but I could sew. So I did. I think that was all that kept me sane during that time. Now that I’m cleared to ride again: quiet, Susan, I will keep up with my sewing. It’s too hot to ride right now, every day is in the mid to upper 90’s with outrageously high humidity, so I stay in most of the day and sew. I swiped a high intensity lamp from my husband, and turned my cutting table around and now have a pretty decent place to sew. I have spent a small fortune on cones of thread. The LED light on my machine is so bright that I have to take my glasses off to thread the needle because of all the reflections. Yes, the machine has a self threader, but when I tried it, I didn’t get it right and haven’t tried again. I get the needle threaded in one try, anyway.
Sewing is a great way to pass the time, and something useful comes from it! I do have almost as much fun looking for fabric and notions as I do when I sew. It’s fun to make things that I can wear, and making gifts is a real pleasure.