Me and my Moma shared a love of all things sewing. It all began very early for me. Moma sewed everything we wore. With 4 daughters that meant many hours at the sewing machine. I loved waking up from my nap as a child and the only sound in the house was the purr of the machine and the click of Moma's scissors.
Grandma Emfinger taught me to embroidery when I was about six years old and Moma taught me to crochet. We made many pillowcases with embroidery and then crocheted the edges. That was how we spent the time riding in the car to and from the lake while Daddy drove, well that or shelling peas or making butter in a mason jar.
When I got to jr. high and high school I got to take home economics classes. My final grade project one year was a complete outfit. We decided I would make a gown and house coat for Jennifer. We had so much fun picking the fabric, the trim and buttons. She taught me to take my time on the curves and gently pull the threads to gather the sleeves to make them fit. She dried my tears when I had to rip the sleeve out the third time since I kept sewing too fast and not doing a good enough job and my stitches showed on the front.
She never could teach me to make a button hole so I put snaps on the housecoat. Me and Moma got an A+ on that outfit. Well I got an A, Moma got the +.
Moma made my wedding veil when I married. She gathered and stitched and appliquéd the trim and beaded until it was almost too heavy to wear. She said she loved every minute. I loved the results but mostly I love that she wanted to do that for me.
After I married I was introduced to quilting and I found my sewing passion. Mom followed me into this, but only ankle deep. She loved quilts, she loved looking at patterns and shopping for the fabrics, but while I saw a Dresden Plate or Log Cabin quilt top in the fabrics, she saw skirts and blouses.
Moma loved to travel but didn't get to very much. We had the opportunity to go to a quilt retreat in Pennsylvania and we jumped at the chance. We drove from Mobile AL to Bird In Hand , PA and Moma oohed and aahhed the whole way.
We had so much fun!
Several years ago Moma gave me the old brown Singer that sewed so many miles of stitches. It made every dress, shirt, slip, prom dress, choir formal, Easter dress, and shirt for Daddy for 25 or 30 years before she wore it out and bought another. The old brown machine is only good for memories now but I don't walk past it that I don't think of all the love that came out of it.
The Barbie doll clothes she made for me and Dorie while we were taking our naps so they would be a surprise for Christmas. We had the best dressed Barbies in town!
The new birthday outfit every year, usually green, for the St Patrick's Day girl.
New dresses for the first day of school.
My prom dress, 4 bridesmaids dresses and my veil that was all made in a 6 week period because no one else's mom sewed and me and mom found the "perfect" pattern and fabric.
But mostly I remember the life lessons.
" slow down"
" measure carefully"
"Read the instructions"
"Spread the fullness out evenly"
" it isn't worth doing unless you're going to do it right"
We buried Moma yesterday.
