Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Back to School Sewing

Back to school was an exciting time in the house where I grew up.  School was a costly business for my parents with new clothes and shoes, school supplies, book fees, and lunches to pay for times six.  The process began in August when the Fall Sears catalog showed up in the mail.  My sister and I would carefully turn each page dreaming over the skirts and sweaters, the darling dresses, and adorable shoes.  Usually Mom would place an order for new undies and socks and double kneed jeans and cords for the boys. We girls could pick an item or two, but the majority of our clothes came from my mom's talented sewing ability.

One day Mom would say, "It's time to get busy making you girls new school clothes." We'd march uptown to Hill's Dime store to browse through Butterick, McCalls, Simplicity, and Vogue pattern books searching for the latest styles.  Then we'd slowly walk up and down the aisles of fabric to select just the right fabric for our dresses, skirts and blouses.  To be honest, I was not always happy that my mom made my clothes.  I wanted to dress in Bobby Brooks skirts and sweaters when I got older, even though Mom was an amazing seamstress.  I realize now that the clothes she made were far better than anything purchased, but at the time all I saw were girls in name brand clothing and I was in no-name, homemade frocks.

   I found these fabrics in a bin I have kept for years.  The fabrics in the photo are the leftovers from dresses my mom made me in school.  The red rooster print was a top that went over a yellow knit bodysuit that I wore with jeans when I was in high school.  The striped knit became a shift type dress with sleeves and little round buttons at the neck. The tiny print was a dress that had a white bib, and the red corduroy was from my junior high cheerleading outfit.  Yep, my mom made red and white outfits for the entire squad that year and continued sewing cheerleader outfits for me and any girls who needed a seamstress until my junior year in high school when the school began purchasing sweaters and skirts to pass down from one year to the next.

With love and talent, she made the dresses we three girls wore to the prom and wedding gowns for me and one of my sisters.  Sewing was my mother's creative outlet.  When we grew up, she turned to piecing blocks and then quilting tiniest of stitches to create masterpieces of color and texture that she gave to her children and grandchildren. 

I still have the outfits my mom made for me when I was a cheerleader, but the dresses and skirts are long gone.  She sewed for my daughter and those sweet dresses remain tucked into a container for safe keeping.  I must photograph the quilts and dresses she made when my daughter was a toddler. Each one is a labor of love and a tangible way to hold her close to me, even now.

Blowing a kiss to the sky, Thank you Mom

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I'm linking with Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday.  I used Kim's If Only texture with multiply mode at 70% opacity.  I added a running stitch brush by Obsidian Dawn along the right and bottom edges. 

kimklassencafe

One more thing...yes I was a cheerleader through junior high and high school.  Over the years cheerleaders have been given a bad rap...well it ain't always so. Not all of us were uppity, good in the back seat of a car, snobbish stuck ups with no brains.  So laugh if you want, but I'm proud to say I was a cheerleader back in the day, so there! 

13 comments:

  1. No laughing here . . . loved your story about you mom sewing your clothes. My mom did the same thing til about 8th grade.

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    1. I don't think I have the sewing gene. My seemed to be able to whip up wonderful dreses, pants, skirts, and blouses with such ease and they didn't look homemade. Were you a cheerleader, Kim?

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  2. What a lovely story and photo. It's good that you still have the bits of fabric that evoke such sweet memories.

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    1. I'd forgotten that I had those bits of fabric until August while going through the bin. It was like taking a stroll through time remembering the clothing pieces and how mom made them. Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. Oh my....my mom sewed practically ALL my clothes growing up too. I was a drum majorette and my mom even sewed THAT outfit. I have to admit tho, I can look back and appreciate it much more than I certainly did at the time. All I wanted to do was to go to the store with my friends and buy a pair of hip hugger jeans like they were wearing. Now? I wish I had appreciated it much more at the time.

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    1. I think we had the same growing-up experiences. I too wanted to go shopping with friends. I had a pair of low-rise hip hugger jeans which is why I HAD to wear a body suit. There's no way my mom was going to allow my fanny to hang out when I leaned over. lol Like you, Kathy, I now have a great appreciation for everything my mom did and an amazement at how beautiful sewing. I wonder how she found the time to get it all done? Thanks for visiting.

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  4. Oh Teresa what a great story. It brought back those memories of wanting to purchase my clothes. I remember the first dress mom bought me when I was a sophomore in high school. It was black and white checked with a big navy collar and tie. It was rather form fitting and I loved it. I do appreciate all those wonderful dresses she made us and am glad she did pass her talent to me. I used to make all my teaching clothes until fabric and patterns became so expensive. Now Lindsay is an designer and sews every day. Wow!!

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    1. Mom would be so pleased to know she has a grandaughter that designed clothes and is passionate about sewing. Somehow I missed out on that gene. Thanks for stopping by! Love you!

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  5. Just perfect! (and you found a "made in the U.S! " Gotta love that. I have the dresses and quilts my mom made my children... even some single mittens she knit. Just can't bear to part with them.

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    1. Welcome Margaret! HA! I hadn't noticed the Made in US on the buttons until you pointed it out. I love vintage buttons and grab a card or two when I find something that catches my eye. I know what you mean...I can't bear to part with things made for me or my children by my parents. My dad loved woodworking, so we have quite a few items that he built with his hands.

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  6. I loved reading your story. It brings back so many memories. My mother and grandmother were both wonderful seamstresses. Like you, I went to school in homemade frocks. I wanted to wear what the other girls were wearing. My grandmother even did smocking on the bodice of my dresses. I, too, realized later that my clothes were really quality, and I was lucky to have a mom who could fashion a beautiful prom dress for me that looked like nobody else's.

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    1. Thanks for visiting and your wonderful comment. Smocking is so beautiful! Isn't it a shame that it takes so long for us to figure it out? I never let on that I didn't appreciate or like what my mother made, but the yearning for store-bought was there. I think that desire is what led me away from sewing. I do know how to sew and I'll sew things for the home, but not clothing. I have a niece who is a budding clothing designer and has a passion for sewing. I think that's so cool!

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  7. This is a beautiful post, Teresa. So many memories you bring back with your descriptions of back to school purchases, Sears catalogues and home sewing. It can be rough to be in school with the pressure to have the latest designer brands, much more so now I would imagine. How lovely that you still have some of the garments your mother created for you.

    Thanks again for stopping by and have a great weekend.

    Georgianna

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