Very early on I remember a neighbor, Aunt Emma, teaching me piano, knitting and embroidery. I lived for those times when I would be asked in her house. None of these early times were caught on camera.
It wasn't until 7th grade that I really fell in love with sewing. I think that might have been the first time I worked with bought "material"..which is what they called fabric back then. Our project for the next 2 years was to make a dress for the 8th grade graduation dance.
That's me at the last machine where the teacher is standing. Her name was Miss Wehr. I loved her. I think she was an "old Maid". She seemed to understand my home situation. When I wanted to stay after school and work on my dress, she always had something she had to work on too. Looking back now, I don't think either of us had anywhere to go. That extra hour was always pleasant.
Here is the dress I finally finished after 2 years.
Two years later, thinner and with too much makeup, I was asked to a Sr. Prom by the neighborhood heart throb, Joe Macanally. I had been given a 301A singer for that 8th grade graduation. After 2 years of many hours of sewing I put together my second gown, this one full length.
Recently, I pulled out the 301A, ordered a new rubber for the bobbin winder and a tube of greese for the motor. It had sat for many years in the closet. I sent it out for cleaning and it came back broken. The bobbin case twirled around uselessly. A few months ago I decided to look up the booklet for it on line and found a fellows post about making sure you line up the bobbin case with the throat plate or the bobbin will just spin around. What an easy fix! I love this machine for piecing quilts. It's a real work horse!
2 comments:
That's so special to have your first sewing machine! And you did beautiful work, even back then. I've got Mom's Singer that I learned to sew on, but the very first one I bought myself got traded in 7 or 8 years later for one that zigzagged...and I think that trade-in was a featherweight. Darn! I hope to get Mom's refurbished one of these days. As far as when I began to sew? Probably about 7th grade in the homemaking class.
Holee, that's a lovely story. Your pictures are beautiful, and so are the dresses you made.
I started hand-sewing when I was really young, probably about 4. Then my sister and I got little sewing machines for Christmas one year - I was probably about 8. I sewed all through junior high and high school, then for graduation from university my parents bought me a very basic Singer machine. I still have it, but it's packed away and I use my Bernina now -very fancy!
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