At Her Knee...

I remember...

:: hand sewing a little quilt top with my Grandma Paul when I was 3
:: getting my first sewing machine and having my dad affix a block to the foot pedal to make it safe to sew by myself
:: the sound of my Grandma Paul's old Singer
:: picking the fabric to have my Grandma Godwin make me a huge beach towel with my initials on it...I still have it!
:: trips to Fabricland with my mom to pick out fabric for clothes...and later for dance dresses
:: laying out chambray on the living room floor with my mom and learning how to make sure the pattern pieces were straight by measuring them
:: hearing stories about how my mom learned to sew on the above-mentioned old singer by hand-cranking it...reportedly she made 'scads' of doll clothes
:: learning to crochet at my Grandma Paul's knee...literally!  She was a leftie, so watching her was perfect
:: learning to embroider tea towels...and feeling so grown up when I graduated to dresser scarves and pillow cases
:: being introduced to counted cross stitch...and loving it
:: learning to serge on a neighbor's serger
:: Grandma Paul's inviting drawers full of notions
:: watching Grandma Godwin make quilts for all of my cousins as they graduated from high school and anticipating my turn
:: the first quilt I finished
:: a trip to Fabric Depot to pick out white satin and lace that my sweet mom would wrestle with (and would turn out to be allergic to!) over the coming months to craft me the wedding dress of my dreams
:: sewing things for my nursery while being kicked by the very baby who would snuggle up in those blankets and whose diapers would stack in the carefully planned diaper stacker

And now...


I teach these precious ladies those same skills...

I try so hard to be patient...and I gain a new appreciation for the patience others had with me...

I tell stories to my girls about "When my mom taught me to..." and "When my grandma showed me how to..."  Those stories make me so happy...and honestly they make me cry sometimes, too!  I am so honored to have learned at the knees of such capable artisans.  I hope that I can pass a fraction of your skill along to my ladies.  They are so proud of their handiwork and they should be.  Thank you!

Comments

  1. Oh, my. This post certainly brought tears to my eyes...we are both fortunate mamas, aren't we?

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