Sew Blessed

For as long as I can remember, whenever we would go camping, take a weekend trip, or a long vacation I have always carried a sewing basket with an unfinished, hand-pieced baby quilt with me.  The only time I ever work on this quilt is when I am away from home; consequently it takes me about a year to finish one!  I just like my hands to be busy when sitting around.

This past summer James and I spent some time in Destin, Florida with all of our children and grandchildren and, as usual, I took along my little quilt.  One day as I was working on it, my Addie Grace decided she wanted to sew with me.  She took out all the little quilt squares, stacked them, folded them, made designs with them, lined them up in nice little rows - over, and over, and over again.  Who knew those little scraps of fabric could be so entertaining!  While we worked, we talked about all kinds of things...sewing, swimming, chasing beach crabs, Barbie...it was a very sweet time for me.

Sometime before Christmas, I was cleaning out my closet and found a little picnic-style basket that had once held a child's tea set; I kept it because it was just too sweet to throw away.  In it I put some sewing cards and yarn.  The next time Addie Grace came to spend the night, I presented her with her own sewing basket and told her it was time she learned to sew.  



I began to teach her how to tie a knot, how to weave the yarn in and out of the sewing cards to form "stitches" and how to finish off the yarn on the backside of the card.  I was sure she would get bored easily and want to quit, but she loved it.  So much so that she finished all five of them!  By the time she completed the third card, she was tying her own knots and finishing the backside of the card all by herself. She was so proud, she insisted that I take her picture after she completed each one.  


Addie Grace is a very fast learner.  I have a feeling it won't be long before she is ready to take the next step in sewing.  It will be so much fun to be able to share this part of my life with her.

Having a similar experience with my grandmother has left me with precious memories, but none can compare to the memory of sharing something with my own granddaughter that generations of women in my family have learned from each other.  I pray that we will have many more times of sewing and sharing together and that these memories will be as precious to my Addie Grace as they are to me.  Thank You, Lord, for I am sew blessed!

I hope this post has inspired you to share a memory that you have with your child or grandchild.

She's Still With Me

This is Mammaw.  I found this photo of her several years ago in an old box of crocheted doilies.  I'm not sure how old she is here; if I had to guess I would say very late teens or early twenties.  She looks very pretty in her pearls and straw hat doesn't she?


When I was about two years old, Mammaw moved in with my mother to take care of me while Mother worked to support us all.   The life lessons and experiences learned while in Mammaw's care would be used to help shape the mother and grandmother I would later become.


Mammaw had a very hard exterior.  She was always very serious and task oriented, a strict disciplinarian, and a very hard worker.  She didn't laugh much but when she did, her whole body shook and she would have to remove her glasses to wipe the tears that ran down her face.  As a teen, she herded cattle with the men of her family, wore jeans and boots, and smoked hand-rolled cigarettes.  As my Mammaw, I rarely saw her out of a dress even while working in the yard.  Her hair was pin-curled every night before bed and her face powdered every morning.  Clearly, there were many sides to Mammaw.


At a very young age, Mammaw taught me how to iron, cook, and sew.  These were not my chores (in fact, I didn't have regular chores), these were skills Mammaw insisted every young girl needed to learn.  I remember her having me cut out five-inch squares of fabric, pin them together, and hand stitch them; tiny, very deliberate stitches.  When I was seven years old, Mammaw gave me my first electric sewing machine for Christmas; A Singer "sewhandy electric" model 50D.  (I still have this machine.


The first thing I learned to sew on that machine was a pillowcase for my doll.  I wish I still had that pillowcase, or at least a photo of it.  It wasn't much but the idea was to learn to use the machine itself.  I don't remember when I graduated from the little machine to a "real" sewing machine...Mammaw's machine.  I do remember, however, that the first thing I made on Mammaw's machine was a red gingham apron complete with red rick rack.  At the time I was being taught how to sew, a lot of work was done by hand such as facings, hems, rick rack, or other trim, etc.  To this day, I love handwork, in fact, I probably make extra work for myself by hand stitching as much of a project as possible; it's very relaxing to me.


I find that I go through sewing seasons; moments in time when everything in my world is just right (in my eyes), affording me the opportunity to drag out the ole' needle and thread and perhaps a yard or two of fabric.  Cutting, pinning, tiny stitches transport me to another place in time.  There are few good memories from my childhood; this is one.  As I take a stitch, in my own hands I see the hands of my grandmother complete with age spots and arthritic fingers.  I can't help but smile...Mammaw's still here with me.