Mission: Sewing Stuff

An elderly woman at church tonight asked me if she could speak to me for a moment and motioned for me to follow her into the foyer. The little girl in me who never wanted to be called in to the principal's office immediately thought, "Oh, great! One of my kids has knocked her purse from her hand or cut in front of her in line at the pot luck."

When we got to the foyer she looked around to make sure we were alone and said quietly, "I don't know if you know this, but I sewed for the public for over 30 years."

So, now I'm thinking she's giving me her credentials so she can tell me that she's placing me under citizen's arrest for that so called placket on the dress my 8 year old is wearing, because anyone who knows a feed dog from a presser foot knows that thing is only holding on with a lick and a promise.

To my surprise (and glee) she didn't place me under arrest, but instead told me that she is ready to get rid of all of her sewing notions and supplies and thought I might like to have them. She said she has bags of buttons, zippers, interfacing, bias tape, and fabric that she won't be using any more because a back injury makes sewing too painful now.

I'm still not sure why it was covert, but I choose to accept this mission and hope to make the pick up in an undisclosed location some time this week.

I thanked her profusely for her generosity and secretly breathed a sigh of relief that the so called placket had escaped her notice.

In other sewing news, another dear older lady (this one has never been employed by the CIA) gave me the most beautiful hand made blue linen dress for Emelyn. She said she ordered the linen from an heirloom specialty shop. It has pin tucks on the bodice and is embroidered along the collar and hem in cream and brown. (I'll try to post pictures later.)

I am thrilled to have something so sweet that was made with love by 80 something year old hands. That is what I treasure about hand work, or what I recently heard referred to as "the womanly arts".

I can see and feel the love and care that went into each stitch, and I can imagine stitches just like those being sewn thousands of years ago, passed on from generation to generation.

I am glad to be a part of passing "the womanly arts" on to future generations by sewing heirloom items with love and also by teaching my daughters to do the same.

They already enjoy making their dolls knitted hats and beautiful dresses from the bits and pieces of scraps I have left from my sewing projects and have even given some of their handmade creations to friends.

It makes me proud to know that they will be able to teach their daughters embroidery, knitting, and sewing.

Now, if I could just perfect my plackets, I could pass that on to them, too.