Thanks for sewing

First of all I am very thankful for my mom’s sewing. I don’t even know how many of my mom’s handmade aprons I own, but it’s a lot. In the double digits. I use them every day, and I treasure them.

I am thankful for my sister Hannah’s sewing. She is basically a pro who sews all her own clothes, and it’s really fun for me to see what she’s working on. She invited Ida and our niece Agnes out a couple of years ago for “sewing camp,” which Ida had a great time with; she still uses her tote bag and pajama pants! Hannah also sewed a beautiful dress for Ida for my niece Annie’s wedding two years ago, that Ida still wears. (Or did, until church was indefinitely canceled...)

My sister-in-law Deb has made my kids some gorgeous handmade quilts, which are on all of their beds. My mom also made them each a beautiful blanket, also on their beds. I feel happy and thankful every time I look at those lovely and useful gifts. My babies were also the recipients of multiple handmade baby quilts from friends and family, and I have saved all of them. (Which says a lot, because I don’t keep much!)

I am also lucky enough to own a few dolls handmade by my Grandma Mary. She made one for Ida and another for Polly. (Ida and Polly also own beautiful dolls handmade by their aunt Hannah!) And I still have the two-headed Cinderella doll that Grandma made for me in the 80s.

Now I will close with the most humble sewing of the bunch. 😆 I took sewing lessons when I was 10 or so. Since then I’ve made pillowcases, curtains, a few blankets, pretty much anything with a straight line. I don’t have a great head for following patterns or for drafting my own, and I have a sort of “measure once, cut twice” personality... BUT... I can sew well enough to make face masks. With some help from Google, I’ve drafted and constructed 100ish masks since the beginning of the pandemic: for myself, my kids, my friends, my coworkers, and early on, as donations to healthcare workers. 

Are they a bit sloppy at times, maybe. But they are functional, and back in April I was really glad that I own a sewing machine, have a decent fabric stash, and could get out that excess creative energy when I needed to. I still make masks from time to time, generally when an acquaintance has a birthday because it’s a quick but personal gift. Let me know if you ever need a mask, by the way. I can’t promise a time or date it will be done, but I still have lots of fabric, a machine, and random extra creative energy that pops up when I least expect it.