Saturday, April 14, 2007

More sewing stories

**I'm gonna post while it's working...I dunno what the problem with Blogger has been**

Back to the Bernina:

Mother adored her new Bernina and took many classes to learn about all its features. I'll never be the seamstress that she was -- I want to make stuff I can see significant progress on in one session. That said, I bought some new patterns this spring and plan to make a few tops out of fabric that has been stored for -- oh geeze -- 10 years. Finding tops is always hard, and I decided that it was about time I dug out the machine again.

Anyway. This wonderful machine cost nearly $500 back in 1973 -- a lot of money then. It has all sorts of custom stitching, more than half a dozen presser feet (foots?) with individual functions. I will likely rarely, if ever, use all its features -- but Mom sure did.

She made my first wedding dress on it too....white linen with lace overlays, and she created a short train, also with lace overlays. The dress wasn't even a wedding pattern: I'd seen one I liked in Brides magazine, and we found a dress pattern that was similar and adapted it. I still have that dress...(what does one do with a wedding dress? R won't use it, I'm sure, nor will V)

I felt close to her this afternoon as I was stitching long seams on those curtains. She spent many hours creating clothes and home decor items, and would listen to the radio or, in later years, watch a tiny TV that sat on her sewing table while she worked. I think it was a wonderful de-stressor for her. And in my past life, I spent many hours at my sewing machine (pre-Bernina) making dresses for R (prom or Easter especially), blouses and shirts, teeshirts and nighties. And curtains. LIke today.

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