Patterns

Originally Written Between 2017-2020                                                        

 

Way back when I was in the seventh and eighth grades, the girls in my class had to take Home Economics and the boys had to take Shop.  I know that nowadays, everyone has to take Home Ec AND Shop.  All three of my boys are the “main cooks” in their families now and are very good at it!  I’m so glad they had to take both classes.

 

Anyway, I was excited to be in Home Ec.  For the first half of the year, we were in the cooking section.  I learned a lot about measurements such as “3 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon.”  I think I must have missed the day when we learned how many “pints were in a quart” because I always have to look that up.  Or as my grandkids say to me: “Why don’t you just ‘google’ it, Grandma?”

 

The second half of the year, we switched classrooms and were assigned to a sewing machine.  This was very new to me.  My grandmother was a dressmaker by trade before she married my grandpa.  She made our baptismal gown out of her wedding dress for my mother and uncle and then it was passed down to my brother, sister and me and our kids and now grandkids (19 babies – so far).  She would make winter coats for my sister and me.  She was also a knitter and crochet-er (if those are real words) and we had dozens of mittens and scarfs to prove it.  My mother, however, could sew a little to get by; such as making maternity tops.

 

So, now it was time to see if the “sewing gene” was passed on to me!  Our first assignment was to learn how to sew a 5/8” seam and then we learned how to make “darts” – that was hard to figure out with our 12 year old bodies changing all the time!  Placing zippers was kind of fun and challenging and gathering a skirt at the waist was easy.  

 

Now, this is where our topic “patterns” comes into play.  Laying out a pattern on our material in order to make a pleated skirt!  I was so excited since I had mastered every assignment prior to making a skirt.  Mom and I went to the store to buy my material and for some reason, I chose a red and blue plaid design.  Which, in case you don’t sew – and obviously, I didn’t – is hard to do – especially when one has to match the plaids when placing on the waistband!  Then…. we found out that in order to get a good grade on our report card, we had to wear our own creations to school and wear it all day!  Have you ever tried to hem a pleated skirt?

 

Well, I made the skirt.  I wore it all day to school.  I got a “B” on my report card and, of course, I never wore the skirt again.

 

I never made anything again until I was pregnant with our first child, Michael.  Then – just like my mom – I made maternity tops.   They must have turned out okay since I remember wearing them out in public.

 

I took a lingerie-making class a few years later with my girlfriend, Mary Jo.  She was an excellent seamstress and came to class each week with several examples of underwear and nightgowns.  I – however – did not make a big impression of my sewing ability.  In fact, the only impression I made was the dent in our dining room paneling when I threw my sewing machine at the wall when I couldn’t get the crotch right!  

 

That, however, didn’t stop me.  Mary Jo and I took another class that taught us how to sew with cotton knits – such as t-shirts.  I can honestly say I did okay in that class.  In fact, one year, I made t-shirts for not only Norm; but for each of my three sons.  I worked at Medtronic then and Medtronic always sponsored a family day at Valley Fair.  And so, I made matching t-shirts for Norm and the boys.  Just in case they got lost.  And – get this….. I made them stripped shirts!  I matched the stripes on not one – not two – not three - but FOUR shirts!  I even took pictures!  I was so proud of myself.

 

The boys?  Not so much.  That Valley Fair day was the first and last time they ever wore their shirts.