Sew Sew

When I was in the ninth or tenth grade most schools taught home economics. I took one year of sewing. I did not own a sewing machine but I really thought it would be cool to make my own clothes. Big dreams for a young high school girl. We started out making small projects like an apron or long handled bag. For one of our projects we could pick out any thing we wanted to make from a pattern. Adventurous me decided to make a full length dress. Our church youth group was going to have a Valentine banquet in a few months and I had this big dream of making a dress. I bought a complicated pattern with a laced bodice and yards of fabric for a full length, empire waist skirt and long lace covered sleeves with fancy buttons. I just had to make that dress. Remember...I did not own a sewing machine and I certainly could not afford one. Every day we could work on our piece during class. The day was getting closer to the banquet and my dress was complicated and I needed more time to work on it. I thought of a neighbor that had a sewing machine. I asked her if I could work on my dress each afternoon after school. Looking back I can't imagine her doing that. She had a young family and I would be in a living room whirring away on the Singer sewing machine while her family were eating supper. Afternoons turned into late evenings and weekends with me working on that dress. I finished the dress just hours before the banquet. It was a little less than perfect. It was way too formal for this Valentine event but I was so proud of my accomplishment. That was my favorite project.