Louise loved to sew and made a lot of things herself. What item or items that she made hold a particularly dear spot in your memory? Or were there any generalmemories relating to her sewing (The machine she used - her work area - an incident around a particular project?)
by Carin
I wasn't alive during the majority of Gram's active "sewing" years. But I do have vague recollections of different stories of things she made. One item was an outfit she wore quite often in her later years here in NJ. It was a skirt and top set - in the beige/tan family (of course!). The top was especially interesting as it had a scalloped bottom edge which she told me she designed herself - the original pattern had a straight edged bottom hem. She wore it often and now I want to look through photos to see if I have one of her wearing it. Gram often talked about how she had to make all her own clothes because of her short-waisted physique. She recounted on numerous occasions her story of how a dress of a girlfriend the same size as her fit her so poorly because the waist area was hanging down at her hips. She liked to use this story to illustrate her situation. In order to have clothes that fit her properly she either had to adjust everything herself or make it herself! I know she also made clothes for all her children... and even heard that she made clothes for her girls' dolls! Thinking about it makes me want to take up sewing (in my spare time hahaha)! Good thing I have a boy - trucks don't wear clothes! :)
by Barbara
I remember Mom (Louise) making doll clothes for my Miss America Doll. Dad (John) had built a closet out of plywood especially for her and Mom went ahead and sewed up some quite elaborate outfits. I was in heaven!! My favorite outfit was a black velvet coat and hat with real fur trim. Mom had one of those fox shoulder scarves (the ones that looked like the fox was still alive and the mouth bit the tail in order that it stayed on the wearer's shoulder -- I remember being very frightened of those as a child -- but that's another memory) and she took it apart and made small pompoms on the hat and made a little fur stole that could be tied around the doll's shoulders alone or over the coat where it looked like a very luxurious collar. The outfit was wonderful until Ruffy, our dog, got hold of it. He thought the fur was a real animal and I found the outfit with the fur accents all chewed up and wet. Mom took it and repaired the fur -- so all was well.
by Carin
I wasn't alive during the majority of Gram's active "sewing" years. But I do have vague recollections of different stories of things she made. One item was an outfit she wore quite often in her later years here in NJ. It was a skirt and top set - in the beige/tan family (of course!). The top was especially interesting as it had a scalloped bottom edge which she told me she designed herself - the original pattern had a straight edged bottom hem. She wore it often and now I want to look through photos to see if I have one of her wearing it. Gram often talked about how she had to make all her own clothes because of her short-waisted physique. She recounted on numerous occasions her story of how a dress of a girlfriend the same size as her fit her so poorly because the waist area was hanging down at her hips. She liked to use this story to illustrate her situation. In order to have clothes that fit her properly she either had to adjust everything herself or make it herself! I know she also made clothes for all her children... and even heard that she made clothes for her girls' dolls! Thinking about it makes me want to take up sewing (in my spare time hahaha)! Good thing I have a boy - trucks don't wear clothes! :)
by Barbara
I remember Mom (Louise) making doll clothes for my Miss America Doll. Dad (John) had built a closet out of plywood especially for her and Mom went ahead and sewed up some quite elaborate outfits. I was in heaven!! My favorite outfit was a black velvet coat and hat with real fur trim. Mom had one of those fox shoulder scarves (the ones that looked like the fox was still alive and the mouth bit the tail in order that it stayed on the wearer's shoulder -- I remember being very frightened of those as a child -- but that's another memory) and she took it apart and made small pompoms on the hat and made a little fur stole that could be tied around the doll's shoulders alone or over the coat where it looked like a very luxurious collar. The outfit was wonderful until Ruffy, our dog, got hold of it. He thought the fur was a real animal and I found the outfit with the fur accents all chewed up and wet. Mom took it and repaired the fur -- so all was well.
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