If only I could go back in time and warn my naive 12 year old self about what the future held. Had I only been aware of the desperate importance of my mother's words and wisdom. I now know to rue the day I ever huffed off in a snit proclaiming, "Sewing is stupid and I will never, ever, ever waste my time in such a ridiculous manner when I am grown up." This past week I was finally served my long overdue comeuppance for choosing to read The Thornbirds over learning how to baste the interfacing of a bodice. I wish Colleen McCullough never put pen to paper.
Three years ago Julia informed me that she had all her Halloween costumes planned out for future years. She would be Cinderella at the ball for year one, Cinderella as a bride for year two, and Cinderella in rags for year three. The Disney Store obliged nicely for years one and two. For year three, I discovered I was on my own. Julia held up her Cinderella picture book for me to examine closely. She wanted to make sure I saw that the skirt was a medium brown, the shirt sleeves a certain robin's egg shade of light blue, and the bodice black. We noted the small pocket for holding wee helper mice and the long apron ties that flowed down nearly to the floor.
At first, I arrogantly thought, no problem! You buy a pattern, choose some fabric and follow a few directions and voila! I had access to my neighbor's mother's 1950's Kenmore Sewing Machine and Google (God bless the youtube lady who made a video of spooling a bobbin). Plus, I did attend home-ec for a term in middle school. What more was there to it?
How can I explain the nightmare the uninitiated experiences when faced with such foreign terms as "adjust the tension setting", "understitch the seam 2/3 " from the seam allowance", and such foreign concepts as "baste the sleeve to the bodice, stitch and repeat 1/4" below the previous stitch line"? Why on earth would a sleeve need to be sewn three times? I was tempted to throw the directions in the trash and wing it (that is how I cook, actually) but found myself at a loss when it came to hemming a circle skirt. Between scrutinizing every letter on my direction sheet and calling my mom back in Michigan for mini-lessons, a costume began to emerge. Something ill-fitting but recognizable.
For a while there, at my bleakest moments, I thought Julia might just have to go trick-or-treating dressed as My-Mother-Can't-Sew-but-Loves-Me-Very-Much, cause I thought that would be all anyone might be able to infer from the uneven seems and jagged fabric I had cobbled together. Today, however, it seemed to all come together. I'm no Vera Wang but I'll be darned if there isn't a certain Cinderella in Rags-ness to the finished product.
As they say, however, hindsight is 20/20. The Thornbirds? Really? What was I thinking?
2 comments:
That is too funny! You totally have me in "stitches".
I cannot wait to see Cinderella in Rags. You better post some pictures.
Lori W
Me too! I'm trying to keep my laughter down so I don't wake up the family, but your writing makes that difficult. :)
I was watching Donny and Marie when I should have been working on the skirt for my home ec class in Jr. High. I can glue gun anything, but sewing requires following directions. I've never been good at that unless it's a recipe (and I've been known to make "substitutions".
Next year, Cinderella should be a ghost...much easier.
Love ya my sewing-challenged kindred spirit.
Teresa
Post a Comment