I learned to sew when I was in 3rd grade. I was 8 years old and home because I was very sick, so was my younger brother. We both missed about 2-3 weeks of school, I am not sure really how much as it was so long ago. My mom made all of my clothes for school and church up until 4th grade. That was when I had to actually go to the store and buy my school clothes. The meltdown is a whole other story. Because my mother had us rest in the morning and in the afternoon, we felt pretty good after the first few days. Naturally the medicines helped too. It was very common to see my mother sewing during the day. I kept asking her questions of why are you doing this and that. What does that do? I had shown interest in sewing before, however, not as much as then. Mom brought up my little table and chair. Thus began my love of sewing.
About 6 or 7 years ago, I had finally admitted I could no longer so because my hands simply ached too much. They also shake a lot. I decided to give a friend my sewing stuff and whatever material I had left. I wanted someone to enjoy my stuff. My friend, Pattie came and got my machines and all my sewing things. I had lunch shortly after that with her and her daughter. Pattie had made me a quilt. It is so beautiful. I love it. I was very very surprised too. I did not expect that. The quilt is music themed.
By the time I was in junior high, I could sew my own clothes with very little supervision. Mom and I still sewed together, it was our bonding thing, I just didn't always need her help. In 8th grade, the night before Halloween or the day the school was celebrating Halloween, I decided that I was going to make my Halloween costume after all. I had picked out the pattern and the material plus all the notions a week before. I had planned on making the costume for Halloween at school, but that week was awful. 8th grade was one of the worst years for me when it came to me being bullied. It was cool to be as mean as you can to me. There was a point system for what you did to me. It was just insane. There was one girl in my homeroom class that was the worst. My homeroom teacher was never in the room and when I told him about it, he did nothing. I went to the library as many days as I could. My homeroom teacher was actually happy when I couldn't go to the library during homeroom. He laughed and said things like you can't go to the library today. I had friends, none stood up for me. One ofter joined in if she was mad at me for some ridiculous reason. She would get mad at us for the most insane reasons like not writing her a not during whatever hour we were in. She expected a note from all of us every single hour no matter what. I wrote all of my notes to her at night at my house so I would have them ready for the next day.
Anyways, I digress. I began making my costume after school. I finished the costume about 11:30 that night. No, my mother was not that happy that I was still up when she came home from work. She did see the finished garment. I had made a couple of whoopsies, nothing anyone who doesn't sew would really know. Mom said I did a good job.
Nervously I put on my costume and went to school. I tried to brace myself for mean comments and mean things. I was not prepared for nice comments and impressed classmates. All of my classmates recognized who I was in my costume: Laura Ingalls. The TV show Little House On the Prairie was a favorite among many students. I was asked all day where did I get my costume. I said I made it. I was also asked, did I make the bonnet also. Yes, I did.
I made a lot of my church clothes in high school and I also made a lot of homecoming dresses for classmates and a lot of prom dresses for classmates and the dresses I needed for singing competitions and perfromances.
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