Mama Ina Mae was a seamstress. I can sew a few things, make home decor, mend, or embellish premade items to create costumes. Again, I am not a seamstress. Mama was. She sewed well. She enjoyed the process. I enjoy a completed project.
I did love sewing with her. She was the most patient of teachers. I think I learned more about removing stitches than sewing seams. For me, sewing utilitarian... does not bring me the joy it brought to Mama.
Mama almost always let Dad have his way. Honestly, stuff wasn't that important to her, unless it meant she had more to give away. Her sewing machine was one of the ways she gave gifts to the people she loved. Her sewing machine is one of the only times I remember her putting her foot down and telling Dad, "No!".
The sewing machine Mama gave me as a "hand-me-down" was one Dad purchased new. He got a great deal on it, in a private sale. It was over $ 1000... more than thirty years ago. It was a nice machine. It was a good machine (it still works). It was NOT the one Mama wanted. It had some simple embroidery options and fancy stitches, but it was not the fancier model Mama dreamed of owning and using.
It wasn't terribly long after the purchase Mama let Dad know, "Valerie would be taking the sewing machine he purchased and they were going to buy her the Embroidery machine she really wanted."
I was stunned when I heard of her insistence and my windfall. My Mama was rarely that fierce, but her mind was made up... and Dad didn't blink when she picked out her machine, purchased it, signed up for a few classes and set it up in her sewing room.
I know I was married at the time, but I remember Randy and I having a good laugh because Dad knew when Mama drew a line and he didn't cross it. In farming, one tractor repair could easily cost the same as her new sewing machine. He was to keep his mouth shut about her sewing machine and any costs related to its upkeep.
He was smart enough not to fuss when she had sewing projects spill into the dining room. She made many bridesmaids dresses over the years and some wedding gowns, too. Baby blankets, quilts and so many other fun things were created on that sewing machine.
The memories make me smile. Dad was a force of nature, but Mama managed him well... and loved him with her whole heart. He loved her, too. If he mentioned the sewing machine to me privately, he'd get a sheepish grin and shake his head because it tickled him when she stood up for herself and asked for something.
Giving was in her nature. Her favorite gifts were the ones she could use to create things to give away. Mama created many items that are still in use today. She used her machine well.
" Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." -Proverbs 31:10-12
My sewing machine makes me smile because it reminds me of Mama and one of the few times she stood up for herself. Her sewing machine was more than a useful tool... it was a friend. My hand-me-down machine is a reminder of one of her more fierce moments in her life. She wanted that machine so she could give better gifts... and she did.
Today, I am grateful for Mama's hand-me-down sewing machine.
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