Archie, You’re a sweet grandfather is all I can say.

Hello Debby, Your mom’s a true pioneer woman. I think you’re right that some of that knitting and sewing happened out of financial necessity. But the doll clothes? That sounds like a lot of fun. If I had more time (and children who had baby dolls), I can imagine giving that a go. I’m just afraid the end product would be a little scary.

I have two sisters, one 2 years older and the other 2 years younger. Until she got a new, electric sewing machine when I was in 4th grade (around 1965), my mom sewed a lot of our clothes on an old Singer treadle sewing machine. She also knitted us slippers and beautiful sweaters. I think most of this was done out of financial necessity rather than an overwhelming desire to sew and knit.

Plus, each year at Christmas, “Santa” brought new clothes for our baby dolls – panties, petticoats, dresses, aprons, jackets and bonnets, all handmade by my Mom. I still have one of those outfits on my Thumbelina doll (yes, I still have my “Thumby” and can’t seem to part with her). And, she made Barbie (or, in my case, Midge) dresses too – some of which matched my own clothes. My dad said she would stay up all night sewing in the weeks before Christmas, making all those doll clothes and blankets. Gives me watery eyes thinking about it…

I never learned to sew and had no interest in having my Mom teach me. I regret that very much.

Ms. Whiz — Welcome! how fun to hear from someone I’ve never met, or even knew existed, who’s exactly the same age. Don’t be shy about speaking up. No one’s ever going to be mean to anyone here.

I admire you so much! I am one of the Home Ec generation as well, and I remember a beautiful courdoroy zebra print skirt that I made. After which I never touched a sewing machine again, because it was just too difficult for me. I can sew on buttons, and sometimes I sew beads and appliques onto old clothes to make them more interesting and viable again. But if I want something done like hemming pants, I take it to a dry cleaning shop and have some other lovely woman do it for me.

My mom sewed beautifully, and her doll costumes even won contests. She made a lot of my clothes when I was growing up, and I loved them.

Well, at least I can cook!

~Love and Blessings,
Selene~

It’s interesting how we each see our past in ways that are slightly different, through the lens of our different ages, genders, and personalities. And yes indeed you are absolutely right that each generation does a little better than the one before it. When my own chidren are parents, they will be a bit less volatile, a bit less controlling, and a bit more spontaneous than I. Oh, and they’ll make sure their children have a television. But I hope they, like you, remember how their own parents did the best they could, given where they began their parenting journey.

I think we’re all terribly proud of each other, in our own ways, and I’ve always felt very lucky to have siblings who still speak to each other, care about each other, and remember our shared family lives. Plus, you are a much better lawyer than I am, because you have the true gift of persuasion, which turns out to be much more helpful in the world than the gift of memorization (my own special skill).

I never took home ec. Or shop. I was always in band and chorus. But I didn’t feel like I needed to take home ec. My mother taught me to sew, not really at the point of a gun, but it was enforced learning. She felt it was more economical to make your clothes than to buy them,and in 1965 it actually was.

My sewing lessons began because I was a rowdy little tomboy who ran around and climbed trees and bailed out of swings and did other things that caused my peers to chant “I see London, I see France, I see Ellie’s underpants.” I was continually coming home with my clothing ripped to shreds. It was so bad my 4th grade teacher had a box of safety pins in her desk labelled “Ellie’s Pins.”

Anyway, one day my poor overworked mother looked at me and said, “The next time you come home with your skirt ripped off the waistband, you are learning to sew.” Sure enough, about two weeks later, I went to school in the latest creation off her machine, a very pretty dress with a v-waist, lace insets, etc etc. I loved that dress, but despite my affection I neglected to tuck it under me properly when I started down the slide and when I reached the bottom my skirt was attached at the top and strung out all along the slide.

Indeed, I did learn to sew. I honed my skills making clothing for my doll Kate (it was before Barbie). I still have the doll and much of the clothing, which is high style fifties stuff. We even made a United Airlines Stewardess uniform for Kate.

In spite of my facility with the sewing machine and knitting needles and embroidery floss, I understand the terror that people face when they try to do something that ought to be fairly simple but truly isn’t. I gained that compassion from my struggles as I tried to learn how to access the internet and use a cell phone.

I surely wish I knew how to weld!