My mother use to sew and my aunt use to knit. As a small child I learn how to do both. But never really appreciated my sewing and knitting until I got older. Now looking back and thinking of my Mom and my aunt, I have come to cherish the gift they gave to me now they are gone. My mother only made clothing and my aunt use to make the most beautiful afgans. I myself went from clothing into dolls and now combine both with my embroidery. My knitting skills are rusty since I only pick it up every few years. I am prould to say that I have knitted one dress and am working on another one. I will put them together once I done with this second one. But it is so funny even as I sew I feel my mother watching over me and checking out what I am doing. And when I knit, my aunt use to always say don't make your stitches to tight and I still watch what I am doing. So what is your story and makes you smile when you think about how you started and where you are now? I would love to hear it.

my mother was very good with craft knitting sewing and i also feel like you she is watching over me and it makes me feel good that i am not the only one smiles

1 comment

by sewinhuggs 16 Jul 2011

So you know how good that feels. it is like being given the stamp of approval for a craft well done.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

My mother did every craft that used thread! During WW2 she used to remake peoples clothes for them to give the illusion of something new and make shildrens cuddly toys with the left overs. That was before I was born, but when I was little tt was natural to do what she did by her side.
As she got more frail (she lived to be 91) and couldn't do things herself, she had great pleasure sitting at my side giving advice and instruction as I did realised her ideas for her.
My daughter did the same with me from being very tiny although she doesn't do much now. Perhaps when I am 90........

1 comment

by sewinhuggs 16 Jul 2011

Your story is so beautiful, I am glad that your daughter carry on with your mom's legacy. Since I have no children, just nieces and nephews, I made a promise to myself a long time ago that if one of them had a daughter I would make her a cloth doll. About five years ago my oldest nephew call and ask me to make his daughter a cloth and even though I didn't make dolls anymore, I did make that doll and sent it to him.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

This bought tears to my eyes. Instead of an aunt watching I had my grandmother, who my mother and I lived with. Thank you for the memories. Sarah.

1 comment

by sewinhuggs 16 Jul 2011

She is still watching over you and smiling down everytime you make something.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

your story gave me goose bumps it is beautiful and i guess we do take for granted our skills passed on by our mothers so thank you mum who has long been upstairs......It is funny my daughter has no interest in sewing or craft but her daughters just love my sewing room i looked after them from a very early age when their mother had to go back to work (5 months old) so they grew up in my sewing room and played with scraps of material an asked me to dew them together to make a quilt for her dolls bed eldest is not at high school and when her mother askes her does she want some help with her sewing project she says no I will ask Nan.....soozie

1 comment

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

She is still watching over you. In my quiet moments of sewing I still hear my mom. So yes thankyou to all the ones whom taught us the crafts we love to do.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

My mom did crafts but always in private. Never saw her working on things. She did tatting, knitting, sewing, crochet, and copper tooling. Would see progress on what she was doing and then the finished item. She basically never taught us how to do things because she had no patience. Always too busy to help us. Her saying was, "Not now I'm busy." I saw other mothers doing crafts and was able to watch enough to figure out on my own. At eight years old my mom had serious surgery and arranged for me to ride my bike to the Singer sewing lady and take sewing lessons. Took some Home Economics classes in school but now it's call Healthy Living and don't offer sewing anymore. Had so much fun making my daughter and son clothing when they were little.

4 comments

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

Your mom sounds like mine. When I first started sewing before I got serious about it. She made me learn it on my own using her kenmore. When I did something wrong and had her check it out, she would tell me how to fix and then recheck it. I am glad she did because now over forty years later, I am pickier then ever with my sewing. Would you believe I still have her machine, I don't use it even though it still works. I just know you had fun making your children's clothes. Did your children take up sewing?
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

by capoodle 15 Jul 2011

My kids absolutely did not take after me and crafts. The closest thing to sewing for them is a stapler and tape. lol

by capoodle 15 Jul 2011

I should have added that my dad showed me how to do things. He was an electrical engineer and very crafty at doing and fixing things. Had watched him fix his work cloths on my mom's sewing machine and sometimes he would sit with a needle and thread to repair a pants pocket or sew on a button.

by sewinhuggs 16 Jul 2011

You were so lucky to be able to learn from your dad also. My dad was always working so my mom became Mr. fix it. And because of that I learned from her. So when my husband and I remodel our home, I help him with all of the repairs. From painting to fixing our fire place.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

I always remember my grandmother doing crochet work - she has such lovely items and when I started with machine embroidery - it was she that I felt watching over me - the first double-pineapple crochet doily I made - it was an awsome experience to think about that.

I learned to sew in Jr & Hight School - not that I ever really did well - but when my children were small - I sewed them almost everything they wore and me, too. My sewing skills were never that grand and I drifted away from it - but many years later - my Mother was showing me something that she was going to make a relative on her embroidery machine - she had some trouble with the computer end of it and wanted some help - I helped her - not know much of what really needed to be done - but she ended up stitching it out and it was lovely. I never knew until several years later - how that memory had been a seed planted - I wanted to make a blanket for a little one that I was baby-sitting - she was tiny and my sewing machine just wasn't going to do the job - so I went looking and found a place - that showed me an embroidery machine - I put some money down and in a month - I had bought and paid for my 1st embroidery machine and the rest is history. I have a love of lace, but still enjoy all the various ways that we can embellish items and make them so unique and special with embroidery work. What a joyful creation - the embroidery machine. My grandmother would be totally amazed.

Here is the a picture of the doily - that my grandmother inspired me to make & watched me stitch out:

1 images:[1]

1 comment

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

You do such beautful work. When I first became a cutie, you inspire me with your beautiful stitchouts. Can you believe that when I brought my first embroidery machine, I was bored with regular sewing and needed a challenge. The bad thing was the white 4400 was not a good machine and I ended up with a huskystar em10 which I love. And my brother machine, I wouldn't trade for the world. I so love your story and for you inspiring me and the other cuties to keep on stitching. Happy Stitching
Smiles
sewinhuggs

We have treasured memories of precious time spent with the people who taught us over the years. I am so glad for the sewing lessons I had as a child from my mother.

3 comments

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

I so aggree with what you said. One of my favorite moments was when I made my first cloth doll for associate I work with. My mother was so proud of the doll she name it Liz Marie. The little girl whom got the doll is all grown up now probably with a family of her own. I even have a picture of that doll that I made over twentyfive years ago. Those are the times you don't forget.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

by shirlener88 15 Jul 2011

I wished you would share your picture.

by sewinhuggs 16 Jul 2011

The picture is in one of my albums, I will look for her.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

This sounds a bit like my experience. It wasn't my Mom or Grandmother that taught me but school where we had once a week classes. I never forget the socks we had to knit. One turned out tighter then a drum and the other one one could have fit two feet into them. Sewed Aprons and pillowcases on trundle sewing machines, knitted squares with different stitches to be assembled for a blanket and embroidered a sampler to keep sewing needles. We also learned how to darn (repair) socks which then became my job in the family. Hated it and haven't done it once I left the family. I picked up knitting and crocheting again in my 20s and haven't stopped since. Basically I love all crafts and will fiddle with most of them. Some for the challenge and never to use them again and some will stick like machine embroidery.

1 comment

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

I loved you story. I have only had two sewing classes in my life and hated both. The first in junior high and we made broom stick skirts. While others struggle with the skirt, I made a top to go with mine. And in college I took a sewing class as extra credt, we made doll cloths, hated it. But what is so funny is to this day I still make broom stick skirts and use to make cloth dolls and their clothing. I agree with you about the other craftsa nd sticking with some such as embroidery.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

I remember when my grandmother would do quilts. As a kid I always wanted to help and she would let me. That is how it all started with me. Now I sew all the time work and home. LOL

3 comments

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

I just know your quilts are beautiful. Do you have any of her's?
Smiles
Sewinhuggs

by devon 15 Jul 2011

Only one now most of them when to her 10 kids and all of the have kid ect... So I only have one.

by sewinhuggs 15 Jul 2011

You are so lucky to have that one. I don't have anything of my mom's that she made. But I do have my aunt's knitting needles and use them when I knit.
Smiles
Sewinhuggs