Back in his welding days, my brother Fred used to say there were two categories of welders—the type who would rather make a hundred identical hog troughs, one after the other; and the type who would rather make a hog trough, then a trailer, then a grain auger, figuring out a new design each time.
I think seamstresses are the same way, and I fall into the latter category, which maybe explains why I have so many drawers full of patterns and keep buying more at garage sales. I love to figure out a pattern and make it work.
Amy is getting ready to go to SMBI in September, so as per their requirements she needs dresses instead of skirts and tops. We cut a lovely deal where I sew and she cooks and cleans. She found a pattern that lots of Mennonite girls use, or so she was told, and bought a stash of fabric.
I spent hours on the first dress, measuring and fitting and altering until it was just right, and then Amy wanted all her dresses to be made exactly like that, except for the shiny green formal dress. So now I’ve made four dresses with that exact pattern and have cut out three more.
I remember a staff wife at Maranatha Bible School back in the 80’s lamenting all the frou-frou on the girls’ dresses—ruffles, lace, long ties in the back. Well, either those days are long gone or Amy isn’t into fluff, or maybe both. All these dresses are as plain as can be—no collar, ruffles, piping, gathers, lace, or tucks anywhere.
So I am turning out one identical hog trough after another, so to speak, and to my surprise I’m enjoying it. It’s nice to know which step I want to do next without having to read the pattern or figure it out by trial and error, it’s nice to not have to fit it on and alter it after each step, and it’s nice to feel efficient.
So maybe I need to change my ways just a bit with sewing in the future, and find one pattern that works and stick with it and even make two or three dresses/bags/skirts at one time.
Meanwhile, from my own memories of Bible school and from what Emily says about SMBI, the real test of Amy's dresses' success will be: will other girls want to borrow them??
Quote of the Day:
"I wanna be a coo maedly."
--Jenny, who wants to be a cowgirl and knows just enough Pa. Dutch to be dangerous
I've said my no-frills dresses aren't much more than feed sacks but thank God I'm not so far gone yet that I'm wearing hog troughs! :-)
ReplyDeleteAs a young Beachy girl who wears hog troughs regularly, I found this post very amusing!
ReplyDeleteI love sewing, wondering why the newest generation spurns it so. One can be so creative, only limited by one's imagination, but that can be fixed by studying and reading what others are doing.
ReplyDeleteI also have a huge drawer full of patterns but use only a couple for myself and modify it to fit the situation. (I do sew for my granddaughters so I do resort to my stash.)
It is fun to talk about sewing, Dorcas. Fun to read of another who also enjoys it.
PSST..I also have an embroidery machine! :-)
Sandra
When I joined a Plain church there were any adjustments to make and lots of things to learn. One benefit of sewing dresses time after time from the same, approved pattern was that once you got the hang of it, you could make a dress without to much difficulty and without worrying if it was appropriate. I could save my energy for other important issues that needed to be figured out:)
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