It seems I spent half the weekend looking for the thimbles, I found a couple in little go bags of sewing tools and finally found the jar of thimbles wrapped in bubble wrap in my Grandma Elsie's sewing basket complete with her spools of thread and tape measure.
The next few days were spent sitting on the floor sewing these rag rugs together. I saw some at Skansen the historic village in Sweden a couple years ago and they were actually tacked to the floor. I could sew until my left foot fell asleep and if I kept going then my left leg would fall asleep so I had to get up off the floor and jiggle my foot awake. Or my fingers hurt from pushing and pulling the needle, the thimble didn't protect all the fingers. I found corduroys that were overalls that I sewed for my little boys, sheets with stylized florals that I used as curtains in the first house that hubby and I lived, yellow flannel sheets that didn't hold up very well, floral blouses and shirts from college days before the designers on TV said that is so little house, a blue and white batik print that I sewed a dress that fit me oh so nice before children, and lots of plaids from shirts and tops. And lots of blues and pinks that were slacks and skirts. Clothes were so much more fun 30 some years ago. There were yardages of fabrics that I screen printed in college and some that I dyed. I counted 15 sheets that were mine and who knows how many sheets that were my mother's or aunt's. My mother made such good use of worn out and out of date fabrics. And I get to use it some more. Walking on memories. --Ann--
3 comments:
Interesting post. Where are you? I've been out of touch for a couple of weeks; can you tell?
I grew up with rag rugs. My mom saved old clothing and we would sit in the basement to rip it, then sew the ends together. We rolled them in balls and took them to the weaver, then picked up rugs a week or so later. I determined then, when I was a child, that I would learn to weave. I've made a lot of rag rugs, and I remember doing just as you have done -- sewed several together to make a larger rug. I made those the year my daughter turned one and though I separated the rugs, I'm still using them -- 34 years later. You gotta love a durable rug!
Your grandmother's sewing box is beautiful. And so are your rugs, of course!
--Nancy. (ndmessier @ aol.com, joyforgrace.blogspot.com)
Oh, so much fun and those memories will be constantly refreshed.
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