How I Got Started Sewing, Part I
I was never a "girly" girl. I never really liked dressing up or putting on makeup or shopping for shoes. I liked sports and reading scary stories and go-carts. But when my granny was preparing to sell her house, she started trying to get rid of furniture and other "stuff."
I didn't have much room in my two-bedroom apartment for things like ancestral bedroom sets or other large things, but I managed to snag the family bibles and a few heirloom jewelry pieces. The only other thing I saw that I really wanted was a "desk" in one of the upstairs bedrooms of my granny's house.
Now, I was raised with my granny, so I grew up in that house, but even growing up there, we never really went upstairs. Upstairs is where my mom and uncle's childhood bedrooms were. It's where the hunting gun cabinet was; other than that, it was just a bunch of dusty old furniture.
The "desk" caught my eye though.
The only problem was, I had no way to transport it. (We live several states apart now.) I always rent a car when I go visit my granny, and the rental car was never big enough for this solid wood desk. When I told my granny that I wanted the desk though, she said she would bring it to me when she sold her house.
Then, she told me what it was.
She said, "That was my mama's sewing table." Not knowing what a "sewing table" was other than a table she had designated as being used for sewing, I said, "Oh." Then I looked at it closer and noticed that it had the name Singer on it and large flourished "S" marks in the cast iron legs.
I then assumed it was a "sewing table" because it was manufactured by a sewing machine company. I wasn't entirely wrong.
My granny then asked me if I had a sewing machine. I said, "No." She said she would give me one when she brought me the table.
Now, I may not be girly, but I enjoy family history (or genealogy) a lot. The gift of a sewing machine to go along with this family sewing table meant I needed to learn how to sew to honor my great-grandmother and her hobbies and interests.
I have quite a young family, so I met most of my great-grandparents before they passed. My granny's mom, in fact, lived next door to us on my granny's property. I remember Grandma Grimm was very girly. She watched soap operas, she went to beauty school, and she even made her own sewn and crocheted clothing for her dolls. (Those dolls still decorate my granny's house.)
While I don't see myself sewing dresses for dolls, I still felt like I needed to do something with this sewing machine and table, so I started thinking about sewing.
This story is continued in "How I Started Sewing, Part II."
I didn't have much room in my two-bedroom apartment for things like ancestral bedroom sets or other large things, but I managed to snag the family bibles and a few heirloom jewelry pieces. The only other thing I saw that I really wanted was a "desk" in one of the upstairs bedrooms of my granny's house.
 |
| Desk at my granny's house. Photo taken 2015. |
Now, I was raised with my granny, so I grew up in that house, but even growing up there, we never really went upstairs. Upstairs is where my mom and uncle's childhood bedrooms were. It's where the hunting gun cabinet was; other than that, it was just a bunch of dusty old furniture.
The "desk" caught my eye though.
The only problem was, I had no way to transport it. (We live several states apart now.) I always rent a car when I go visit my granny, and the rental car was never big enough for this solid wood desk. When I told my granny that I wanted the desk though, she said she would bring it to me when she sold her house.
Then, she told me what it was.
She said, "That was my mama's sewing table." Not knowing what a "sewing table" was other than a table she had designated as being used for sewing, I said, "Oh." Then I looked at it closer and noticed that it had the name Singer on it and large flourished "S" marks in the cast iron legs.
 |
| Singer name in cast iron base of desk. Photo taken 2015. |
I then assumed it was a "sewing table" because it was manufactured by a sewing machine company. I wasn't entirely wrong.
My granny then asked me if I had a sewing machine. I said, "No." She said she would give me one when she brought me the table.
Now, I may not be girly, but I enjoy family history (or genealogy) a lot. The gift of a sewing machine to go along with this family sewing table meant I needed to learn how to sew to honor my great-grandmother and her hobbies and interests.
 |
| My great-grandma Grimm and my granny. Photo courtesy of my brother. |
I have quite a young family, so I met most of my great-grandparents before they passed. My granny's mom, in fact, lived next door to us on my granny's property. I remember Grandma Grimm was very girly. She watched soap operas, she went to beauty school, and she even made her own sewn and crocheted clothing for her dolls. (Those dolls still decorate my granny's house.)
 |
| The largest doll that was always displayed in my granny's house. Photo taken 2014. |
While I don't see myself sewing dresses for dolls, I still felt like I needed to do something with this sewing machine and table, so I started thinking about sewing.
This story is continued in "How I Started Sewing, Part II."
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