What’s Your Sewing Heritage?
When producing the 2-part Sewing With Nancy series, Sewing Then & Now, I was prompted to think about the women in my life that paved the way for my interest in sewing. One of the sewing machines used during this 2-part series belonged to my grandmother, Georgina Schaefer Larson, an excellent seamstress.
I really never knew my Grandma Georgina. She passed away when I was 2-years old. She made cute little dresses for me when I was a baby and toddler. My mom depended upon her mom to do the sewing. I was so pleased when my mom, a saver of all things precious, gave me one of the dresses made by Grandma Georgina.
When going through an old photo album, I thought this was me in the peach dress. After seeing the image enlarged, it isn’t the dress, but I’m guessing that Grandma made that one too! (I just love those saddle shoes!)
My grandma was a stitcher all of her life. Depression era bride, she made her wedding dress and often lamented, according to my mom, that she couldn’t believe the width of the hem in her wedding dress and that the hand stitching was so evident! No matter what era, we tend to point out the mistakes rather than looking at the positive. When I look at this photo I see very happy and attractive people—full of hope and promise. I don’t see a wide hem nor the hem stitching. My Grandpa Loyall Larson is the tall light-haired man. A sister and brother served as the attendants. I adore this photo!
Twenty-five years later, Grandma made her dress for the special anniversary.
Even though I can’t remember her, Georgina’s friends and relatives kept her memory alive when I was a young girl, recounting her many sewing accomplishments. I feel a kindred spirit to her due to our love of sewing. She was one of the many women who gave me my sewing heritage.
After grandma passed away, my mom knew that the sewing torch had been passed to her. (I’ll tell you more about my mom’s significant influence in my sewing heritage in a later blog.)
1940 Sewing Machine makes a debut on Sewing With Nancy
For many years, the cabinet with my Grandmother’s machine stored inside has served as the bedside table in our guest room.
When the idea of this mini-series came to me, I decided to give the 1940 machine a tune up and test stitch. (I also changed the needle!) To my amazement, it purred like a kitten. I got a lump in my throat.
You’ll see it used during Sewing Then and Now. Watch the TV program online. It’s the featured streaming video of the week. Or, watch on PBS or on your iPad, iPhone Touch, or iPad.
During this series I show sewing techniques from the early 1900s and then show you how things have changed and/or stayed the same! (Mainly they’ve changed!)
What’s Your Sewing Heritage?
If you have women or men in your life that inspired you to sew, please tell me your story. If you have photos to share or if your story is long, send the info to [email protected].
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Bye for now,
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Pat Hersl
That little peach dress is so you! I could just picture you in it. I was lucky enough to have had my Mom-Mom and spent my early youth tied to her leg, so to speak, watching every move of her hands as she crocheted. I have a few pieces left but I will always see those hands.
Michelle Costen
This blog touched me.
I see a peaceful landscape quilt here.
Sharon Carbine (ArtsySharon)
My mother sewed on a great old Singer. I am the oldest of 12 children – 8 girls and 4 boys. My mother made countless dresses for all the girls for decades. My mother inspired my interest in sewing by her example. At 10, I took a sewing class at a Singer Sewing Center with the Girl Scouts. Generously, my mother let me use her Singer sewing machine without hesitation. I made most of my own clothes from 10 – 19. Then, I did not sew for decades with a few exceptions. However, I have been building my quilting stash the past 10 years. Now, I am getting back into sewing. My primary plan is to make quilts and clothes.
Marsha
The pictures are so precious. They help us know where we came from. The sewing machine is the same one I have of my Nana’s. She also made all of my clothes, from slips to coats, for a long time. A prom dress too. Every time I sit down to sew, I smile thinking of her.
Andrea Meche
My first inspiration is my mom who sewed for all four of her children as well as herself, and is still our sewing inspiraiton today. We all had beautifull clothes and dolls growing up and would sneak into her closet to play dres up in her lovely dresses. We spent many, many hours at the fabric store playing hide and seek in the big round fabric displays. We still attend the Sew Expo every year together and thanks to the magic of Skype and Facetime we now can sew (or cook) together anytime.
My second inspiration was you Nancy. I lived across the country from my mother most of my life and in those days we did not have video so I watched you, every Saturday morning, you helped teach me to sew and I am ever grateful.
Judith
What a great story about your G’ma and what a wonderful legacy she left you. My mother taught me to hand sew, first, and then to sew on a machine. I am old enough in that ‘Home Ec.’ was a required course for girls in jr. high. I am thankful for all those sewing women who have gone before me and all that I have learned from them.
Sharon Blaylock
I learned to sew on my mother’s old pedal Singer. My mother was a seamstress and made all of her children’s ( five daughters and 2 sons) clothing. I remember dresses and coats that she made for me. She was also a quilter, but I don’t remember her doing quilting as much as sewing.l I remember when she got her electric Pfaff and it sewed with a zizgag stitch!! The pedal was on the side of the machine instead of the floor. It also was in a cabinet like Nancy’s grandmother’s machine. Both of those machines are long gone but I have good memories of sewing on both of them as a young girl.
Diane
My sewing came about because of a wonderful mother of my best friend growing up and still today. Irma Ilderton had 5 children and made their clothes on an old Singer pedal sewing machine. When her husband bought her an electric machine, she put the old machine in the playhouse outside for us to play with. We made lots of doll clothes and sold them to our friends. What fun we had with that machine. But it instilled in both of us the love of sewing and after 62 years, we both still love to sew and quilt. My Mom never sewed, except by hand so this was like heaven to me. I will always be grateful for her inspiration.
Janice King
My dear grandmother taught me to sew. Also, her oldest daughter, my aunt Leola, helped. My mother never caught the bug…ha! My grandmother would “take in sewing” to support her family. Folks would bring her a picture out of a magazine and she would make their dresses. She made all her own clothes and mine when I was younger. When my children came along, she advised me when making their clothes, and using the scraps for quilts, which I still have.
What blessing it is to be able to look at a quilt or leftover dress from long ago and know how much love was put into it just for us. Warm fuzzies….
Shirley Covert
I was taught to sew by me sister who is 23 years older than me and now living with alzheimer’s. She received her education in a girl’s boarding school from 9th through 12th grade and she used that education throughout her life. I appreciate her so much for bring this passion to my life.
Linda M.
My Mom was my inspiration too. She sewed for all of us (6 girls and 5 boys) making matching holiday dresses for us all, almost every year for Easter and Christmas. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the “bug” until I was about 21 years old, married, and wanted to make some dresses for myself. At that point, I bought a used Singer machine just like my Mom’s. However, mine was not very good, so my husband bought me a new Golden Touch and Sew machine that I had for years. I took lots of lessons, even making a pair of men’s dress pants once! And when I had two daughters of my own, I also sewed most of their clothes when they were young. Now I have moved on to Bernina machines doing embroidery and quilting, and love doing both. I think I have taped every Sewing With Nancy show over the years, and bought quite a few of the booklets that went with them. They make great reference materials. I hope someday to pass on my love of sewing to any grandchildren that come along. Thanks for all the memories, Nancy! I hope you continue to teach us for a long time to come.
Judy
My Mother taught me to sew at a very early age. She was a great seamstress and a wonderful inspiration. By the time I was 8, I was allowed to use her old (1940’s era) Singer electric sewing machine that was very similar to the one pictured in your blog. I would have to stand while sewing on the machine in order to reach the pedal and the machine sewing surface at the same time. I was inspired to make clothes for my Barbie and Midge dolls after receiving a beautiful Barbie doll gown sewn by my mother. Later, I made my wedding dress on that machine! I continue to have a passion for making doll clothes, particularly for Barbie dolls, though now also enjoy making quilts as well.
Sandy Yavor
My mother had a sewing maching that had a knee pedal. When I was about 5 I was allowed to sit under the machine and work the knee pedal while she guided the fabric. Looking back I think that must have taken a lot of patience on her part! I made almost all my clothes during my teen years and designed and sewed by wedding gown and those of my attendants. Haven’t done clothing sewing for awhile, but I enjoy quilting. Thanks for sharing your story to help us remember ours.
Gloria
My grandmother adopted my brother and me when we were very young. She had a teadle sewing machine and I sewed on it. My cousin has one of her machines and it is mine when I can find a way to make the trip to pick it up. I remember how my grandmother quilted on wooden frames. I have a crazy quilt that she made many years ago. She passed away in 1967 and I wish I could tell her how much I appreciate all the sacrifices she made for me.
Linda
My mother sewed some and I had sewing in HomeEc but I wasn’t very interested in sewing until it was time for my oldest daughter to start school. My parents gave me an inexpensive sewing machine and my mother-in-law gave me a sewing book and some fabric. Before the three girls of ours left home, I had made everything from their panties to their wedding dresses. I loved sewing for the grandchildren, too; but now that they are all grown, I make and sell useable fabric items at craft shows. One of my daughters makes clothing and one quilts. Even one of my grand-daughters has used sewing to express her creativity. My sewing has kept me busy and entertained the last 5 years while I’ve been on dialysis and I am always inspired by you, Nancy, your show and even you catalog makes me want to try new projects and keep sewing.
Paula Knight Bradshaw
I really don’t know who inspired me. My mother was a single parent so she didn’t have much time to sew. I do remember in high school I begged her to make this one dress. I loved it. I didn take sewing in homemaking class in 9th grade. It was a gathered skirt and my teach had to finish it. It wasn’t until after I married that I took a 6 weeks sewing course at a Singer store and I was hooked. I made a lot of dress (1965) for my self, those little shifts, the called them. No zipper and no sleeve and strait lines. I eventually bought an Elna Super (which I still have today and is still humming) and made a sport coat for my husband and a suit for my dad. YOu have to really love them alot to do that. Then when my daughter came along, she didn’t have anything store bought until they started wearing jeans (1st grade, Jordache. Back in ’73 a neighbor and I visited my grandmother Branam and she gave us lessons on quilting. She would tend her flowers and her garden in the summer and quilt during the winter. She had wooden frames and ladder back chairs and she didn’t believe in rolling it up so she mounted to the ceiling and it hung on the ceiling until she was ready to get back to it. I cherish that time I spent with her. Since then, sewing has been my therapy. Now I’m retired and have a sewing room all my own, just as I dreamed of all my later years and I have a fancy babylock ellageo to play with (and my wonderful Elna).
Sallie Sirhal
As a child, I spent a lot of time with my maternal great grandmother, who taught me to sew on a treadle machine. I received a sewing machine as my high school graduation gift in 1965 and made a half dozen jumpers — paired with turtlenecks they became my weekday uniforms at college — no ironing with turlenecks! Never stopped sewing and after raising three boys am enjoying a new granddaughter — and entering a world of ruffled onesies, headbands and smocked and appliqued dresses! Her mother sews, too — so the tradition carries on!
Vicky Douglas
My mom was my sewing teacher and inspiration. My brother had shirts made from feed sacks and Dan River fabrics. His friends would have their mothers ask where he got his shirts. At first she was embarrassed to tell them, she had made them. They would ask if she could make them for their sons. Those boys ended up wearing my brother’s shirts as he out grew them. I don’t remember a store bought outfit until I was six. I know I had some, but they were usually hand-me-downs from friends and I loved them, but Mom’s handmade were the best. I can remember Mom sitting at the treadle machine and sewing for hours on rainy days. I still have the Atlas machine she bought at Moye’s Sewing Center in Savannah, GA when I was five or six. Both machines still work. Mom is gone now and I miss her so much. I am still sewing….
Harriet McCutcheon
I started sewing when I was about 9 years old. And been sewing ever since. Having 3 girls kept me busy. And now I teach the woman at our church. we are called the morning glory girls. I Have 3 Bernina,630,1230,and serger plus I have a elna. now i asked for a BSR foot for xmas. I will be 71 years old and don”t expect to stop. I never miss your show HARRIET MCCUTCHEON
Nancy Zieman
Harriet, thanks for watching and keep up the great work!