Sewing with History

My mom just returned from CA, and brought back a HUGE bag of vintage buttons from her sister. I am so excited to have these. And to think I didn't have to scour antique shops to get them.  Not that that wouldn't be fun, but this was much quicker. ;) 

If you have a moment, please say a little prayer for my aunt. My uncle Dave passed away two weeks ago. Though he had recently been diagnosed with ALS, this was still a sudden loss for his family as they thought they had much more time with him. I'm thankful that they didn't have to witness his slow departure, but no matter what it's still never easy to say good-bye. I'm also thankful that my mom could fly to her side right away and that my aunt will be here visiting next week as had been previously planned. 

Thank you Aunt Cathy for thinking of me and these buttons even in the midst of all you are going through. 

Love you tons!

As I was sorting these I couldn't help but wonder what the story was behind each different style.  What had they been used for? I know I can look through my button box and tell you what I bought each type for. Call me strange, but I just love details and like to hear the history of how things came to be.

These little red and white ones are my faves.

Some sweet ladybugs.

Love this color green.

Look at the sweet pink lambs!

*swoon*

I love these floral ones in the middle.

Lots of different shades of pink. A girl can never have too many right?

Love those big orange buttons. They will be cute this fall with some of my leftover Meadowsweet.

These light blue ones are just as sweet as can be. Oh and I'm envious of those old prices too. Aren't you?  Buttons can be so expensive these days.

Love those white flowers and the half-balls are so mod and the hearts just make me think 70's like I'm looking back at my own childhood. *sigh*

Does anyone have a use for these black and white kitties? There are twelve. I can't think of what I'd use them for so I'd love to send them off to a fun home.  First to leave me their e-mail address gets them.

A few months ago David's mom gave me her mother's sewing machine and table.  I love how she calls it her mom's "new" one. More on that in a little bit. I set it up last week right between my sewing desk and cutting table. It fits perfectly there. It's all plugged in and ready to try, but instead of actually turning it on, I organized my desk drawers first. I think I'm procrastinating because I don't want to find out that it doesn't work. Silly, I know.

Ever since my first machine's motor died and I replaced it with my fancy BabyLock I haven't been able to shir with it. I can't get it to work with elastic thread in the bobbin. So I'm really hoping that this older machine will do it.  Unfortunately it doesn't have a drop in bobbin, it's vertical in the front of the machine. So that's why I'm nervous to try it out. Thankfully I do have the original manual so I should be able to figure it out. Wish me luck!  I'd really love to make my girls some shirred blouses again.

The best part about this machine is that inside the manual (you can see it sticking out ^) Grandma Sophie also kept a log of every single time she used her machine.  Wow! Seriously wow, let me show you what a treasure this is. Reading it was like walking back into history and I seriously had tears in my eyes when I showed it to David.

She bought her first machine in 1964 and then replaced it with this "new" one in 1974.  

In 1964 her youngest daughter made an outfit for the Sadie Hawkins dance. Isn't that just precious?

There are more notes of  her daughters (our Aunt Dee and Aunt Mari) sewing on this machine.  And later there is mention of my mother-in-law, Phyllis, practicing on it too.

Then, the summer just before David was born, in 1974, she bought the Pfaff that I now have.
Her new machine.  :)

These were the most sad entries for me to find. Her youngest, Mark, was about 18 that summer and here she is mending his t-shirt, patching his jeans and trying to make his shorts bigger by adding to the sides. You didn't just run out and buy new clothes, you mended what you had and made it work. Shortly after these entries Mark drowned tragically in the lake behind Sophie's sister's house. He and his best friend took the canoe out on a hot day during harvest, to cool off.  They were goofing around and both jumped in the water fully clothed and the boat got away from them. By the time the adults knew they were in trouble and David's Grandpa swam out there to save the boys, he could only find the friend. Gives me a big lump in my throat every time I think about it, which is often.

David and his cousin Adam were born a month later. I think it's only by the grace of God that you can get out of bed every morning after something like that. Sophie and Ederald had a strong faith and a tight community that carried them and their other four children through that dark time.

Probably my favorite entry...On April, 6th 1978 she mended a dozen feed (grainsacks). They had a farm near the Edge of the Wilderness, along the Chippewa National Forest in Northern MN, in a little town called Effie. Sophie grew up in a home that only spoke Norwegian and she didn't learn English until she went to school. She was a quick learner and later became a school teacher herself. She was a wonderful woman, and I'm so thankful for the chance I had to know her. She is greatly missed by all who loved her and it was wonderful to hear stories from people in her town when we traveled north for part of her funeral last spring. Stories from women who were in Bible studies with her and mentored by her. Of people that knew her at the Villa apartment. I think my favorite story was from a gentleman that got and told why the Weisert's always had the most help during harvest time.  It was because "they had all the daughters." 

Two days before Christmas, David's aunt was making ornaments for David, Adam and their older cousin Sparkie (Lloyd Jr.). She broke the presser foot lever and Grandpa fixed it 5 days later. I wonder if she remembers this?

I'm impressed with how many fitted sheet corners and pillow cases she mended over the years.  I think of how the tendency these days is to throw those things out. In 1979 she was also mending the pocket on her mother's housedress, shortened her undershirts for her and shortened the Christmas robe she and her sister gave their mother. Man, I miss her sister Corrine too. She was such a sweet, sweet lady. I remember how excited she was when we brought our twin babies up to meet them 6 years ago. They both had fun showing them off at the Villa.

In 1984 she was making jammies for her youngest granddaughters. Including David's littlest sister Diane who will be 30 this fall. She writes Diane's name the way her own daughter Dianne was spelled though.  I think that's cute. For Christmas she made doll clothes for granddaughters Lindsay, Diane and Rachel's preemie cabbage patch dolls. She did one set a month, I like her planning.  Reminds me that I should get a jump start on my Christmas sewing. 

Oh and earlier in the year she made a vinyl tractor seat cover. She could do anything! I'm sure she didn't have a tutorial on how to make a tractor seat cover, she just figured it out. I love that about sewing. You can do anything you set your mind to. As with so many things in life. Yes, there are many lessons to be learned in these frail pages. She's still teaching us.

After they sold the farm and moved to an independent living apartment connected to Big Fork's nursing home and hospital, she was sewing valances for the Villa. And soon after with Grandpa's diagnosis of Parkinson's, he moved into the nursing home end and she was sewing his name into his clothing.

She was still mending his clothes the summer of 1998. He didn't make it down for our wedding August 14 that year (yep, we just celebrated 14 years). But he was here the Christmas before that. I'm glad we could visit him up north a couple of times before he went home to the Lord.

Six years ago was the last time she used this machine. It was to mend pillow cases.

Grandma Sophie, my plan is to continue this list for you, in my own journal.  We'll see how far it takes us...