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6 Hours with the Cursing Sewing Mommy

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Clothing, Making Things

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Layout, 8:00AM. Started after cutting out the last parts for the red calico gown

Many thanks to Sew18thCentury  for  the Sewing with Babies award. I’ve seen the badge on people’s blogs and thought, How charming! At least I don’t sew with a baby anymore… the Young Mr is, after all, very nearly 14. But aside from some safety issues (pins are slightly less hazardous, as they only get trapped on the size 13 feet, not potentially ingested), sewing with a school-age child is sewing with someone who needs (wants) your attention.

Sewing With Babies was created by Sarah W. from the blog A Most Peculiar Mademoiselle to recognize, “mothers who try (and now and then fail) to find time to create something beautiful and/or useful with needle and thread, between feedings, nappy changes, laundry, nursery rhymes, and baby kisses.”

I have been sewing with and for the Young Mr since before he was born; the day I went into labor, I was home with a sinus infection, contractions, and seated at the sewing machine frantically making…Christmas stockings for our family, including the cat. After all, my mom was coming for Christmas! Clearly, while I was in the grip of something strong, what I really needed was to get a grip.

What did I do after he was born, when he was the Monkey and not the Young Mr?

Like most moms, I sewed during naptime, or gave him a creative, not-too-messy activity to do alongside me. Caution was in order, because at about 18 months, he did climb onto the table to ride the sewing machine like a horse.

I took handwork with me to sew at lunchtime—and I still do this. Since 1999, I have sat in buildings under construction, hand sewing or quilting. It’s a good thing to talk about if you’re babysitting a lobby during a members’ open house, or while men screw heat detectors into ceilings in rooms without internet access, and you may learn new words to use when sewing goes awry.

Mostly, I get up early. When he was the Monkey, the Young Mr woke up before the New York Times was delivered. People, that was just unconscionable—and worse in the dial-up internet era. St. Louis at 4:00AM was a lonely place. After I got him back to sleep, I was wide awake waiting for the paper, so I started planning pieces, cutting patterns, and sewing before Mr S got up and we had to get ready for work.

I still get up early, sometimes 4:00, usually 5:00, and have sixty to ninety minutes before the rush to work and school begins.

I’m struck by the mothers who sew for their children, and wish I had been able to sew historic clothes for the Young Mr when he was little. So even though some of these folks  have been nominated, here’s another vote to keep on sewing.

Romantic History I especially like historic clothes for boys…now that I’m stuck making man-size clothes for my boy. (How did that happen!?)

Dana Made It When my son was younger, I wanted to quit my job and sew for kids. Didn’t work out that way, but it’s great to see fresh ideas for sewing for kids.

Sewing with Kids This is how I started, felt animals and tense embroidery projects.

Today was more like sewing with The Cursing Mommy, though.

Legs, 16:42PM. On to hand work–tomorrow.

Still, from layout commencing at 07:59AM today to the cessation of sewing machine hostilities at 16:42PM, we have a garment. The words I have heard carpenters, electricians and pipe fitters use came in handy when the thread was– I swear–possessed by demons. Fabric wandered like it had grown legs, not been cut into legs, and I thought about how our mechanic said, “The Devil has many feet, Mr. S” when pronouncing the old Subaru unfit for resuscitation. I tossed the bad thread, rewound the bobbin, ate a sandwich, and started over. It was worth it to get to hand-finishing work, which is portable.

Now, it’s time for a beer (the cursing mommy would approve), and to switch to another project. Before I laid out the overalls, I cut out the stomacher and cuffs for my gown, and organized the finish work for that. Yesterday I decided to attempt to make a coral necklace, and that might be a good project for this evening. My thumb muscles need a rest.

Housekeeping!

27 Thursday Sep 2012

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Dana wisely stands back while I pull the cork on 18th century cleaner

Hey, there’s a maid in my parlor, or, tidying up the belated thank-yous.

In chronological order, this blog was nominated for a Super Sweet Blogging award, which is a tricky thing for me, because folks, I am not sweet. I’m not even Truvia. It is not a nice thing to have to decline an award, but I cannot list 13 blogs, and really, I am not sweet, and I don’t eat sweets much, either. More savory…or salty… Vinegar and lavender… But to take the sort of weasel-y, non-sucrose way out, many, many thanks to Thoughts from an American Woman for the generous nomination and for following my blog. I’m always astonished by, and grateful for, the variety of readers and hope people enjoy the ride.

Then I found out about the Liebster Award, from Sabine at Kleidung um 1800. Thank you! 5 blogs with fewer than 200 followers I can manage.

An American Seamstress, sewing costumes and sharing her process

The Pragmatic Costumer, real-life sewing

Tracy Loves History, history I never knew

Kim-ing, sewing from this century and the last

Letters of Note, correspondence that deserves a wider audience

I don’t know if all of these blogs qualify as having fewer than 200 followers, but I do know there’s some interesting writing out there. It’s good to know other people are trying the same things, or different things, taking some risks trying to learn to skills, and sharing their experiences. Thanks to all who read and write.

And now, I’m off to find money for boilers and an event, finish a new shift, send my kid to school on time, and generally hope I muddle through this day with openness and as much joy as I can manage.

“warmest greatitude”

08 Saturday Sep 2012

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J. G. Burdette  at  Map of Time nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award, for which I am grateful. It’s also quite suitable, since I may veer from 18th century bonnets to heating coils to cooking in a tin kettle in a short span of time. My friends tell me you get used it, so buckle in and enjoy the ride.

Accepting this honor means I need to follow the rules:

  1. Thank and link back to the person who nominated you (see paragraph 1)
  2. Paste the award to your blog (check)
  3. Tell 7 thing about yourself (OK, see below)
  4. Nominate 15 other blogs (I can manage 12, I don’t have time to really read more than that on a regular basis.)

So, 7 things about me:

  1. When I was a child, I had a fold-out paper Georgian house to color in, with paper furniture to assemble, and for which I made paper dolls. This is no way resembles my current work with furniture and mannequins in an 18th-century house.
  2. I had a hard hat when I was 8, and somewhere there’s a photo to prove it. It’s not lost, I just can’t find it right now.
  3. I played Samuel Adams in our 5th grade play, and insisted that my mother make me a frock coat with coordinating cuffs and waistcoat. Yes, I have always been this way.
  4. If I can’t read The New York Times daily, I start to experience withdrawal symptoms.
  5. William Faulkner is one of my favorite authors, followed by David Mitchell. I like words.
  6. For one brief shining moment three years ago, I truly understood dew point and relative humidity and felt really smart.
  7. Life’s short: buy a good hammer is a decent philosophy for living.

My favorite blogs:

  1. The Still Room Blog: a little of everything, every day, always well written.
  2. Kleidung um 1800 Beautiful handsewing
  3. Sew 18th Century, costume and local
  4. Mimic-of-Modes, on costume and other things
  5. Historic Cookery, yes, what it says
  6. Things I Vacuumed Today I feel you sister, and you had me at Vacuumed.
  7. Opus Anglicanum Historical textiles
  8. Hyaline Prosaic, historic sewing
  9. Serena Dyer, historic costume
  10. Researching Food History 
  11. Four Pounds Flour Historic Gastronomy
  12. FIDM Museum Blog more historic fashion & museum