My mending skills have been called upon multiple times this past week. And I found myself telling the story of how I learned to sew to one of my co-workers.
I was traveling for business and heading to an important meeting. I had a suit on and when I went to the bathroom I noticed that the arm of my blazer was frayed and there was a hole. Oh no! How embarrassing.
I asked the front desk for a mending kit and the receptionist had one! YAY! As I prepared the needle for my sleeve, my co-worker said, “That’s becoming a lost art”. Hmmm, so true. I never thought of it that way. Then he asked me how I learned to sew! I explained that when I was in college and right out of college I spent some quality time with my grandmother. And she was the one who taught me.
My grandmother had 11 children and at the time over 25 grandchildren, so one on one time didn’t really come easily. But now, as she was aging, I made it a point to go and visit her. I treasured our one on one time! She was a spitfire, to say the very least. I loved hearing her stories about her life and her advice. She was a very opinionated woman and I loved it! I loved how spirited she was! And I will always look back on these times and know they are an absolute treasure.
And what I learned along the way was invaluable! She taught me how to sew by hand and embroider. Yes, it is a lost art for sure. She could freehand embroidered flowers and now I can too!
I sewed my sleeve with pride and let my mind fill with these sweet memories of my Grand! Wow, she was just amazing!
The very next day, my boss had a button pop off his shirt. Oh no! Here we go again, same important meeting and mending needed stat. He was very nicely dressed and boom, his button falls off! I was able to save the day again and chuckled when he said with a questioning tone, how do you know how to do this? My response, “Buttons are not hard!”
And finally today, I put on a brand new sweater and there was a hole in it. Normally I would return it, but I got it on clearance and I knew I wasn’t going to find another one. So I pulled out my sewing kit once again, and it is as good as new!
Thank you Grand! Thank you for teaching me how to sew and so much more. I miss you dearly. Happy Mother’s Day! You were one of my very favorite people and I carry my memories with me like a badge of honor.
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