After reading Amy's blog re her mother and best friend sewing while on vacation and having just finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (on Rosemary's blog as a good read) I was reminded of what my Mother told me about the first time she met her mother-and-sisters-in-law.
She had three children when she met and married the only man I ever knew as Dad. Their first child was born in July and in August we made a trip back to ND so Dad's family could meet his wife, new family and his baby boy.
His mother was a short, heavy-set woman with hair down to her knees that was kept tightly wrapped in a small bun at the nape of her neck. His dad was a martinet, wiry small man that ruled the house like a Bantam rooster.
In Snow Flower, the author talks about the position (or lack of) that a woman had once she married and moved in with her husband and his family. She was subservient to her mother-in-law and needed to prove herself as a "worthy" addition to the family by assuming a lot of the family duties which included sewing. Once she gave birth to a son, her position improved somewhat.
Our Mother was in the same position of needing to prove herself - she was a divorcee with three children and Dad's family was highly suspicious of this California woman that snapped up this fantastic prize, their son and brother.
While Mother was relaxing at his mother's house, a couple of Dad's sisters arrived with bolts of cloth and as they pulled out the sewing machine they told Mother she should make some dresses for my sister and I out of the fabric they were carrying. Right now. Right there. So she did. She knew it as the rite of passage it was. She completely won them over as she finished up the dresses as they were sure this California woman wouldn't, couldn't know how to do "domestic" chores.
I don't remember what the dresses were like but I don't think I remember her doing any sewing as we were growing up. She did however know how to sew and had a sister who made dresses for my sister and me. They were awful dresses - no waist at all to speak of. When my sister and I complained about that, my aunt began putting ties on the dress so they could be tied in the back into a big bow. Did I mention we were in junior high? We always went to private school (until high school) so our humiliation was witnessed by small numbers. Small consolation.
I always sewed for my children and even learned how to make jackets and put in zippers for our son's pants. The aunt that made the dresses used to send me yards of fabric when we lived in Washington and I used everything. The scraps were made into quilts and it was always fun to look at the quilts and recall the dress, shirt, or jacket that the pieces came from. I also liked to make "granny" dresses for myself. Even made a 48" rag doll for our daughter with life-sized clothes. It was a Christmas gift and when she looked at it she said, "Oh, this dolly has no nose."
Well, it didn't have a three-dimensional nose but it did have a stitched-on nose, beautiful yarn hair and darling clothes. It was so much fun to make! Ah, memories.
She had three children when she met and married the only man I ever knew as Dad. Their first child was born in July and in August we made a trip back to ND so Dad's family could meet his wife, new family and his baby boy.
His mother was a short, heavy-set woman with hair down to her knees that was kept tightly wrapped in a small bun at the nape of her neck. His dad was a martinet, wiry small man that ruled the house like a Bantam rooster.
In Snow Flower, the author talks about the position (or lack of) that a woman had once she married and moved in with her husband and his family. She was subservient to her mother-in-law and needed to prove herself as a "worthy" addition to the family by assuming a lot of the family duties which included sewing. Once she gave birth to a son, her position improved somewhat.
Our Mother was in the same position of needing to prove herself - she was a divorcee with three children and Dad's family was highly suspicious of this California woman that snapped up this fantastic prize, their son and brother.
While Mother was relaxing at his mother's house, a couple of Dad's sisters arrived with bolts of cloth and as they pulled out the sewing machine they told Mother she should make some dresses for my sister and I out of the fabric they were carrying. Right now. Right there. So she did. She knew it as the rite of passage it was. She completely won them over as she finished up the dresses as they were sure this California woman wouldn't, couldn't know how to do "domestic" chores.
I don't remember what the dresses were like but I don't think I remember her doing any sewing as we were growing up. She did however know how to sew and had a sister who made dresses for my sister and me. They were awful dresses - no waist at all to speak of. When my sister and I complained about that, my aunt began putting ties on the dress so they could be tied in the back into a big bow. Did I mention we were in junior high? We always went to private school (until high school) so our humiliation was witnessed by small numbers. Small consolation.
I always sewed for my children and even learned how to make jackets and put in zippers for our son's pants. The aunt that made the dresses used to send me yards of fabric when we lived in Washington and I used everything. The scraps were made into quilts and it was always fun to look at the quilts and recall the dress, shirt, or jacket that the pieces came from. I also liked to make "granny" dresses for myself. Even made a 48" rag doll for our daughter with life-sized clothes. It was a Christmas gift and when she looked at it she said, "Oh, this dolly has no nose."
Well, it didn't have a three-dimensional nose but it did have a stitched-on nose, beautiful yarn hair and darling clothes. It was so much fun to make! Ah, memories.
4 comments:
What a neat story! Grandma could do anything she set her mind to! She must have blown their minds! LOL!
Thank you for sharing this great story!
Amy, what is it about great minds? I just left comments on your blog!
OK, there is a follow up to Snow Flower...Peony in Love....I'm reading it at the moment.
My mother could have been a professional seamstress...me...can't even thread a needle.
Rosemary, I'll have to look into that one too. I did lots of sewing until I entered the world of the gainfully employed. Don't have the time or the inclination now. And my eyes cross when I try to thread needles.
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