Mom's Singer Sewing Machine stitches together good memories

by Lori Trotter

I grew up in the 1970s, and my mom made many of the clothes I wore. I remember her sitting at our wooden kitchen table with this old Singer Sewing Machine putting together pieces of fabric cut from her favorite McCall's patterns. 

I remember this one shirt she made me for summer. It was blue and white with butterflies all over it, and the "sleeves" were only sewn down at the top of the shirt, not underneath. Those square sleeves just hung down and lightly covered my upper arms. But when I spun around like Wonder Woman, those sleeves flew in the wind, and to me, there was nothing better! I wore that shirt all summer, and when school started back, I wore it the first day of school. I was so proud of it.

At times, when Mom was sewing, I would sit beside her and just watch. I liked the hum the sewing machine made, and watching the needle go up and down. Sometimes I would help her lay out pattern pieces on her cloth. She would then take pins from the pin cushion she made, and pin the pattern to the fabric in just the right spaces. I remember cutting a few pattern pieces for her, and I loved using her pinking shears and seeing the really cool triangles it left along the edges of the fabric.

It's funny what you recall from memories. I loved those old pinking shears!

But as I grew, Mom eventually stopped sewing my clothes because I wanted to go to the mall instead to buy them. Her Singer was put away in storage, and a few years ago, as we cleaned out my Mom's house after her passing, we came across it. Tears welled in my eyes as I recalled Mom sitting at the table sewing. But what bothered me the most was that I never took the time to learn to sew from Mom. I lost interest in it as friends, dance classes, and reading books became more important.

The irony of this tale is that since 2005, I have been working in and helping to operate Trotters Sewing Company with my husband Todd. I have learned to sew a little, but I am definitely not a skilled sewist like the many moms that work at TSC. I've learned to appreciate the skill of sewing more. It empowers, as it is a way many people support their families. It is also gratifying to be able to look at something and say, "I made that!" 

I'm almost positive that's what Mom loved about sewing ... that and watching her little girl twirl around and around in the magical, flying butterfly shirt she made me.