The inspiration for edie b

My mom taught me to sew the same way she taught most things. She gave me the tools, and let me figure it out. Her sewing machine was set up in a corner of the rec room, and my seven siblings and I were allowed to use it.  There were heaps of scraps around, because she sewed all our clothing.  So I made doll clothes, and cat clothes, and silly hats, and eventually real clothing for myself and my friends.

In my family, back to school shopping happened not in malls but in the fabric mills of New England on our drive home from our summer camping trip. Being able to roam the aisles of fabric felt magical, and I can still picture the wall of corduroy from which I was allowed to choose a color. The real magic came when my mom transformed my dark green corduroy into a new jumper. It's likely that at least a few of my sisters also had clothes made from that corduroy, but I really don't remember that part.

 Later, when she started quilting, she incorporated many of those scraps into her quilts. When I look at the quilt she made for me, I can see curtains from Chrissy's room, the dress I wore to Judy's wedding, and an Easter dress from the year I regrettably chose brown calico and she didn't discourage me.

She handed down her love of fabric and sewing to me.  I'd rather browse a fabric store than almost any other kind. On vacation or traveling, I like to hunt down fabric stores, and bring home a yard or two of souvenirs.  And, because I'm my mother's daughter, I see fabric options everywhere- old curtains, a flea market dress, even discarded grain bags from our local breweries. I have a scrap stash of my own now, and love finding new combinations when I'm sewing. My mom's ingenuity and creativity go in to every bag I design and sew.