When I Fell In Love

Did you ever make a garment that you just could not forget? One that has such fond memories that you would love to make it again, if only you could find the pattern?

I learned to sew when I was just a child. If you've followed the blog for some time, you've heard me tell the story, embroidering a handkerchief and stitching the edges when I was 5. That of course led into garment sewing. 

There was never much money in our household, so I figured out ways to earn money for what I needed. I am going to sound like a true stone age leftover with this ;), but I actually sold greeting cards door to door. At the age of 11/12, that was the most intimidating thing I had ever done, but I was determined. With each door that I knocked on, I became a little stronger, a little more confidant. My grandmother had also taught me to knit, so I made scarf and hat sets, as well as knitted bags. I really didn't make anything off of my endeavor, enough to cover the cost of my yarn, and maybe $5.00 of profit. But, I could knit while I babysat, so basically, 2 birds with 1 stone :)

With my earnings, I was able to stretch my money even further by making my clothes. It only took 1 shopping trip to figure this out!

For years I have thought about a pattern that I bought when I was 16 years old. I purchased a lovely light blue piece of wool that had a faint plaid in the weave. I also purchased a coordinating piece of blue wool for the pants. I LOVED that outfit! It was the first time that I made a bound buttonhole, and had worked with a good piece of wool. As I am writing, the thought just came to me, I think it was this outfit that made me fall in love with sewing. Maybe that's why I have dreamed of that outfit all these years. 

The pattern lost to time, I thought would only be a memory, but as fate would have it, I found it. You know how it goes with the internet, you click on 1 thing that leads you to another, and then in the end, you have no idea how you got from 1 place to another. I think that how it happened was that I saw a pattern on Instagram that someone had used. I typed the pattern number into the Etsy search engine. It came up, and then I clicked on something else that caught my attention, and then suddenly, I saw the pattern. That was it!!! That was it!!! The pattern that I have thought of for more years than I want to count.

Without hesitation, I hit, buy now, and it arrived yesterday. It's not a fabulous Vogue Designer pattern. I couldn't afford those at that time. It's really quite simple, but it brought me so much joy.

I loved the rounded yoke. As I said earlier, rather than do machine worked buttonholes, I took the leap and made my first bound buttonholes. I'm sure that they were atrocious, but I was proud. 

  
The rounded yoke is repeated in the back. The elastic casing only runs across the back. The tie is stitched to about the middle of the bodice on the front. 

I haven't been as excited about a garment as I am now in I don't know when. Crazy, I know. 

I have a special piece of wool that I have had for quite some time. A plaid. It will be perfect!

Sometimes memories are best left were they are, in the past. And then sometimes, we get to have them visit us once again, bringing with them all the happiness, and joy that they gave us so long ago.