Show and Tell Friday

Be sure to visit other Show and Tell participants found at http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/ . I am sure that you will find many things that will be interesting.

As a young child I was VERY active. My mother would tell you that I would have been diagnosed as ADHD if the diagnosis had been around at that time. I was also very mechanically inclined. Her constant complaint was that I would dismantle items to "rebuild" them as something else. I guess that I received that trait from my father.

To keep me occupied, my mother let me play with her Singer sewing machine. The salesman had told her that I could not "hurt" the machine. Thus began my love of sewing. The playing continued as I struggled to learn the pedal which was controlled by my knee. I completed a skirt all by myself at the age of five with fabric that my grandmother had given me. From there it was doll clothes, my own clothing, my wedding- my gown and all the bridesmaids dresses, children's clothing and now clothing for my grandchildren. I hope the journey continues for many more years.

Over the years sewing has been a great source of joy to me. I love collecting vintage items used by seamstresses and imagining what is the history behind each of the items. I wonder what project the person was making, who was it meant for, what type of machine was used or if it was done by hand. Did they enjoy sewing or did they find it a chore? I wonder what was going on in their life and how did they fit their sewing in with all of the laundry, ironing, baking and rearing of their family.

I am including a small example of my button collection today for you to enjoy. Times have changed buttons in many ways, the price being only one example. If you notice the beautiful old cards with the buttons still attached, you will see that some of these buttons were only ten cents per card. Imagine getting that sort of deal these days.

I hope that you enjoy these beautiful buttons of bygone years.