We most recently got back from visiting my great-Grandma, who is 98 and still living well and comfortably by herself in Chicago. That woman is beyond amazing in so many ways. As is tradition, we returned home with a car full of yarn and heads full of amazing stories from Grandma's past. One of the stories she shares is of when she was a little girl in Kansas City. She was walking with her mother, Jessi, when they saw a dress they both liked in a shop window. Great-great-Grandma Jessi stopped, stared at the dress, and began muttering to herself. "I'll cut it this way... no... no..." and she wiped the air in front of her as though clearing a drawing board. "No I'll have to cut it that way... and then tuck it here and here," and she pointed to the designated spots on the air in front of her. After several minutes of this seamstress intonation, Great-great-Grandma nodded with satisfaction and resumed her walking.
The next few days she got to work and Great-Grandma had a brand new dress that looked just like the one in the store window.
Several years later she found some lovely gingham that her mother had bought and decided to try out her skills as an air seamstress. When Great-great-Grandma Jessi got home and saw her daughter wearing a brand-new gingham outfit she had made by herself, the consternation she may have felt at her new yard-goods being used without permission left rather quickly in place of approval. "Well, if you're going to use my material, I guess you may as well do a good job of it and I see you did." was all that was said - back in the days of when, where emotions were implied not stated and approval seen through facial expressions not heard through words.
I can sew a wee bit, but have yet to make myself any kind of clothing - although Great-Grandma gave me a lovely peach-ish pink bolt of cloth to make myself a suit out of while we were there and I want to learn how. I'd love to be able to sew clothes for my children when we have some, as its a whooooole lot cheaper to do so! I do however knit, and knit quite well if I say so myself.
I'm designing one of my Christmas presents, and I can't say for who because I don't think this person reads my blog but I'm not sure. Unfortunately I can't draw it in the air and then whip it up like my foremothers, but I can do a decent job with graph paper. My husband says to hush, its just as impressive and the legacy is continuing through yarn and graph paper. I hope so.
I'm blessed with a very rich heritage on both sides of my family, and I hope that through God's grace and fellow believer's encouragement to continue the awesome legacies others have worked hard to leave me.