This story was submitted by our friend Nancy Linn:
Memories of My Aunts
As I thought back on my many memories of learning to sew I thought about how much influence my aunts had on my love of sewing.
When I first showed interest in sewing, my mother taught me the basic steps. She was not an avid sewer herself and she could only teach me up to a certain point. She did, however, suggest that I look to my aunts for more advanced help. I took her advice. It seemed that each aunt gave me her own gem of wisdom.
Aunt Ann told me that she started sewing because she wanted things in her house that were unique. She said she liked to make curtains that were different than the ones she could find in the stores. Her house was filled with her own uniquely creative things.
Aunt Judy liked to make dresses for special dates with her husband such as a dance or a party. She and my uncle were wonderful dancers! She made sewing sound like fun!
Aunt Betty, whom I thought was one of the “sharpest” dressers of her day, was a quick sewer. She would often start a dress the day of a special occasion and wear it that night! I can often remember our conversations about sewing. I would want to tackle a difficult sewing project but be worried that it would be too hard for me to complete. Her simple words of wisdom stick with me today. “You never know until you try but if you never try, you’ll never know.” Those words have given me the courage to sew things with confidence.
Probably the most accomplished sewer of all the aunts was Aunt Mary. She lived several states away so I didn’t see her as much as the others. All the women in my family admired her skill as a seamstress and I had from time to time seen the things she had made. She was married to Uncle Paul who was a man of few words. One day when the conversation came around to sewing he said to me, “Nancy, if you want to learn to sew, you listen to your Aunt Mary.” You could tell how proud he was of his wife. I don’t think she ever forgot that.
I am very grateful for each of my aunts’ influence, not only on my sewing skills, but also on my life. I am so fortunate. They are all gone now, but I will never forget our personal conversations about the love we all shared – the love of sewing.
Nancy Linn
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