Treadle-Neck of the Great Depression

     Whenever I was around my gramma' I loved hearing the stories of when she was younger. It din't seem to matter whether she was telling about when she was eighteen or sixty-eight, her stories held worlds of wonder for me. Her ability to breathe life into a tale was nuthin' less than magical. How I did love her stories.


     Have I ever told you that my gramma' was a tailor? True story! In fact, she used to carry a tablet with her an' whenever she saw a clothing design she liked, she'd pull out her tablet an' quickly sketch her favorite parts. Back at home, she would figure out how to create her own pattern so she could include that idea in one of the designs she developed on her own. 'Course, she wasn't always a tailor. The story of how she learned to sew is one I've always loved.

     Gramma' hadn't been married very long when she decided she'd like to learn to sew. Knowing that her mama had a nice treadle sewing machine, she asked to use it. Her mama apparently was not the kinda' person who shared with her children, as she told her daughter that she could use the machine for the mere sum of $5 per day; an enormous amount of money during the depression.

     At this point, my grampa' decided to take matters into his own hands. He told my gramma' to wait outside an' he'd be out in a minute. Here, Gramma' always added that she never did learn what was said in those few minutes, but they did not use her mama's sewing machine.

     Instead, they went to a nearby town an' bought a brand-new treadle sewing machine for the grand total of… are you ready for this? $5. That's right; for $5 they were able to get a brand-new sewing machine. They also bought a bolt of material. When they returned home, Grampa' told Gramma' that borrowin' would not be something they would consider doin' in the future. Then Gramma' took her new treasure an' the bolt of material an' proceeded to learn how to sew.

     Using one of Grampa's farm shirts as a pattern, Gramma' carefully took the shirt apart an' cut copies of each piece, then sewed 'em all together. When she was done sewing, Gramma' was very proud of the shirt she had made. She had Grampa' try it on for size an' that's when the error was discovered. Evidently, Gramma' had wanted to be absolutely certain that the neck wasn't gonna' be too tight, so each time she measured it, she allowed juuuuuuust a little extra to be added.

     When Grampa' tried it on, everything fit perfectly… except the neck. Grampa' took a handful of the neck area an' pulled it about two feet in front of him, saying, "Well, Baby; ya' dun real good. But the next time, you might wanna' make the neck just a little smaller."

     The next time Gramma' used a pattern, she was much more careful in her measurements an' she kept improving until her skills were such that she could make any item she set her mind to. She could make the patterns for an' sew dresses, pants, shirts, jackets, wedding dresses, suits, winter coats an' anything else she thought up. I'd say that's not too bad for someone who had almost no formal education of any kind an' who taught herself to sew; wouln't you?

     Until the next time, keep a hug on.

~ Yaya

Gimme' That Ol' Time Stitchin'

     Around where I live, there are lotsa' people who go to auctions.

  Just last month, there was a nearly-new van sold for only a few hunnerd dollars.  Lemme' tell you, that was one happy group who bid on that one.  I like goin' to auctions on accounta' I sometimes get some pretty good deals.  I also like goin' to find the types of things I can't find in your average, run-of-the-mill shopping center; things like little collections that remind me of my gramma'.

     Years ago, when I went to my first auction, it was quite a shock to my system to realize how many treasures could be had an' how many people wanted to take my new-found treasures from me.  One of the first things my good hubby-buddy ever bought for me at auction was a treadle sewing machine.  My, how I did love that machine.  In fact, I used to sit at that machine for hours, with my babies at my knees.  I would be happily sewin' up some fun item, whilst they sat on the treadle an' rocked it back an' forth for me.

     I finally wore that ol' sewing machine out, after years an' years of havin' yards an' yards of material fun.  It was kinda' sad when my machine quit.  I've never found another one that I could work quite as well as I was able to work that one.  I sometimes wish that companies would go back into the business of manufacturing summa' those really nice treadle sewing machines, again.  Seems like there are lotsa' people who would prefer to use summa' those easy-to-use, no-gadgets-to-mess-up tools from long ago.  *sigh*

     Until the next time, keep a hug on.

 ~ Yaya