Dixie Legan

A stitch in time

At five years old , she’s perched on phone books to reach the sewing machine. Grandma gently guides her hand as she pushes the floor pedal .”You are doing good sweetie” she whispers . We sew together creating a square, leaving two inches to turn the square and add beans. “You just made a bean bag!” Grandma squeaks with delight. The five year old chimes in laughing . The excitement builds as she fills the bag full of beans and sews it closed. She’s eager to make more, giving one to everyone in the family. This sparked something deeply within her. The desire to create something from nothing. By the time she was seven years old , she had moved on to larger and more complicated projects. Grandma had a favorite dress that was damaged at the cleaners. Instead of tossing it out , grandma asks “Are you ready to make yourself a dress?” Of course the answer was a hard yes! This would prove to be more difficult since a pattern had to be constructed before the sewing even started. Grandma explains as simply as she could to that eager seven year old. The task was daunting , an A-line dress with a lining, the young girl jumped right in eager to learn. The dress turns out amazing as the young girl proudly wears it to church that Sunday. No one could believe she made it herself. The smile never left her face that day, everyone was so impressed with her skills. “Surely God has given her a wonderful talent!” Grandma boosts to the parishioners .