Pamela Hansen

Corey's Wish

One of my earliest memories is watching my Grandmother as she would knit. It amazed me that she could watch TV, carry on a conversation and barely glance down at the mounds of yarn in her lap. My Mother was almost as good as Grandma. It was in their blood. Their DNA for working with needles and string somehow morphed down to me in a slightly different way. I was fascinated by my Mother's sewing machine. I remember that it was a New Home and it was new to Mom. She had made my sister and I some matching dresses, other than that, I rarely remember seeing her sew. I begged my Mom to show me how to sew. But she said it was not a toy and it cost far too much money for me to play with it. She also didn't have the time to show me. The machine was kept in our finished basement and I would sneak down there and would attempt to sew anything I could put under the needle. Unfortunately I was very young, maybe 6 or possibly 7. Without having the good fortune of actually watching the machine in use, I broke it! (More than once!) At first Mom thought she had a lemon machine. But when she discovered that I had been breaking it, she was furious with me! After a few repair bills, she finally agreed to let me learn! She enrolled me in 4H. They taught me how to make an apron - of course! My next project was a pair of pj's which I hand embroidered a design on the front. There was no stopping me at that point. Throughout school I sewed for my entire family. I would make material out of scraps, sewing it together until it was large enough to make something. It really didn't matter fi there was enough to make an item, I just enjoyed sewing it all together! I made stuffed toys and clothes for my much younger brothers, a leisure suit for my Dad, all my own clothes and clothes for my sister. I even remember making my brother who was a year younger than me a pair of bib overalls in the 70's! My favorite machine to sew on was my Grandmother's treadle. Sewing and exercise all in one! My most loved class in my senior year was a 2 hour a day block, Clothing Services. That was decades ago!