Nostalgia

Happiness Challenge

Growing up in rural Minnesota, the only children to play with were my siblings. There was one older and one younger brother and me, the only girl. As kids, we would play baseball, (yes, with only three people), build forts or go on bike rides. We pretended stories such as cowboys and Indians and pirate wars while throwing dirt clods for ammunition. But I was a girl and being a girl does not always mean tomboy exploits.

On the days I didn’t feel the competitive spirit, my room was a haven of creative happiness, with a frenzied mess of glorious bits of paper confetti all over the room, cutting and sculpting doll furniture out of paper and cardboard for hours. When the furniture was done, I was on to the little tiny cups, plates, pillows, and quilts. Growing up in the 1970s, there were not hobby stores with all the gadgets and beautiful papers to choose from. Recycling was emphasized in schools even back then. I used whatever patterned papers from envelops, stationery, or product boxes I could find. If there were none that fit my aesthetic, I drew patterned paper and cut it out… with scissors.

In the 4th grade, my class was assigned an art project that was to be entered into a state competition featuring the theme of energy conservation. Once again the creative wheels spun, and I plowed into that assignment whole heartedly. The slogan “Little drops of water lead to gallons so….turn it off!” was written as the header. The poster displayed a faucet cut from Reynolds Aluminum Wrap and water trickling out of it. Two months later, a committee entered the room during class and presented me as the state’s winner of the contest. Funny, because I was just having fun with that project.

Getting older as a preteen, brought on more challenging projects as a creative outlet. My dad purchased a Reader’s Digest Complete Book of Sewing Guide. I still have a copy of the book. It has the same pair of scissors that I used growing up displayed on the front. The book was supposed to be my mom’s, but she never used it. While she was working out of the home, I started studying the sewing process and creating bode much more excitement.

In seventh grade, Mr. Still gave our class an instructional speaking assignment. Mine was based on the sewing book, showing instruction on how using various fabric prints can enhance different figures. I actually enjoyed giving that presentation because it felt like I was teaching something no one else in the class knew.

During the 1980s, after the fury of Mt. St. Helens erupting, my family moved to central Washington State, to a little town in Leavenworth, Washington. The junior high established a T-shirt creation contest for the school’s sports event. No one else would submit an entry because students heard I had already posted my design.

Nowadays my endeavor is Rhelix Alterations and Redesign House sewing business. The aesthetic of this business encourages recycling and reinventing of existing clothing to complete wardrobe looks. How many times do people in general purchase garments and never have them hemmed or correctly sized, so they end up going to thrift or landfill? What is exciting, I am finding, is that Generation Z is keenly aware of the environment and are subsequently conserving their fashion purchases featuring organic materials. Mind you, I live in a small town, but have had several clients of this generation ordering ready-to-wear organic clothing that need altering. Bravo to the up and coming generation!

Vintage fashion is my passion though. Not the head-to-toe era dressing, but tasteful pieces that add to trendy looks. The piece submitted is a vintage-look shift dress reinventing the granny square aesthetic. I used deadstock materials donated to thrift and utilized what already exists. Conserving, upcycling and reinventing is the charm of DIYers!

So, where would I be without scissors?

Lori Rieman