Friday, April 3, 2009

Back to Sewing - 1968 to 1971

It's time for a breath of fresh air.

As I've been looking through my pictures lately, I found that I put my sewing/craft activities on hold for the most part in the late 60s and early 70s. (I also realized again had badly color pictures from 30-40 years ago have held up.)

I did make yellow curtains for a guest room in our new house in 1969-70?, but it turned out to be a nursery soon after we moved in. This is the only picture I could find, and they're all tied back here to let the fresh air in for morning juice.

My next project was maternity clothes. I don't know what brought out the sewing machine for maternity clothes, but I made most of them all 3 times. Maybe it's pricing things that you will just wear a few times, or maybe it's the nesting instinct. Or maybe they were just easy to make. Nowadays, maternity clothes are just bigger versions of normal clothes, but then the only style seemed to be a yoke and gathers, long or short, add rick-rack or braid,change the fabric, but all basically alike.

This is a lovely fashionable jumper that I made. Excuse the quality of the picture; the more I tried to lighten it, the worse it looked. I'm sorry this is not in color. Black-and-white doesn't do justice to the red and yellow plaid of the jumper and the yellow shirt. This was at a shower given by Mike's co-workers. I did love this jumper though. I wore it to an Auburn-Georgia Tech game on one of the most beautiful October days I can remember. We won 31-14 (I looked it up), we more than likely saw Sullivan and Beasley make some outstanding plays, and we were to have a baby in 2 months. It's funny to remember something that long ago, but I remember standing in the stadium and having an all's-right-with-the-world feeling. I probably told myself to remember that moment.


Keeping with the red and yellow theme, here I am 18 months later actually crocheting but not for the new baby; this was a red, white, and blue afghan for Gray's big-boy bed fixed up and painted blue to lure him out of the baby bed so Elise would have a place to sleep. These pictures are awful. I don't think I really looked like this. I'm sure it's the quality of the picture that makes me look this way and nothing to do with hairbands or goofy smiles.

Speaking of goofy looks. Back to plaid but this time blue and red. This was in 1977, and I felt sure my best years were over at 31. Too old to be having a baby. Too old for anything. But now I've doubled those 31 years and have changed my mind about being too old. I don't know if I want another 31, but I'll take it if it happens.

I found only 2 pictures of that completed red, white, and blue afghan, but even after Gray outgrew the little blue bed and moved into a bigger one, it stayed in his room. And here it is in the early 1990's making a very comfortable spot for Chappy the cat to sleep.


Another smaller glimpse is in this picture of our oldest 2 and Debby's oldest 2. I think they all look just as guilty as they can be.


The smallest one on the right, Brent, is now a physican in Hartford, Connecticut, and he sent his mom a picture lately that she shared with me. I'm sorry I couldn't get it any bigger or clearer and that I don't know exactly what his specialty is. I found out - it's foot and ankle surgery!
I got a chance to talk with him last fall at his grandmother's funeral, and he's such a nice guy. I think he's going to do well and hopefully will get to come back to the south in a few years.

I have more pictures I have unearthed this week but no more time today. I bought some daisies this morning that need planting. Stay tuned for clown suits and wedding dresses.

7 comments:

  1. Hi, Mama. I don't recognize the first picture you posted. I don't remember the curtains or the landscape (yard) outside the window. Was that in Geneva, AL. I recognize the baby as Gray, and I'm sure that's a sippy cup he's sipping on, but at first it looks like a little baby holding a coffee cup, taking in his caffeine for the morning. Also, Gray and I LOVED our couisins Tate and Brent. I remember spending some summers at Grandmama and Granddaddy's house in Andalusia with Tate, and I think Brent too. Gray will agree, those are some of the best summer memories I'll ever have. Most of the time, Gray and Tate would shut the door on me and do "boy things", like recording super silly fake radio broadcasts on a cassette recorder....I still remember the crazy laughter coming from that room. Also, one of those memories involved Tate holding and walking towards me with a (dead) medium-sized snake dangling in one of his hands. Remember it clear as crystal. :)

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  2. Forgot to sign my name on that last comment. To be recognized, that was me, Elise, on the first comment. Sorry!

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  3. Hey, Elise - kind of figured out who you were! I'm not surprised you don't remember the first 2 pictures - since you were yet to be born. J/K. That's at our house in Alto, GA. The road was so steep going in and out that we were stranded when it got icy or snowed. You never lived there, as we moved when Gray was 11 months old. He was actually just playing with the cup. I don't think he drank from it that young. Debby and I both wish ya'll could have spent more time with your cousins, like we did, but it was hard living so far apart.

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  4. Hi, Enjoying your posting. They are such an intersting read. Be sure and post pictures of your flower garden.

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  5. Thanks, Barbara. Not much flowering going on now. Send me some pictures of yours.

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  6. I love when you write these posts! Keep them coming!

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  7. I'm just up to 1970 - there's probably a lot more coming - ready or not! No more nightmarish ones though, I promise. I need my sleep.

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