NEEDLE POINT

My grandmother and her sister were tailoresses, so I suppose that is where my love of dressmaking comes from. My mother said she and her three sisters always had a new dress summer and winter made by my grandmother and their aunt.

I only make simple things, although I did make my wedding dress and my bridesmaid's dress. It took hours and hours of work and as my dress was satin, I had difficulty keeping the fabric from slipping and had to use tissue paper to stabilise it. It worked well and I was happy. I didn't know until a couple of months ago, that there is now a different needle for each type of fabric, I'm not sure if that was the case when I was sewing my wedding dress though, as that was in the 1970's.

My beloved grandmother died when I was six years old and my mother inherited her black Singer sewing machine. It was a large, iron machine with a foot pedal which had to be pushed backwards and forwards to make the needle go up and down. The machine was placed in my mum and dad's bedroom in the corner by the window. It always fascinated me and I couldn't wait until I was older as my mother said she would show me how to use it.

When I was about ten years old the day finally arrived and I was very excited.  My mother showed me how to use the Singer sewing machine, which she called a 'treadle' machine. We sat side by side and she showed me how to work the pedal and how to feed the fabric through the needle, holding carefully each side. I was told not to put my fingers anywhere near the needle as it would go through my finger. We sat and sewed for a while and then I put my finger too close and the needle went down through my nail and into my finger; boy did it hurt! My mother told me to sit quietly and I did so as she gently levered the needle up. My poor finger throbbed all night and into the next morning!

My mother was proud of how I had handled the situation and she mentioned later in life how I sat quietly as she levered the needle out of my finger!  I think I'm much more stoic than I think I am! Ha, ha.  I did shed a tear, but I didn't make much fuss.  My finger was probably bathed in Bircarbonate of Soda as that is very good for cuts, burns and sore eyes using boiled water.

I haven't had any accidents since then and this did not deter my love of dressmaking, although when I had my children I gave up the interest, I have now renewed it since retiring.  When I see lots of lovely fabrics in a shop or on-line, I'm like a child in a sweet shop!  I sometimes think I've got an addictive personality!!!  Ha, ha.  I'm definitely addicted to Wattpad!

(Just as a matter of interest, my wedding dress cost me £10 including all the lace edging I sewed on it, the pattern, the cotton and everything else, but hours and hours of blood, sweat and tears!  Lol).