My Mum's Sewing Room...

Blast from the past...



...My Mum's sewing machine...

My Mum loved to sew, knit and bake.  She disliked crochet & embroidery with floss.  Mum would 'dissappear' for 10 minutes to her 'sewing room'.  Her sewing room really was the cabinet, that my Dad made for her, to house her new sewing machine in.  For awhile it was close by the kitchen and family, later it moved upstairs to the spare bedroom. 

No matter where the sewing machine sat, we were taught that it was her space.  Fear of needles, pins and extra sharp scissors were the normal and not for use in cutting paper- no matter how pretty of a job the pinking shears did on that piece of paper.

My Mum started to loose her vision when she was 55.  For close to 20 years, her health fluctuated and her eyes deteriorated.  I think that's why I love colour.  I would try to describe the greens in the spring and the autumn hues to her.  There are never enough words to describe colour.

It also explains why I like a nice feel or 'hand' to the fabric, as that is how many a conversation started with my Mum. "Feel that!", I'd say, while trying to describe what it looked like.  It helped her to connect with what others were seeing. 

I was digging around in her sewing machine drawers, looking for the infamous pinking shears, and I found a treasure trove of things she held dear.  It's truly amazing.  There are notes we wrote as kids, pieces of material I vaguely remember wearing as a dress and her sewing supplies.

One of the items I found is how she held her buttons in the drawer.  I know there is an old square box of Pot of Gold full of buttons as well, but I had not seen this button holder.  The first thing I noticed, was the feel.  It's made of a soft supple leather and sits flat.  It has a nice heft to to without being heavy...



Mum's Button Holder

It has an awesome look to it as it opens...
 

 

 

And as it spills it contents....

 

For the love of Buttons!

 You realise it's buttons- from the past!

 

Mum's 'sewing room' is now mine and I see it as our own family time capsule.  I'll treat you to a few other  things as I find them; although I clean pretty slow. They may not have much to do with a quilt shop, but they explain why I want to have a quilt shop.

 

Mrs Pugsley's Emporium Ltd. is about exploring new ideas, reconnecting with the past and enjoying yourself- even if you can only spare 15 or 20 minutes, you can trim some fabric or stitch a seam- if you have a small area for your sewing machine set up.

 

What 'secrets' are you putting away for the next generation? Or, to paraphrase a tv commercial...What's in your 'drawers'?

 

Have a great day! And don't worry about those drawers full of sewing items and family treasures- someday, they will be the best thing to happen to someone!