Originally Posted by leatheflea
Awhile back my dh asked me "why do you sew? Nobody sews anymore." Hmmm? My reply was I don't know, its what I do, its what we do. We being my family. Ive always done it. My first sewing machine was a holly hobby battery operated. I was around 7 or 8. By the time I was a preteen I was crocheting also. Embroidery and cruel, chicken scrathes, In high school I helped teach the needleworks class. Was the president of the Future homemakers of America Club.
Then I got to thinking, I've always had the obsession with linen also. Even before I started quilting, I've only been quilting about 8 yrs. But my linen obsession has been a life long thing. I can remember going through moms linen closest and loving how it smelled, the pretty colors, the softer sheets, flannel, grannies quilts. As I got older and had my own home I started buying tons of linen, couldnt get enough sheets or blankets in the house. I would keep every little scrap of fabric from my sewing projects like curtains, halloween costumes. So my thinking is it must be genetic, or somehow what I'm supposed to do, my purpose. I imagine the my genetic dna strand looks like knotted threads or scrappy irish chain quilt.
How old were you when the obsession started?
My first encounters with sewing were when I was 6, my mother gave me a precious little embroidery tin with hoop, needles and floss. She transfered an iron on pattern of something, I can't remember what and how I loved that "kit" I remember learning the daisy stitch, outline, etc. My grandmother made most of my clothes until I became a teen, and they were the most beautiful dresses and I still remember them fondly. I learned to sew at 11 and have had a love affair with, color, fabric, and sewing most of my life. I embroidered by hand for many years and made most of my clothes until about 25 years ago. These days its crafts, grandaughters clothes, and quiting. Happy thoughts of folks long gone. :-)