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| 9/2/25 My mom's (and now my) sewing basket |
During some recent reshuffling of stuff *, I unearthed my
mom’s sewing basket. It was one of few things I had claimed for purely
sentimental reasons after she died. At the time, I was a fiber artist, so I had
some vague ideas of using the basket as part of an art piece. Mainly, though, I
was still grieving too much to even look at it, so I simply wrapped it up to
keep it clean and stored it behind a pile of other stuff. Out of sight, out of
mind – for 16 years.
When I unwrapped the basket, I knew instantly what I would do: Use it! My own sewing basket had been an ugly plastic bin that you get at craft stores. Made of a woven material that was getting a bit shabby, my mom’s basket wasn’t anything special except that she had used it for many decades. I kept her notions and sewing tools that were still inside and added my own sewing stuff (which I rarely use except to mend or hem, but everyone needs a sewing kit, right?).
At some point, the basket’s clasp had broken. Child of the depression and of farmers, my mom wouldn’t dream of replacing the whole basket just because the clasp had broken. She rigged up a Bic ballpoint cap to replace it – so practical and utilitarian! That’s my mom. I know she would be pleased that her basket is still being used.
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| 9/3/25 Cloud City Coffee |
* Downsizing, Phase 3, has begun! My original plan was to replace the carpeting upstairs after I finished clearing out the last two attic areas that need to be downsized. I’m proceeding with the attic tasks, but I’ve decided to defer replacing the carpet for a while. Instead, I had all the existing carpeting deep-cleaned – which was just as tedious as getting new flooring because every single, tiny thing had to be removed from the floor! That meant that all the remaining random dribs and drabs in my studio/office that I hadn’t brought downstairs or gotten rid of in the spring now needed to be moved or removed permanently.
The good news is that the carpet is now cleaner than it has been in 35 years (even a sizeable Platinum Carbon Black ink spill and numerous small paint stains came out)! And instead of dreading it, I’m actually looking forward to the remaining downsizing tasks because now I know the deep satisfaction that awaits me when I’m done. My goal is to finish by year’s end. Of course, I’m also looking forward to the small celebrations along the way!
How great that you kept your mom's sewing basket. I have my mom's pincushion, but not her basket. I don't know who claimed the basket since each one of us had one of our own that my mom helped put together. She mended things but hated using the sewing machine, so my dad taught us 4 girls to sew on it. Your Phase 3 sounds like a great plus...really clean carpeting...whoo-whoo!!
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool that your dad taught you to use a sewing machine!
DeleteI am warmed by your appreciation of your mom’s sewing basket. Mine, from the mid-70s, had the hinges broken when my toddler sat on the open lid. We rigged a fix with some random nuts and bolts and I still use it today. Will my kids/grandkids view it as a treasure…umm, probably not. And I am still wearing a large spot of carbon black ink on my old bathrobe! Just as black after 4 years of washing and sun bleaching. I am so impressed by your carpet cleaners! Anne HwH
ReplyDeleteI am still unsure how that Carbon Black came out of my carpet, but I noticed that it stayed damp over that spot much longer than the rest of the room, so maybe the tech just kept working it and working it? He didn't charge extra, though! ;-)
DeleteAnd you might be surprised by what your kids/grandkids value eventually. When I was growing up, none of my parents' stuff (I saw a lot of it as junk) was of value to me, but later, much of it became precious.
DeleteFunny, I don’t see my early bullet journals (with little animal and plant illustrations) as special, but my DIL emphasized several times that she wants to get them when I’m gone. I was surprised (and a little uneasy…the semi-diary aspect). So who knows? Anne
DeleteOh how wonderful for you to have unearthed the basket after so long. Perhaps right when you needed that nostalgia not to mention an actual sewing basket. ;-) I think we have to be careful about thinking no one will want certain things of our after we are gone. One of my nephews surprised me by showing so much interest in a couple of very old family photo albums I have. I never dreamed this nephew whose whole photo collection is digital on his phone would want to go through these black and white snapshots from the first half of the 20th century. Even more amazing was how cool he thought it was that I had a pair of shoes my mom bought in New York when she was in her 20's on a solo trip -vintage 1930s. Now I know he has an appreciation for old shoes!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's really great to hear that some young people still have appreciation for old family things.
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