| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
The Christmas Dress
From the time I was a very little girl, I had always loved to watch my big sister, Loretta, when she was sewing. So, one Sunday afternoon while she worked on the red velveteen jumper that was going to be my Christmas outfit, I didn't want to miss a single thing. Because it was Sunday and Loretta did not have to go to work at the electric company, she was dressed casually in a white sweater and a pair of periwinkle blue slacks that matched her eyes. Loretta was an assistant bookkeeper at the electric cooperative that supplied electricity to our farm and to many of the rural areas in our county. I could still smell the perfume that she had worn when we went to church that morning. The bottle said it was called Lily of the Valley. As Loretta spread the fabric on the kitchen table, I stood as close to her as possible, practically breathing down her neck. When you live on a farm and the next-door neighbors are elderly and no other neighbors live on your mile-long stretch of road with children for you play with, and in fact, no other children live within several miles, what else is there to do on a Sunday afternoon in December except pester your big sister? "What's this stuff for again?" I asked, taking a sheet of waxy paper out of an envelope. "That's tracing paper," Loretta said. "I use it to make lines so I know where the seams should go." I picked up the tracing wheel. "And that's what this is for, right?" In a way, the tracing wheel reminded me of the spurs worn by all the cowboys in my favorite Westerns on television. I would have given almost anything to be a cowboy. My sister glanced at me. She was busy pinning the pattern to the fabric. "Yes. That's the tracing wheel." I watched for a moment. "Can I help? Pleeeeease?" Loretta smiled. "Sure. See how I've got the pins put in on this side? You can do the same on the other side." I happily started pinning the pattern onto the fabric. The pins were the kind with little colored balls of plastic on the end: blue, green, white, yellow and red. Pinning the pattern was easy. Push the pin through the sheer pattern paper and the fabric, and then angle it to come out on top again. Push the pin through the fabric and angle it upwards. Push the pin, angle it up. Everything went along just fine-for about the first six pins, anyway-until I bumped the pin container and knocked it onto the floor. I never knew pins would scatter so far when they fell from the kitchen table and hit linoleum. My sister looked at me, looked at the pins on the floor-and sighed. After what seemed like a long time, we managed to retrieve all of the pins. "I'll just finish this part," Loretta said. "It'll go faster that way." Then it was time to cut out the pattern. As my sister expertly wielded the scissors, I couldn't help but think it looked like tremendous fun. "Can I do that?" She paused. "Ummmm-why don't you find the white tracing paper for me. That would be a big help." I considered her suggestion. "How come it has to be white?" "Because it will show up better on this red fabric." "But wouldn't blue be all right?" I thought the blue paper was very pretty. "No, the white is fine." "Yellow?" I asked. Loretta shook her head. "Pink?" "Just get out the white. That'll be the best." I pulled the white tracing paper out of the envelope, and then, as Loretta continued to work, I kept right on asking questions: What happens if you don't pin the pattern? (It won't stay in place when you cut the fabric.) What's that funny scissors for? (A pinking shears; it keeps the material from unraveling around the edges.) What are you going to do with the scraps? (Cover the buttons.) And on and on. Finally Loretta was ready to sew the jumper. She moved into the living room to set up the sewing machine, and as she started to sew, I stood right by her elbow. Since this was going to be my dress, it seemed to me that I ought to keep an eye on the entire operation. And if I was going to keep an eye on things, then I had to ask more questions. Didn't I? When Loretta had finished the first seam, she pulled the fabric back?and discovered that her finger was sewn to the dress. I was horrified. My mother was disgusted. "I've been sitting here in the living room all afternoon, listening to you," Mom scolded. "It's no wonder your poor sister ended up sewing her finger to the dress. Your incessant talking is enough to drive anybody crazy." Loretta finished snipping the thread. "No, no, it's nothing. See? Just a little bit of skin." As I watched her pull the thread from her finger, my stomach did a small flip-flop. "Maybe you'd better clean that up and put a bandage on it," Mom said. A little while later, with a bandage securely wrapped around her finger, Loretta began to work on my dress again. "How come??" I said-and then I remembered that I shouldn't talk. Loretta paused and looked over at me. "How come what?" I shook my head. "Nothing." I watched Loretta sew for a few minutes, and then another question popped into my head. "What happens if?" Loretta reached for the scissors and glanced over at me. "What happens if what?" I shrugged. "Nothing." Somehow I managed to make it through another five minutes without asking any questions. After a while, Loretta looked over at me again. "What's the matter?" she asked. I shook my head. "You're so quiet, I thought maybe something was wrong." Loretta looked at me closely. "You're not mad at me, are you?" I felt my eyes widen. "Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?" She shrugged. "You're never this quiet." And without warning, tears filled my eyes. "I'm s-s-sorry I made you sew your finger. I didn't m-m-mean to?" Loretta shook her head. "You didn't make me sew my finger." "Yes, I did. Mom said." "No, you didn't. I always thought it would happen someday. And today just happened to be the day." For as long as I could remember, Loretta had been making clothes. Sometimes she sewed outfits for me, sometimes for herself, and sometimes for Mom. She even had a couple of skirts she kept in a trunk upstairs that she had made when she was in high school. Loretta reached for the scissors again. "So, come on. Ask some more questions." "Why?" "Because it's not normal when you're this quiet. And besides, how are you ever going to learn about anything if you don't ask questions?" In the end, Loretta finished the red velveteen jumper without further mishap. I wore the dress for the Christmas programs at school and at Sunday school, and for Christmas day, too, and for school when Christmas vacation was over. But every time I put the dress on, I thought about Loretta's finger pierced with red thread. And about how she had said that it wasn't my fault when I knew, deep in my heart, that it was. Maybe that's why I loved her so much. Not because she sewed clothes for me. And not because she wasn't angry when I spilled pins all over the floor or chattered non-stop when she was trying to concentrate. But because, no matter what, I knew that my big sister always had time for me. ********************** (From the book: Christmas in Dairyland - True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm; August 2003; trade paperback; http://ruralroute2.com About The Author LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the book: Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm) (trade paperback; August 2003). Share the view from Rural Route 2 and celebrate Christmas during a simpler time. Click here to read sample chapters and other Rural Route 2 stories - http://ruralroute2.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Holidays - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Fourth of July Safety Of all the holidays throughout the year, the Fourth of July typically presents the greatest risk of fire danger and injuries for adults and children. Unsafe use of fireworks, sparklers and glow sticks are a serious concern. Where Have All The Wise Men Gone? Jesus Is Not Acceptable For Christmas! It's CHRISTmas!Where are the wise men?WOW - The wise men are MISSING! What kind of Christmas is this anyway?Are you caught up in the "season" with this Christmas thing? Do YOU know where the wise men are?For over 200 years we have celebrated Christmas and all of the joys and festivities that go with the "holidays" in this great country of ours. Christmas was declared a federal holiday in 1870 by President Ulysses S. The History of Teddy Bears Teddy bears have been around since 1902. The teddy bear came to being when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shot a black bear held captive by his hunting party. Christmas Gifts to Last a Lifetime Do you know what you are giving to the children on you Christmas list? Will it be Harry Potter books, the latest computer games, or some new clothes?Over the summer, I spent some time thinking about the Christmas days from my childhood. What made them special, and what did I remember most. Keeping Christmas Spirit Alive: Christmas Just Isn't The Same Without Santa Claus! Holidays may come and go but some holidays, like Christmas, should never change. Most folks have a favorite holiday and for many it is Christmas. Giving Thanks Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away? What does Thanksgiving mean to you? For many of us it means turkey, dressing, pies and all the other goodies that go along with it. It also means family. What Causes Holiday Stress? The holidays are supposed to be a time of celebration when friends and families get together to share food, fun, gifts, and love. They are supposed to be a time of giving, caring and connection when we celebrate important and meaningful events. Unique Gift Ideas for the 21st Century As a personal growth specialist, I like to think I'm hip. I like to think I am avant garde. Top 25 Thanksgiving Quotations "It is therefore recommended .. The Art of Giving a Toast Today one of my clients is throwing one of her good friends a 40th birthday party. She actually used to date him and now they're good friends. What to Do When You Are Alone for the Holidays Being alone for the holidays is a major challenge for many people. Holidays often conjure images of family, of warmth and the sharing of special time. A Mothers Day Prayer! Mamma Whispered Softly! Patty Lovelace Country MusicVerse #1 Through the back window of a 59 wagon I watched my best friend Jannie slippin away I kept on waving, til I couldn't see her And through my tears I asked again Why we couldn't stayChorus Mamma whispered softly, time will ease your pain Life's about changing nothing stays the same And she said, how can I help you say goodbye? It's ok to hurt and it's ok to cry Come let me hold you and I will try How can I help you say goodbye?Verse #2 I sit on our bed, he packed his suitcase I held a picture of our wedding day His hands were trembling, we both were crying He kissed me gently and he quickly walked awayChorus I called up mamma she said time will ease your pain Life's about changing nothing stays the same She said, how can I help you say goodbye? It's ok to hurt its ok to cry Come let me hold you and I will try How can I help you say good-bye?Verse #3 Sittin with Mamma alone in her bedroom She opened her eyes and then squeezed my hand She said, I have to go now, my time is over And with her final words she tried to help me understandChorus Mamma whispered softly, time will ease your pain Life's about changing nothing stays the same And she said, how can I help you say goodbye? It's ok to hurt; it's ok to cry Come let me hold you and I will try How can I help you say goodbye?Today we are recognizing Mother's Day. Let us remind ourselves that nothing can be more strengthening than a mother's love for her child. Spice Up Your Life with an Adventure Holiday! Are you bored with the routine of city life? Do you yearn for a getaway from the hustle and bustle and put some excitement into your life? Do you hope to visit the places that have been aired over National Geographic Explorer and experience it for yourself? If your answer is yes to these questions, then adventure travel is just the thing for you!Defining an Adventure HolidayOk, so you've decided that you want an adventure holiday. This leads you to the next question - what type of adventure holiday do you want? There is just so much variety and different perceptions of the word "Adventure" that people have come up with all sorts of activities to define this word. Christmas Shopping Online Might Or Might Not Be For Everyone: This Article Shows How Doing It Onlin Christmas shopping online is not for you? If you are one of those that share this thought, you probably like to enjoy the atmosphere of physical shopping. Doing your Christmas shopping online despite all its convenience, lack the festive mood. The Gingerbread Nightmare Do you ever see those beautiful gingerbread houses during the holiday seasons that are so beautiful? They look so simple, and look like such a fun project to do with the kids making gifts for grandma and grandpa. I could just feel it. Texas Exotic Hunting Texas Exotic Hunting is a popular sport in this state. Hog hunting in Texas and dove hunting in Texas are both considered exotic. The Last Laugh: Parental Pranks for April 1 The exact origin of April Fool's Day is uncertain, but popular belief is that it began in France with the adoption of a new calendar. In 1582, the Gregorian calendar (still in use today) replaced the long-standing Julian calendar and New Year's celebrations were moved from April 1 to January 1. Fathers Day and Flowers Father's Day is about to be celebrated in Australia. The first Sunday in September. I Just Love It! "I Just Love It!"You know the scenario. You're sitting at the family Christmas gathering and your ten-year-old opens one of Aunt Martha's itchy homemade sweaters. Mothers Day, Do You Know What Youre Giving The Woman Who Gave You Life? Mother's Day, Do you know what you're giving the woman who gave you life? by DeAnna SpencerI decided to deviate from my normal discussion of marketing and advertising to discuss a major gift giving holiday.Mother's day is coming soon.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
