Where the sewing bug comes from

That's me on the left, my mom and my sister Martha (with the gorgeous long, red curls) getting ready for a prom in the mid-70s. I'm guessing about 1972. I would have been 16 and my sister almost 15. My mother made my gown. I think she made my sister's gown, too.

Mine was eyelet with tiny blue hearts running in vertical stripes. My mother did beautiful work, so now you know where I got my influence.

Then again, maybe there is something to be said for heredity since my father's mother (my grandma, of course) was a seamstress. Although I never actually saw her working, I remember being fascinated by her sewing room. In fact, I actually have some of her vintage laces!

My mother has also always been good with plants. Her mother worked as a florist (that would be about 100 years ago) and my own daughter managed (until recently) the floral department of a supermarket. That is a talent I definitely did NOT inherit. I have a purple thumb, I say--I touch plants and they turn radioactive. But at least I can sew!