Tuesday shirt Tale

Recently, I took my portable Singer sewing machine out of the closest.

Dusted off my sewing table, set up the table and unpacked the machine.

I'm happy to report it still sings like a Singer too, even after years of neglect by me.

I have been sewing since I was about 9. Annie Ma (maternal grandmother) 

had seven children.  First five were two to three years apart.  There was a gap of about six years.  

When she was 42 and 44, surprise she had #s  six and seven,  my Aunt Ruth and my Mom was the seventh.  Annie Ma never had time to teach her daughters to sew.  I'm told, when they were young, she would look at dresses in the store windows, go home cut patterns out of newspaper and make dresses.  My cousin Carol and I were the only granddaughters who inherited 

Annie Ma's sewing DNA.

My formal sewing instruction started in ninth grade.  I signed up for Home Economics.

It was probably one of the best decisions of my teen years.  None of my friends were particularly interested.  Miss Kilby, my teacher, was fresh out of college and an eager beaver to teach.

I cannot tell you how very very much I learned in Home Ec. I looked forward to every class and I also became her teacher's assistant.

I took Home Ec all four years of high school.  I won several awards including my 

senior year when I made my prom dress.  I made most of my daughter's clothes up

until she was six.  I retired from sewing and went back to work full time.

I've made a  few things over the years most bathrobes for myself and my daughter.

Blankets for my parents, and decorative pillows and simple curtains.

I've been noticing some darling tops in the store windows... I knew I could make them with one eye closed and less expensive......I thought. LOL I have not  bought patterns or fabric in years.

I found the perfect pattern by McCalls #7359 (pictured below).

It is just a pattern for four variations of this top.  Dang pattern was $19.99.  Last time I bought a 

pattern it was 2.99.  Only Vogue was expensive back then, maybe about 10.99.

I was still in shock over the pattern; however, I looked at fabric, found two bolts  of very nice quality fabric in a pretty spring lavender print  and a contrasting color.  One was $11.99 and one $15.99 a yard I needed 1 1/8 yards of both. I nearly fainted right there in Jo Ann's.  The pattern and the fabric would have $55.00 plus tax.

Granted I could have found cheaper fabric but I was still struggling with paying $19.99 for the pattern.

 I LEFT empty handed and much wiser.  Thanks to GiGi Google I found this exact pattern being offered by several folks on eBay but they were used.  I found one unused for for $7.99. Checked put in my shopping cart lickety split.  The pattern will be here next week. 

In the meantime, I learned that Super Walmart still has a fabric department.

I'll be checking it out for fabric.....

This story will be continued..............