Thursday, May 29, 2014

Edith and the Vacuum

As I clean my house, I notice that my vacuum is out all day. Sometimes I move it from room to room but usually it's in a very conspicuous place. I walk over it and around it all day. Every time I do, I think about feng shui. I read up on it one time & it says that when you have to walk over something, it disrupts your flow. (Pretty sure my flow was disrupted before the vacuum thing). Every time my dad comes over to visit, he says, "you're just like my mom, she left her vacuum out all the time".  So I started wondering what else I did like my grandma. I save things. My grandma, Edith, saved EVERYTHING! Plastic tubs, foil, cards, stamps, ice cream containers, etc. I have a hard time throwing things away. So if I'm ever in a "throwing away" mood, I keep going because I know it won't last long & I take it straight to the garage for goodwill. Edith was more scatter-brained and not a perfectionist at all. She loved to gossip & reminded me of those women in Music Man. You know the ones who pick-a-little, talk-a-little? She loved to garden and could touch her hands flat to the floor without bending her knees. She was also a mouth kisser! I miss her.
Now my Grandma Helen was opposite of Edith. She loved sewing. She made beautiful quilts. She was more of a perfectionist. She was tiny & petite & loved being in the garden too. She was a singer & I remember her singing duets with my grandpa. She saved things too but they were all organized & put in the perfect sized containers. She also loved to do crafts. I learned sewing from her but I never finished my lessons because I realize now that I didn't learn the secrets to "finishing" the tiny details.
I miss her too.
Lately I've been sewing. I LOVE to buy & cut the fabric & sew the main pieces together. I don't really like to finish the item, but I do. It's not perfect. In fact, far from it. I've made a few quilts & now I'm making little girls peasant dresses. Every thing I sew, I sew with love. I always imagine who will use it or wear it. So while they are not perfectly sewn, they are sewn with lots of love.
I love my grandmas & what they taught me. I love the differences in their own unique personalities.
Here are some of my dresses. My daughter in law sells them for me on instagram.