The Big Purple dress

My Aunt Juanita took me to her house one summer and taught me to sew. I made a maroon skirt. I'll always remember what it looked like. Because mom had very little money when I was about to get married, I made my wedding dress. It wasn't real good but it got the job done. My Tom was so small that he could rarely buy anything that didn't have to have some kind of altering done before he could wear it. Thus, my sewing career began.

I've been asked to make all kinds of things in my life. Some were really crazy. I made a white satin vest for a dog to wear in her master's wedding pictures. I made two little baseball caps for two fence posts that one of Tom's friends had carved faces on. I made tons of welding hats for the guys at the steel mill. I've made lots and lots of costumes. I made a custom tablecloth for ,"The Spencers" gospel singing group. I was asked to make a cover for a boat, but I refused that one.

I've sewed bridesmaid dresses for I don't know how many weddings and I don't know how many little dresses, pinafores and bonnets for new babies. One of my most common alterations these days, is prom dresses. I am getting more and more calls every year. Some of those things can be real bears to work on.

I finished alterations on one today that I hope I never see again. The mother of the girl wearing the dress graduated from school with Heather. I am getting too old for this. When they brought me the dress, we had to really pull to get the plastic cover off it. It needed about one inch taken in on the sides. The mother asked me, where to go and have it puffed out. I told her the cleaners would probably do it. This dress has three, yes, three petticoats under it and the top is two layers of purple netting material with sequins all over it . Well, I had to flip it upside down to get to the sides, the longer I worked on it, the more it puffed out. by the time I got the first side ready to be worked on it was a big huge purple ball. I felt like I was in a jungle when I was working on that thing.It has grown larger each day. I had so many layers around me that I had a hard time finding the front of the dress when I finished a side. I had it pulled up on top of my head so I could get the side under the machine. Now, this process creates static so that when I moved it from my head, it would pop and crack and of course shock me. Well, I have one side done and the other ripped apart, so what could I do but finish it. Back on top of my head. More popping and cracking and my hair is standing on end when I pull the dress off it,so that it reminds me of a weird science project. I would like to not put it back on my head, but the thing is so big by now, I can barely get close to my machine. One more time to the head and I will be done.This time the petticoat layers have fallen down over my head, with my eyes peeking from under the edge of them, I do the last stitch. Am I glad to be done with it.

I am tired and will have to go to bed soon, but I have a dilemma. The dress has puffed so much on it's own that I had to lay it on my bed which it fills. Oh. well, I can throw it on the floor so I can get in my bed. After all, the mother is going to get the cleaners to steam puff it so it will stand out.

I hope her date has a large, large car.