Grandma’s Parcel

As a young child, I recall the excitement of getting Grandma’s parcel in December. Usually a couple weeks before Christmas, a big box would arrive at the house.

Inside were home-sewn flannelette nightgowns for us two girls (how did she always get the sizes right?) and pairs of pajamas for my two brothers. Everyone in the family (six of us!) got new hand knitted slippers, and then there was a cereal box full of shortbread with cherries on top.

Such an exciting thing to come home to, after school, and dig through. How did she do it? She has LOTS of grandchildren… A specific memory of this package is when I was six, which would put her in her late sixties.

Josephine Forcier, my paternal grandmother, was an industrious woman, and a wonderful seamstress. She often made matching dresses and jumpers for my sister and myself out of a more voluminous woman’s dress that she had taken apart for the treasure trove of fabric it possessed.

We loved getting that infusion of fresh, fluffy soft nightwear each year. We picked the cherries off the top of the cookies – I guess that was a bit of a yet-to-be acquired taste for a six year old – and even though they may have suffered a little in their Canada Post journey across the miles, they were delicious, and so appreciated.

I thought of all that today, when I made these cookies. Thank you Grandma for all your beautiful heartfelt giving.

Here’s Mom and my big Sis and myself, circa 1965, in matching jumpers made by Grandma:

 

Sew Happy

I grew up in a small town….but that didn’t stop me from wearing Vogue Paris Original designs to my school dances…because I could sew.

In the 1970’s, most young ladies and women sewed; at least the ones around me did. Yes, I took “Home Economics” in junior high – but I didn’t like the exacting methods and skills that were required. I branched out on my own, and stayed up till the wee hours sewing creations I would then wear to school. It was very satisfying to be able to do that! I didn’t care that the seams weren’t finished nicely inside…that came years later.

And where did the patterns and fabrics come from? First they came from a quiet, elegant fabric store on our town’s main street. I remember it having a solemn ambiance. We would quietly flip through the pages of the pattern catalogues, whispering and consulting with a friend or sister, and finally decide on “the one”, then find some fabric that was suitable, and take our treasure-to-be home with us and get busy.

Later, my good friend’s family bought a fabric store in the mall, (still a new-ish concept in 1974, in our town), and I worked with my friend at the store after school on Thursday and Friday nights. What fun we had, operating the store together. My pay cheques always went to fabric purchases. Many projects were always hovering in a queue, as I had the time to mull over all the options in the store when it was quiet. We also modeled our creations in occasional mall fashion shows. It was such an exciting time for a 16 year old….and it stoked the fire of my growing creative spirit.

It still comes in handy, this skill….mending and patching and altering clothes for myself and my son, extending their life with a little tweak here or there. It also partners nicely with vintage and thrift shop finds that are wonderful, but maybe not quite the right size or fit.  I’m lucky to have a little station set up in the basement at the ready, which makes it much easier to tackle these tasks.

I had a gala to go to the other weekend. The day before, I decided I didn’t feel comfortable in the gown I planned to wear. I went down to my favorite consignment store, found a fabulous gown for $25.00 and the morning of the gala I hemmed it up (it was a couple inches too long but otherwise perfect).

Very handy.

Ravishing

Had the pleasure of catching a fabulous exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver the other weekend. It was called “From Rationing to Ravishing” and exhibited women’s fashions from the 1930’s onward, through war time, and the impact that the war had on clothing styles and designs (think scarcity of materials as well as a paradigm shift regarding luxury and extravagance).  There were many lovely examples by haute couture designers from both North America and Europe.

   

It was sublime….and more so because I went with a lovely friend who works in costume design for television. We were throwing around terms about sewing and fabrics that may have had others scratching their heads, but we understood each other beautifully and had a blast reveling in the gorgeous examples, fabrics, colours.

What a wonderful day!

(one of my fav’s, a Balenciaga coat…)