Sew & Tell - Priscilla's Linen Gifts

I always enjoy conversations about sewing with Priscilla. I especially love to listen to her sewing life in her old school years. It's fresh and vintagy at the same time. Her stories make me wish i could go back in time to see the American sewing life that I never knew. I could imagine from those vintage sewing books and patterns that I own, but it's absolutely a pleasure to hear from someone who has experienced that era. The other day, we talked about what was our first assignment in our Home Ec classes. A pair of pajamas for me, and an apron for her. Then she told me that everyone had to use gingham fabric and smock the gingham. Yes, smocking! Yes, gingham! You could guess what decade that was :-) A smocked gingham apron sounds so cute! No, I mean, can you believe they taught smocking in school? Do they even teach how to sew a button in today's school? I don't know. We also complained that women these days are not sewing enough. Especially here in San Francisco. We hold such a high reputation to be creative, artful, and unique, but we are so behind from the rest of the country when it comes to sewing. Yeah, girls, start sewing. Show the world that city girls can sew too. These tea towels and pot holders Priscilla made for her friend are great to start with. Simple and straightforward. And they are scrap busters. And the technique she used on her potholders is very interesting. I've never seen it and never known it. Her sewing machine has a "hand quilt" stitch function that makes the stitches look like they were hand quilted. Really? Really! The trick is to use invisible thread in the bobbin, and color thread for upper stitches. Well, most of us don't have a fancy machine like hers, but the point here is it's easy to start sewing. With a holiday gift season just around the corner, you better start taking a step. Thank you, Priscilla for sharing!