It’s a good thing we don’t have to make our own clothes any more. My family and I would be in big trouble. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit my mom and Mamaw Jo’s ability to sew.
Technically, they were talented seamstresses, especially Mamaw Jo.

Okay, I am going to admit something here. During my teenage years, I went through a stage where I wore dresses. Thankfully, that didn’t last. Anyway, back in the early 80s, I saw a dress hanging on display in a store. I fell in love with it, but it was very expensive. So, I didn’t ask for it. None the less, my family knew I loved this dress. Mamaw Jo told me she could make that same dress for a fifth of the cost.

And she did.

I was absolutely amazed. The pleats (folds) in the skirt were even and full. The sleeves were perfectly puffy. Most impressive to me were the small delicate pleats that ran down the bodice (front) with little pearl beading between them. The material was flowing and a rich peach tint.

Goodness, I wore that dress everywhere, even to high school. When my friends asked where I got it, I proudly told them my Mamaw Jo had sewn it. Of course, they would immediately ask, “Can you sew too?”

You know, it wasn’t easy to admit that I couldn’t sew. Not at all. In my defense, I did try. When I was around 10, I wanted to learn how to do it . So, my parents bought me a beginner’s sewing machine. It could only sew straight stitches and it wasn’t that fast. That probably saved a few of my fingers from being inadvertently sewn.
My first project was to sew myself a shirt. I dug a piece of cloth out of Mamaw’s extra pieces pile. I laid one of my shirts down on top of it and traced it out. Then I cut it out and sewed the pieces together. As soon as I finished, I put it on and looked into my mirror.

Oh my! I could’ve posed for the painter Picasso. If you’re not familiar with him, let’s just say my shirt looked like a jigsaw puzzle while looking in a mirror from a fun house.

That was the last piece of clothing I ever tried to make.

Obviously, I gave up on sewing. Why? I simply didn’t have the passion or interest in it. But I did get to help Mom and Mamaw Jo by cutting out the sewing patterns for them. For some strange reason, I really enjoyed doing that. Go figure

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10-11

If you are a Believer, then God has bestowed on you a spiritual gift or gifts so that you can minister to others and help to expand His Kingdom. Best of all, it’s okay if yours is different from somebody else’s for yours is perfect for you.

In a way, I do have a gift of sewing. Not with cloth, but with words. I use the pattern of grammar to structure the words. The Bible gives me instructions on how to craft the story or a poem. And the thread that binds it all together is the Holy Spirit. And I don’t have to worry about sticking myself with a pin or needle.