Looking back.

“Kevin, Michael,Jane, Timmy, where are my pin cushions?!”

Well, what should we tell her? That we used them for inside our bedroom baseball games? They were soft, didn’t go very far when you hit them, and made almost no noise. Once you took out the pins and needles that is. They also were good for an improvised game of dodge ball…like water balloon fights, but dry. Pin cushions
Usually Mom hid the pin cushions in her sewing box: sewing box
Every home had a sewing box. Just like every home had a “junk drawer” in the kitchen. Sometimes the sewing boxes were baskets: sewing basket

They all had the same things in them: buttons galore, needles, pins, threads of all colors, small balls of yarn, patches, sometimes zippers too. Scissors, and those weird little “Tailor’s Rulers” and chalk.
Pattern rulers And sewing gauge Remember those? Those weird shaped rulers were to follow “Patterns” and remember how flimsy “pattern papers” were?
patterns We always saved buttons that popped off…if we found them. You could never have too many buttons. Some were fancy pearls, or ivory buttons. Others were just colored plastic. Mom taught us all how to sew buttons on. And believe me, when I sewed a button on, it stayed on!

Sewing machines were everywhere…and most of them built by Singer. My Mom had one from the thirties, still working, and she still used it. My Sister Kay had a more modern one, and my girlfriend's Mom had an even more modern sleek model that came in a portable case. Not my Mom’s, hers was a beautiful piece of furniture, and when the sewing machine was folded down inside, it looked like a vintage end table.
singer sewing machine The portable one’s looked like this:
portable machine. I remember setting the spool of thread on both kinds for my Mom when I was little. And the lovely chattering sound it would make as it threaded the seams together. She would use her foot to control the speed so her hands could guide the material in straight lines, or curves.

For us boys, it was usually just a quick patch on the knee, or to fix a torn pocket; occasionally to replace a broken zipper and a missing button (or two). But for the girls, well it might be a pleated skirt, a nice blouse, or a flowery summer dress. A brand new pattern from the catalogue and squeals of delight could be heard as they raced to find the right bolts of cloth to make something nice.

I remember when Iron on patches came into style. My Mom didn’t trust them at first. But when they did get sticky enough to…well, stick, and stay. Well, it saved her heaps of time. Us boys were truly hard on our clothes; and many a knee- or bum- patch was needed. And elbows on jackets and Sport coats too.

I watched my Mom, my Aunts, and even my Uncles... sew items, while chatting amiably with friends or visitors. Me? Never made it past the torn seam or missing button skill. When I sewed a button on, I used way more thread than was necessary. My Mom used to laugh and say to me:

“If you are ever in a strong wind, hold onto that button, it isn’t going anywhere.”

By the time I was in High School, the Sewing Machines and Sewing baskets were rarely pulled out anymore. Clothes were so cheap you could afford to buy pants, shirts, skirts and blouses at the store. The sewing baskets were the last to go, for the occasional button, or rip still had to be repaired by hand.

And just like the sound of a rotary phone dial returning to zero, the chatter of a sewing machine faded from my memory. But patches of it still remain.