Here is an Easter-themed table runner I made for my mom.  Since she lives about a bazillion miles away on the other side of the planet, I had to finish and mail it quickly so that she would have a few days to use it before and on Easter Sunday.  Anyway, in the picture you can see a sort of “dip” in the binding.  I would like to think that the way it is draped on the back of the sofa has made it look a little dippy.  Possibly the camera angle is to blame.  No, neither is to blame.  I didn`t carefully mark and baste – in the previous entry I talked about how important both are to a beautifully finished piece of work.  Now, possibly,  you can see that it is true.   Of course, my mom says she has no idea what I am talking about – but – she`s my mom. 

Actually, she is the reason I sew.  When I was in junior high we had what was then called “Home Economics,” I only remember sewing, although we must have had cooking as well.  I made a dress in class and when I brought it home she said,  “It`s beautiful, make another one.”   And so I did, and another and another, each with a slightly different detail – remembering one blue and white print with a bit of lace in the middle; another, a pale yellow print with three buttons, each picking up a color in the print.  I really cannot recall when we first went looking for other patterns at the fabric store but I gradually moved away from that awful first pattern.  I have always loved designer clothes and in high school was thrilled making KENZO, Willi Smith and Christian Dior clothes from Vogue and McCalls patterns.  My mom even sent me to sewing classes at a local department store when I was in high school.  I have rarely been without a sewing machine in my life.  I sewed and sewed on my mom`s Brother machine (guaranteed for 25 years, a long time I thought, back then).  I still use a Brother but I also have a Jaguar and a Juki, a three-thread lock machine.  Also, I still use designer patterns but now freely add or subtract from the patterns for a more personalized look. By the way, my mom can`t sew but she does crochet.  I once asked her to teach me, I told her it looked easy – “one two, stick it through,” – but it`s not and all I can do is a granny square but cannot join them in a way that looks nice.   I have quite a few very large granny sqaures that are not finished – maybe someday.   For now, I am working on some seasonal table runners for my two sisters.  The holiday is far enough away that I won`t have to rush.