I don't do much sewing these days but when I was growing up, I made almost all of my own clothes. In those days it was less expensive to make clothes than buy them. Not so true today. Today patterns and fabric are so expensive, we can buy clothes quite a bit cheaper than making them.
I learned to sew through the 4-H program in Multnomah County Oregon. The 4 H's stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. It is a Youth Development and Mentoring Program. When you belong to a 4-H group, you have a "leader" who mentors a group of kids in a specific area. Most people think of 4-H as an agricultural based program but there are other curriculums as well. I happened to participate in sewing, knitting, forestry and water safety.
My specialties were sewing and knitting. Today I'll talk about sewing. Knitting tomorrow.
I was fortunate to have a great leader. It happened to be my Aunt Dorothy, who I was living with after my parents died. Her husband, my Uncle Orval, was my Dad's brother.
Anyway, Dorothy loved to sew and she spent hours not only teaching me to sew, but also teaching me to care about the quality of my work. Due to her tutelage, I won many county and state championships.
But, I want to tell you a story about what was probably one of the most important lessons in my life and has served me so well all these years.
One year, in addition to my 4-H sewing project, my Aunt Dorothy decided I needed to enter the annual Grange sewing competition. Naturally, I did so because I was a teenager and did everything I was told (as all teen girls do). HaHa.
Anyway, I made a lovely, collarless, sleeveless dress and entered the competition. I came in second in the State of Oregon. I was quite annoyed at the girl who won because I felt if it hadn't been for her, I would have been the state champion. I spent a while not liking her then decided to take a different road... a higher road.
The next year, I entered again. This time I picked a very detailed pattern. It was a small pink and white checked gingham dress with a wide hand smocked band around the bodice. That dress was going to be amazing. I matched every square on that dress and was very careful to make the smocking perfect.
So, did I win the Oregon State competion. YES! But, that's not the end of the story. That dress also won the National Prize, among 55,000 entrants! I got lots of attention for that. Even the newspapers came out for interviews and to take pictures of me in my dress. I was flying high. And, you know what? That experience, that feeling, created a lifelong committment to excellence in me. "Good enough" is not good enough. Only doing the best will do.
That's what makes me happy. Knowing I have done the best possible job in whatever I do.
Have a Happy Day!
Carol
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