Sewing Lessons

No raw edges allowed Grandma demanded
as I picked precisely
at the neat even stitches she required


I learned to cut straight on the grain line
of the yellow gingham.
First an outfit for my Ginny doll,
her circle skirt hemmed with tedious
tiny stitches turned over twice.
Enough left for my own two piece
swimsuit impatiently edged with white rickrack
just like my classmates’ who lived in split levels
and bought new Jantzens every summer.



Graduating from gingham
we searched the fabric store
for a special blend of blues
honoring my Homecoming Dance.
The other attendants wore velvet
smoothing the shine and sheen of their skirts
while I checked mine for loose threads.



Together we embroidered pink roses
on the curtains of the summer cottage
bordering the red violet
of the sunset and campfire I circled
with cousins chewing chocolate.
Wishing for sock hops, records
blaring My Boyfriend’s Back
or water skiing next to my friend
in the Jantzen.



Quilting now these life patches
with tedious tiny stitches and even seams
I finger the fabric fibers
touching the colors, the variation
the texture I missed
the first time.

    By SMGS