My Mom - Sew Perfect!

When I saw this Hero Arts SIMPLY HANDMADE set I immediately thought of my mom!

My mom was a Home Ec teacher. She spent 30 years teaching in the same classroom in Lamar (Colorado) Junior High (Middle School). In the beginning (1967) she taught girls the basics - cooking and sewing. By the time she retired (1998) she taught girls and boys (thanks to Title 9) consumer education, sex education, and basic cooking skills. Since we lived in a town with one Jr High and one High School - I had her for 8th and 9th grade Home Ec. There we both learned things about each other. She didn't want me to call her "Mrs Corder" and I didn't want to call her "Mom". So I called her "George" (in a house lacking any male influence most things became "George", "Frank", etc). I learned that even though it appeared chaos some times reigned in her classroom - she had iron control (she can still organize a group of people with a few direct words). She learned that I had a eye for color (my 9th grade sewing project was a struggle over material/color - I won - she later agreed it was great). So this set really reminds me of that time and was perfect for a Mother's Day card.

There's not much new or different here. I stamped the pattern image on more of that old pattern I used a few weeks ago for the sewing tag. I did some sewing around the edge of the pattern/gingham paper. That's a first - I've been wanting to sew on my card for awhile, just never got around to it! The most interesting thing is the thimble. I used a SCS method called FAUX METAL - where you layer/heat embossing powder and then stamp in it. And can I say that Cosmo Cricket MATERIAL GIRL paper is PERFECT with this set?!?!

Here's a close up of the Faux Metal thimble. Even the acrylic stamp got some good dimension in the EP.

Stamps: Hero Arts SIMPLY HANDMADE
Paper: Cosmo Cricket MATERIAL GIRL, pattern tissue
Ink: Distress Ink: OLD PAPER, BRUSHED CORDUROY, WALNUT STAIN
Accessories: Sewing pins, Tatted Ribbon, Button, Scrapper's Floss, SU! border punch, and sewing machine

I've been scanning a lot of old family pictures into the computer as part of the genealogy work I'm doing. We have some old tintypes that are about to fade away!

When I was younger, my mom sewed most of my clothes. Here I am on my 1st day of kindergarten in a dress she made for me. I loved the dress but hated the bib - it always got in the way! After my parents divorce and my mom went back to work full time, she started buying the school clothes.

Here we are in her class room on her last day of teaching before retirement. I surprised her by driving down to spend the day with her.

This is my mom a few years ago in Alaska. My friend, Anne Lise, snapped this picture of her and it's still one of my favorites! The silver hair and blue Norwegian sweater are a great combo!

LOVE YOU MOM! Happy Mother's Day!