When I was growing up,

I was sewing my own clothes by the age of 13 or 14. I mean pants, dresses, blouses, western shirts, blue jeans, etc.

I can remember laying the cutting board out on out huge dinner table. (It was 4 feet wide and 8 feet long--to be able to sit 12 people each evening.)



Do any of you remember these? You know the ones that fold out to lay your fabric and pattern out on.

Anyway, I can still remember how hard it was to make that first cut every time I started a new garment.

Now, I stand here staring at this fabric.

Getting ready to cut into it to make my block for the AMB Blog Tour.  Even though I have made a sample pattern and tweaked it until it is just right, I am still apprehensive about making that first cut. In fact, I am every time I have a brand new piece of fabric. It doesn't matter what size but fat quarters are the worst. After I have made that first cut, the next time it is scrap fabric and I don't care if I make a mistake.

But, it brought back happy memories of me standing at that long dinner table when I was a teen. Often times I would have an older sister come to check the pattern to see if it was laid out correctly and to make sure I didn't miss any pieces. Checking to see if the arrows on the pattern were following the grain of the fabric.

Now, I think of the jumpers that I made my daughter in kindergarten. Her teacher thought she had a bunch of brothers and sisters and that I had to make her clothes. She asked me about it at a parent teacher conference. I told her, "No, I just like to sew and make her jumpers."

I need to write a book of memoirs to give to my children.

Happy snipping, stitching, and quilting!