You’ve got skillz baby!

My maternal grandmother was a master in all kinds of crafts. She came from humble beginnings in Mexico and was the youngest of eleven. By the time she came along, her parents were exhausted and her childless aunt was charged with her upbringing. Mexico in 1920 was a much different place and she learned to cook, sew, hand embroider, pour soaps, raise bees, roll beeswax candles, and even make cheese. I would look on in amazement when I visited the ranch as she strained the curds, dried the blocks and performed her daily routines, but the one skill I’m most proud that I share with her is my ability to sew.

I’m not some Project Runway artisan, but I have made a costume in my day for myself and my family, just like my mom who also is skilled with needle and thread. With four boys to dress, my mother would make our Halloween costumes from scratch every year. People who know our family ALWAYS remarked on her craftsmanship when we showed up trick or treating. She wanted to be a model when she was younger, but Natives are small people and we’re no exception, so I guess this was her way of playing fashion designer.

I was taught how to hand stitch, not by my mom, but in 3rd grade; She felt that sewing was a woman’s skill that would fall on my “wife’s” shoulders. Our class made a quilt and each student was responsible for a square panel that the class mom put together when we finished. It hung proudly all year in our classroom and I wonder what Mrs. Thorlakson eventually did with it. People in my generation took Home Economics to learn how to sew but I feel that hand stitching is a great skill for anyone to have because putting on a new button, mending a seam or attaching an accessory should be in everyone’s tool kit.

Eventually I wanted to start altering clothes because of my awkward measurements so I broke down and picked up a machine. Several needles, and spools later, I’m turning old t-shirts into patches for my punk rock jacket, altering my clothes to fit, and buying fabric for future crafts. I’m looking at simple things like pouches and bags with new eyes saying, “I can make this!”, and I’m succeeding, sometimes. Almost everything I own has been personalized in some way and when people ask where I bought it, I beam from ear to ear and tell them “I made it!”