Ruffled Dresses

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Mama's treadle machine
A lost art among girls today is sitting with her legs together. I think it is probably because they rarely wear dresses. But in the 1950's, girls wore full skirted dresses with pinafore bodices and puff sleeves. Mama made me a lot of pretty little dresses on her old treadle sewing machine. Actually this machine was probably not that old when I started to school in 1957.


1950's dress pattern



I remember playing one hot summer afternoon at the farm.  I was wearing a shirtwaist dress fastened with tiny buttons and a wide sash tied in a big bow in the back. I was having so much fun playing with the many cousins gathered at Grandma's house that I almost waited too long to go to the toilet, which at this time was outside. After having my aunt unbutton my dress, I quickly ran to take care of business.  It wasn't until I returned to have the dress buttoned and tied again that I realized dresses do not have to come off to use the bathroom.  Now why would that memory stay with me fifty odd years?

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