Hand Sewn Buttonhole

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Fine hand sewn buttonhole made by Norman Norell
Do you see how this buttonhole is made? You cannot find buttonholes made like this in today's ready-to-wear. My Oklahoma City Grandma made them perfectly. She was a seamstress supreme.

Although she made a lot of my clothes, I remember two outfits in particular.

One was made of a soft green linen like fabric with hand sewn buttonholes down the front. They were made somewhat like a men's suit buttonhole but oh so pretty.

The other outfit I remember was a white dress with red polka-dots and a bolero jacket. I felt pretty in it and wore it forever.

Grandma always saved her McCalls magazines for me to cut out the Betsy McCall paper dolls. I think all of the grandchildren played with the wooden thread spools she saved. We often ran across straight pins in the carpet of her bedroom/sewing room.

She always gave us money when we heard the ice cream truck coming down the street. We never had an ice cream truck in Clarksville.

She let me play in her make up too. She used loose face powder. I applied so much of it to my face one time that she said I looked like a geisha girl.

Comments

  1. TexWisGirlAugust 11, 2012 at 11:45 AM

    i love your random memories. always make me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lois EvensenAugust 12, 2012 at 6:36 AM

    Lovely post. I remember hand made button holes. :) Mom taught me how to make them, but by the time I was making clothes for the kids and myself, I had a Sears Sewing Machine that made button holes so that's how I made them. Love your post.

    Best,
    Lois

    ReplyDelete
  3. A Colorful WorldAugust 16, 2012 at 10:55 AM

    My Grandmother was a seamstress of that calibre as well...And I don't know how she learned to be so perfect in that craft! But she was excellent! I am a "sloppy sewer"....I try not to be! I even had home ec, and I'm still just average at best! :-) I remember Betsy McCall paperdolls, and I have a few of Grandmother's wooden thread spools!

    ReplyDelete

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