I have endless small as well as large memories of my early childhood growing up in the homestead of Homer and Irene Smith. From my very earliest memories I recall the "Singer man" coming to the front door of the house frequently. Every time he had a new piece of sewing related furniture he would bring it and he and Mama would discuss the deal and she almost always would purchase whatever he was selling. There would often be some financing over a period of time. I still have her last and most heavily used sewing machine and most of the components that she had acquired for use with it. The base of the cabinet is scarred where Jamey cut his first teeth while lying on the floor watching Mama sew just as I had done less than 20 years before.
Mama was always a stay at home Mother but she was also always a working Mother. She was the county seamstress and she accepted work from all walks of life. She sewed for the rich and well to do and she sewed for the less fortunate. She sewed for the not so easy to fit as well as the most gorgeously shaped ladies in the county. Mama could make their dresses, when completed fit as if they had been painted onto their bodies. She knew how to measure and take notes and then she would alter the patterns to adapt to the body of the individual.
She altered clothes to fit again after someone had gained some weight or at times the reverse would be required. She sewed the insignia and patches on uniforms for the military or our National Guard men. She for many years created the uniforms for the Cheerleaders at Bradwell.
She not only made clothes but she made "slipcovers" for furniture. There were often times when someone would bring a piece of furniture such as a sofa or large chair and leave it with us for a period of time for Mama to make a new set of slipcovers or if she had made a set in the past she often simply referred to her notes. At other times the customer would come and get Mama and take her to their home for measurements or for fitting sessions. She also made curtains and drapes for the windows of some of the finest homes in the county. Her similar work could also be found in some of the most modest homes in the county. Many times I witnessed her being paid just two or three dollars for something that I knew she had invested double or triple the hours of the task as compared to the dollars. She worked hard and took great pride in her finished product.
Although I remember a number of times when Mama would trade in her old sewing machine for a new one I do not remember a time when she did not already have a machine. My earliest memories on this subject are of the Singer man selling needles or bobbins and thread and such. My very oldest memories are of a pedal machine. I would lie on the floor and watch Mama's bare feet as they pedaled the machine. The oldest machine that I remember was tattered and worn but it worked and I remember her trading it in on a newer (but not brand new) machine.
One day the Singer man came with a strange looking devise which would serve to transform Mama's machine to be driven by an electric motor operated by a foot pedal on a small box affixed to the cast iron original pedal. The connecting rod from the original pedal to the machine was disconnected and the electric motor was somehow attached to the machine and behold she had a modern new way of operating the thing. I watched with great interest as the device was installed and the conversion was completed. This was indeed a new day for Irene Smith. Jimmy Smith was excited but also felt some sadness because it had always been such a delight to watch her pedal the machine for long hours during the days and into the evenings. As a child I was always allowed to stay up with Mama after supper was finished. As long as I did not distract her or make noise to awaken Daddy I was good to go. I enjoyed every single moment. Sometimes we would experience power failure and she would sew by the light of the kerosene lamp. Those stormy nights had somehow always been the most exciting to me as a small child. With this newfangled electric motor those days were gone forever.
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