Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lessons from Little Women: Sewing Basket

A few weeks ago I finished Little Women.  It is such a beautiful book.  I love the characters, I love that it's about the female relationships, and I love that it reminds me of my own sisters.  Besides loving all of the many wonderful qualities of the characters, I loved the romantic notion of each sister sitting down at the end of the day with their sewing.  I just found it absolutely lovely, so of course, what did I do?  I decided to sit down with my own sewing.

Except mine is only mending.  Nothing like creating your own clothes, linens, and generally every bit of cloth in your home from scratch.  No, mine was decidedly much easier.  In an effort to keep my clothes going through this year, I mended.

I mended a pair of pants that I tortuously abused while I was pregnant & swollen.


I mended a shirt I've had since the 7th grade, back when tie dye was cool.  In my defense, I still LOVE tie dye, but I do only wear this to bed or under sweaters.


But then, I looked at my sewing box.  So depressing.  My sewing box was nothing more that the box to my first cell phone.  A Cingular cell phone.  Old.  Old & not at all like the lovely sewing accoutrement the little women would have had.  I told myself to be happy with what I had.  I told myself to think of how the little women made due.


But the heart wants what it wants...

And my heart wanted this antique sewing basket and all its antique goodies purchased from Ebay.


Now I know, I realize the irony with mending my clothes, while purchasing a $30 sewing basket.  I know.  I just couldn't help myself.  Once I saw the flower on the top, the thread holders, the tomato pin cushion, and the honest to God wood spools of thread-- I was a goner.


I mean the thread!  70+ spools of BEAUTIFUL antique, silk thread on wood spools!  I. AM. IN. HEAVEN.


And how cute are these business cards/mending kits?!?


Or a needle threader...


Made in Western Germany!  So cool!


I don't know what the little women would say, but I'm pretty sure they would be happy with a sewing basket like this too.

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