My Sew Gem

This is my sewing machine... My Grandmama's antique Sew Gem machine. It's hard to believe it's been almost ten years since she last touched it. (that's her butter tub of buttons and pin cushion too.)

I remember as a girl, sitting and watching her sew for hours. All my dresses were made on this machine. I think one of the first store bought dresses I owned, I wore to my 8th grade graduation! And boy, store bought dresses just didn't fit the same! She made many a quilts, clothing, aprons, pillows, and potholders on this old dandy. I wish I could have learned from her, that I would have wanted to know how to sew when she was alive. Grandmama had so much knowledge about sewing and gardening and everything else in between. I wish as a teenager, I would have watched more intently, ask more questions, and learned from the best.

I wonder if she ever thought I would have her machine. If the sew gem would ever be used after her death. I wonder what she would think about me making pillows and curtains and aprons on her machine. I really wish she was still here and we could be making stuff together. Grandmama was my hero and I'm just a little bit sentimental about her. When I sew, I seem to miss her even more.

I've been contemplating getting a new sewing machine, one that can do all the fancy stitches and such, but I think back to how Grandmama did everything she ever needed to with this one machine.

Sometimes I ponder the thought of 'if the house was burning, what would I grab first' and Grandmama's Sew Gem and the two quilts she made me are always on the top of the list. Yeah, I'm just a tad bit sentimental...