Sylvia doll – my earliest sewing memories

Hi friends!

When I saw one of the prompts for the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge – your first sewing memories – a whole flood of the actual memories came rushing to my mind… The first one of them – my super well dressed, fashionable Sylvia doll!!

You see, I learned how to sew when I was about 9, from a pro – my step-mother. She was a nurse by day and professional seamstress at night. She had this little shoebox-size sewing room, in her step-mother’s house, where she was sewing and making dresses for most women in town. So every afternoon, we would go from my dad’s apartment over to her step-mother’s house so she can sew and I was right there watching her every move, listening to every gossip women were chatting about and picking all the good scraps from her scrap box! I would then, under her side-glances and guidance, using her treadle sewing machine whenever she wasn’t using it, make clothes for my dolls and teddy bear Theo. But I was using all the proper techniques – stand-up collars, sleeve cuffs, plackets, pockets…you name it!

My favorite model (and my favorite doll at a time), was Sylvia! Sylvia is a famous Italian Furga, Alta Moda doll that my mom got for me in Italy!! In comparison, they are like now American Girl dolls and also similar in size and shape. As I thought about writing this, I was wishing I would have any photo of my doll to show you and then it hit me – Google it? Well of course – BAM! – Furga dolls and even Sylvia herself in all these photos!! (apparently they are quite expensive vintage items sold on eBay!). So above is the exact doll, Sylvia, just how I remember her!! That purple dress, that platinum hair… and this box that she came in – I remember that too because I kept it and used to dream about all these dolls and outfits shown!! Goodness I remember it so clearly now!! (photo below showing the box, is of Sheila doll – they each had a specific color dress :), see my first image above )

So my Sylvia had so many excellent dresses, pants (yes, I learned how to make real, tailored pants then! ) and one I remember the best – deep plum color wool suit, pencil skirt and jacket! Oh goodness, these are such good memories from the time of my life when some things were not as happy… Wish I had a photo to show you of my well dressed Sylvia and my favorite teddy bear, named Theo. He had a lovely set of sweater jacket, pants and a hat with a pompom!! I remember that very clearly too! My dad (who brought me Theo from his trip to Hungary), used to joke that Theo is so well dressed, he will run away to go look for some cute bear-girls… LOL!!

So my step-mother, who didn’t really love me, but did like my passion for sewing, gave me this important gift, and for that I am so grateful.

Once I became a teenager and moved away to live with my mom, I started sewing for myself. Oh I was a somewhat unusual teenager who never liked any fashion trends that everyone else was wearing…I always had to make my own. And that also meant that I couldn’t even find fabric I wanted – I clearly remember making myself a skirt and shirt set, for which I had to buy plain, white bed sheet that was 100% cotton (cotton clothes were NOT popular in the 70-ties!! yikes…) and then dye it into the color I wanted (I remember, it was deep plum/purple), and then make my outfit!!

I never stopped sewing clothes until we came to US! Here, clothes are much cheaper and it really didn’t make sense to do it in a busy, busy life of full time work and three growing, busy kids. I didn’t even have a sewing machine when we came! But then came first Halloween…and oh boy, did I get one in a hurry!! My kids were used to getting whatever they imagine, since mom can sew, so store-bought costumes were simply out of question… Cinderella dress, Batman outfit, Scarlet O’Hara dress (that petticoat almost killed me!), a whole 3D shark, giant butterfly wings, Rainbow witch…you name it! Such good memories!!

Once I discovered quilting – it completely took over and fulfilled my need to make things, it answered my need for playing with color and became my creative voice to this day. Garment sewing came back though – with birth of our granddaughters, so now I again love and do both!