Mom always made shirts for her boys. We had a little sewing room on the second floor, stuffed with fabrics, patterns, bobbins and thread. Mom taught her six kids to sew. We often made our own button or jeans repairs. Mom took on big projects, and she didn't just create dresses and blouses for girls.Back in the 50s, Mom sewed three matching pink shirts for her three boys to wear to church every Sunday. They were identical, except for the tailored-to-fit sizes. . . and each sported a unique pocket logo.
In the 70s, she went all out. That's when tie-dye and lace and "anything goes" raged and Mom was not going to be left out of the fun. One day she surprised her boys with new handmade shirts, not because we didn't have any, not because we needed them, not because we asked for them, but just because she wanted to do it.
Today, Stan's shirt is still in great shape. Click to enlarge these photos: notice the fine stitching on the cuffs, the gathered sleeves. Mom obviously had fun doing this, but they were also a lot of hard work, and the more we see them, the more we appreciate them.
In the photo above, proudly modeling the tailored shirts in the back yard at our Alexandria home on Lake Andrew are Virgil, Stan and Steve. Real men wear lace, you know. The young fellow is Chris Miller, Stan's "little brother," whose highlight that spring day was driving Dad's riding lawnmower.
It was with great pleasure that Stan handed on his 70s shirt this spring to his youngest, Jennifer. She loves it and wore it here for waffles today.
