The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center

Mother & Daughter Competition

by Shirley Biehl, Shirley’s Sewing Stuff

My daughter, Sherri Keaton, is 45 years old, grew up in the 60’s, and didn’t want to be “Betty Homemaker.”

Being the overbearing mother that I am, she learned to cook, wash dishes, do laundry, clean house and mess up a house.

My love has always been sewing, knitting, crocheting, and creating!

It was not “cool” to wear homemade clothes in the 70s, but Sherri made them anyway. She had no interest in making them though. During her college years when she would receive a package from Mom, it would have some more homemade clothes. The other girls were envious because Mom cared enough to make and send her some clothes. It started to get more “cool” to wear Mom-designed clothing.

Marriage came, two boys were added to the family, but Sherri still had no interest in sewing. She tried to make some shorts for her husband but made them backwards and that was the end of that.

At age 40 she asked me if I could teach her to knot. After she brought me the smelling salts and I recovered, I taught her to knit. What a mistake! She wanted to knit her husband’s shirts, her kids’ raincoats -- you name it.

At age 42, we attended a TNNA Conference. Someone asked her if she would like to learn to crochet. Crochet? Yea baby, bring it on. Yarn was flying, but still no interest in sewing.

In June of last year, I was going to be teaching in Wisconsin and from there we were going to have an extended vacation. I needed someone to stay with my store while I was gone. Sherri took a week of vacation and came down from Indianapolis to be the “store manager.”

I received a call and it was Sherri, asking if it would be OK if she tried to make a purse. “Sure!” I replied. I received another call. Sherri said, “Mom, I made a purse!”

I said, “Really?” She said, “YES! And I’m going to make another!”

“Great,” I replied. “Go for it.”

Each time I received a call, Sherri’s voice was a little bit more excited. I wondered what the purses looked like. Boy was I surprised to see them when I returned home.

Our County Fair was coming up and I thought it would be fun to enter her purse in a competition. I figured she couldn’t get anything below a red ribbon. I also decided to enter one of my purses in the competition.

Well, when it came time to go to the fair and see the results of the entries -- Sherri Keaton received a Champion and I received the red ribbon.

I called Sherri immediately and told her what I had done and then I told her the results. She almost had to have smelling salt after that bit of news. She said, “Sorry Mom that I beat you!”

I replied, “No problem. I am so proud that I can almost fly!”

My family has a history of living a long time so who knows what Sherri’s creative future will bring. She’ll probably call me at age 63 and say, “Guess what Mom, I want to make a jacket.” I will be 91 years old and probably won’t know what a jacket is anymore, but I’ll bluff it and say, “Sure, go for it baby!”

Reprinted from SQE Professional, April 2009