Creativity

Starting at the ripe age of eight, I was entered into the 4-H programs that the area sponsored. In this area I was taught how to sew. If any of you know about the 4-H programs, they usually encourage compitition which comes during the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show in January. I've always steered clear of this, not wanting to put my sewing on display.

When in high school, I also took some of the Home Ecomonics classes to refresh what I learned in 4-H with the sewing as well as learn nutrition and how to prepare it. I'm sure the cooking part is all basically the same everywhere, but different in the area you live. In this area when I took the course, cooking was in mostly preparing garden fresh vegetables, canning and cooking for a meal, processing fruits and gourds such as pumpkins directly from the garden for storing and prepration for food and great desserts such as pumpkin pie. The sewing was a bit more of a challenge for my teachers than for me. Having had started it in 4-H and prepared for compitition, though I never entered anything, my HS teachers were at a loss to find something that I could learn. So, instead of letting me use any of the new nifty White sewing machines they had, I had to make a complete garment, dress and jacket, just as they were made a century before - before the age of the sewing machine complete with zippers, hooks and eyes and ric-rac. This took me an entire semester to complete, but I have to admit, the garments never fell apart, ripped (at the seams anyway) and I eventually gave them to Goodwill because I out grew them. These were not only put on display in the lobby of the school, but I also was asked to model them at the annual fashion show the school put on in it's auditorium. This was my first compitition in anything. The grade I got didn't hurt either.

Today, I still enjoy making my own clothes and do so. I like being creative and making something that not only fits better than the stuff you get in the department stores, but is also unique in that you may not find another garment like this one anywhere. And I wear everything I make.

When I was 14 and doing the hand sewing in school, my mother couldn't figure out why I didn't sew more. She thought that everyone liked doing things they did well. Not me. I was 14. I had a whole world in front of me that was hugh and new and needed exploring. I wanted to explore it, not be tied to a sewing machine for the rest of my life. So I set out to see what was out there and try my hand at everything that interested me. Sewing was only one part of that world.

When we built this home, we chose this neighborhood because there were custom built homes here. I wasn't interested in the cookie cutter homes other developments offered. I wasn't everyone else and didn't want to look like everyone else. We were given limits to how small a home and how inexpensive we could build, but I still got to create out my own house plan according to the rythem of my family. Since we've built here, the developer has gotten another builder for this area who has said he would not build custom homes, but will construct a couple of cookie cutter homes a year to sell. There goes the charm of the neighborhood. I think it's sad that a builder, who probably knows nothing of creativity, has the nerve to tell people what rythem they should have. It takes away from the interest of the area. Right now, no two properties look alike. As a matter of fact, each and every one is completely different in style and rythem but none look out of place of junky. I have a one-story with an European flair. My next door neighbor is much more formal with a large Cape and classical landscaping. The other neighbor has a one-story, multilevel roof line contemporary with a comtemporary flair in her landscaping. The neighbor across the street is totally traditional. I think it's sad that this will now stop.

Well, back to my sewing. Right now I'm making a pair of shorts.