Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Dear Mrs. Toley

Dear Mrs. Toley,

I know it's been almost 20 years since you attempted to teach me to sew, but I'm sure you remember me. I was the ultra liberated seventh grader who had more important things to do than learn anything about home economics. When you warned me that my grade was slipping, I informed you that you were mistaken if you thought either myself or my parents cared what kind of grade I got in sewing class. When the sweatshirt I made had a neck opening that would have accommodated a conjoined twin, I didn't care. After all, I thought sewing was a skill best left to Donna Reed and laborers in third world countries.

I know it's been a long time, but I think an apology is due. You see, I am now the mother of two little girls and those third world countries are having a difficult time discerning between clothing for preschoolers and clothing for Kim Kardashian. Probably something to do with the language barrier.

I am also an avid clearance shopper. That means that whatever is leftover at the end of the season, I will purchase for the following year. I save an astounding amount of money but I have to take what I can get, whether it fits my ideas of modesty or not. If it isn't modest, I have to make it that way. That's where the skills you tried so valiantly to teach me would really be useful.

Case in point: Who would pass up a Speedo brand swimsuit for $6.81? Certainly not me. I bought two. It wasn't until I got home and had my girls try the suits on that I realized the "v" necklines plunged halfway to their navels.

I had a tie-on skirt from an old swimsuit that I could donate to the cause. I had to make it work.

Make it work, I did, thanks to the skills you managed to get past my less than exemplary attitude.

It wasn't easy, it's not perfect and the back of my work is a total disaster but my daughters will be covered and that's what counts.

So I would like to tell you thank you for teaching me all you did and I deeply regret not learning more when I had the chance.

Your slightly-less-liberated-than-I-thought former student,

Rachael

3 comments:

Your mom said...

YAY Rachael. And your humor cracks me up!

Sarah Lenhart said...

Haha - I love this!

Ginger said...

This is what self-reliant means. Making things work for you and your family with your time and skills. Nice work. Way to go!

And for the record. I didn't learn a thing in Home Economics. My mom made me take sewing lessons from a friend of hers that needed help financially. But I think that I was the one who really benifited.