Authentique Stitches Mother’s Day Sewing Card Folio: Memories of Mom
Hello, Friends! Today I have an Authentique Stitches Mother’s Day Sewing Card Folio to share with you as part of the Authentique Design Team Group Post. You can hop on over to the Authentique Blog to see more Mother’s Day inspiration from the team.
While my mom is no longer living on this earth, she lives forever in my heart. She was my mentor, my companion, my guardian, my nurse, my teacher and my best friend for 50 years of my life. I count myself as a most blessed woman for having had such an amazing mom. To honor her, I thought I’d share some stories and memories that inspired this card. This is more of a memorial post, as opposed to my normal tutorial, but I will still share some tips and tricks along with memories of mom.
Authentique Stitches Mother’s Day Sewing Card Folio: The Inspiration
My mom was a skilled seamstress, so the Stitches collection has a very special place in my heart. This 3″ x 4″ image could have been lifted directly from my childhood. I can’t even count the number of hours I spent by Mom’s side as she worked away at her White sewing machine. She always sat up straight, just like the gal in this photo, but unlike the gal in the photo, she usually had a mouth full of straight pins. About the only time I ever saw my mother sitting down was when she was at her typewriter or sewing machine. She did not believe in being idle.
I loved the soft scent of Tide laundry detergent combined with the liquid starch she used on all her house dresses. I would sit as close to her as humanly possible without interfering (too much) with the task at hand. Everything Mom did was fast: she typed so fast you couldn’t see her fingers flying over the manual keyboard. Mom never walked up stairs; she ran. Her mop slid over the linoleum floor of our kitchen as though she was in a race. And it was pedal to the metal when it came to sewing. That needle flew in and out of the fabric at dizzying speed. Yet her seams were always perfectly straight and true. I guess when you are raising a family of five kids, you learn how to do everything quickly.
Authentique Stitches Mother’s Day Sewing Card Folio: Pretty in Pink
Pink was Mom’s favorite color. She even had pink tennis shoes one year, and wore them until they had holes in them. There was a pink, A-line, pin-striped house dress that she wore all the time. Partly because she loved pink so much; partly because she didn’t have a closet full of beautiful dresses to choose from. Raising 5 kids also means that there’s not a lot of money for fancy clothes. But mom loved to LOOK at fancy clothing.
Like lots of households of that era, we waited with great anticipation for the Semi-Annual release of the Montgomery Ward catalog. It was an enormous, full color catalog filled with everything from garden tools to evening gowns. As busy as Mom was, she always found time to drool over that virtual emporium. With ink pen in hand, she would star the items of clothing she thought were particularly beautiful. If she really liked something, she would fold the corner of the page over to mark its place in that massive tome. And if she fell head over heels in love with a dress, it would find a place of honor, taped to the refrigerator door. That page would be marked with a huge star, and emblazoned with Mom’s handwritten note, “I love this!”
The Most Beautiful Dress in the World
One year, Mom found the most beautiful party dress…and yes, it was pink with a floral print. She starred it, wrote “I Love this!” , tore it out of the catalog and taped it to the fridge. “Kathy Jean, ” she proclaimed, “I am going to save up and buy that dress. It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
Week by week, mom put money in an envelope, saving for that dress. She took in ironing from the neighbors, fried dozens of doughnuts (36 dozen to be exact) each Saturday morning, then sent us out to deliver them to the neighbors who happily paid 50 cents for a dozen. Little by little, the envelope grew fat, and it looked like the pink dress was going to become a reality.
Then, disaster struck. I came down with pneumonia, and the bills for the doctor visits and prescriptions drained that envelope dry. One sad day, as I was recovering on the couch that Mom kept in our spacious country kitchen, I watched as she removed “the dress” from its place of honor on the fridge. I was a little girl, but I was still able to understand why that dress was NOT going to happen. And I began to cry, “But Mommy, you loved that dress.”
Without skipping a beat, Mom came over to the couch, put her arms around me and hugged me tight. “Now Kathy Jean, don’t you know…I was tired of wearing that old thing.” And we both burst into laughter. What a Mom!
Authentique Stitches Mother’s Day Sewing Card Folio: The Envelope
This story was playing through my mind while creating this card. So I created a special “Pink Dress” envelope to tuck onto the front of this card. Here’s how it came together:
- First, cut along the right hand side of the dress mannequin image with a craft knife.
- Next, create an envelope for a 3″ x 4″ card following the instructions on a W r Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board.
- Open the envelope flat, and stitch the image to the front .
- Leave the flaps unattached.
- Next, cover the stitching on the inside with a 3″ x 4″ panel of designer paper.
Tuck a vintage sewing kit and some vintage buttons on a vintage button card inside the envelope. Fold the envelope shut, slide it into the slot you created with your craft knife, and attach it to the card front with a pink bulldog clip.
Authentique Stitches Mother’s Day Sewing Card Folio: A Peek Inside
Inside this card, I tucked in lots of little items that made me think of Mom.
This little side flap pocket holds a vintage sewing card wrapped with vintage crochet lace trim and secured with a stick pin. I also created a little 3″ x 4″ note card to tuck into the pocket.
Mom loved to read, so I attached this very pink velvet bookmark with a mini belly band. She also had a thing for butterflies.
The little flap page turns over to reveal a wee pocket, sized perfectly for a pretty tea bag, vintage demitasse spoon and honey stick. And oh, Mom would have loved that pink sewing machine!
This vintage silver and gold plated spoon is imported from Italy. Mom would have loved it.
Mom loved pink so much, that once she painted her entire bedroom pink. Ceiling, trim and all. So I tried to include lots of pink in this card.
For more projects made with the Authentique Stitches Collection, click HERE.
I hope you don’t mind that I shared these stories about my wonderful Mom with you today. Wherever you are, I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheerio,
kathy
My mom sewed our clothes too. Knowing how hard it is to do, I wish I had been more appreciative at the time. Mom also helped me sew cushion covers for my little trailer. <3 Your folio tribute is precious and she would love it Kathy as well as knowing what a great woman you turned out to be. I love hearing about your mom- she sounds like such a cool person and I'm pretty sure you take after her! <3 hugs- Eileen
I’m sorry to be late being here, but I’m happy I didn’t have to cry on Mother’s Day. Your post is so touching and well written, and your pink sewing themed card filled to the brim with beautiful and sentimental details. The papers are stunning, and you have brought them to life with your clever interactive elements and vintage treasures. What a wonderful tribute to your lovely Mom! Bookmarking this, because I want to be sure to see it over and over again! Huge hugs!
So glad I didn’t get a chance to read this post until today, Kathy. This is a perfect Mothers Day story. Your wonderful folio with this Authentique paper is delightful and so right for your story. I can easily picture my mom just like this at her sewing machine. Her’s was a hobby that she enjoyed so much. Thanks for the card, the sharing, the memories.
Kathy I loved your stories of mom…and how she loved you…..I loved the card and pink could be my next favorite color…this card is adorable…and look how you added the pearls and perfect embellishments…I just love everything you create…sometimes I think you look into my brain sometimes lol…..have a wonderful mothers day friend….hugs
Kathy, this is such a beautiful creation and such a wonderful tribute to your Mom, it sounds like she was a very caring lady. I loved your stories about your Mom and your childhood – I certainly remember Tide washing powder but in my day it was Simpson Sears catalogue that my Mom used to pour through (in Canada) in the same way as your Mom did. Such wonderful memories…. Hugs, Anne xxx
What a lady! You do such a good job of sharing these memories and creating beauty from them. I love every bit of this and every bit of you! Happy Mothers Day Momma C!
My Mum too was a good seamstress, she made a lot of my clothes. I miss my mummy. This card is lovely with the little girl watching her mom. Brings back some sweet memories. Thanks Kathy. Enjoy your weekend and Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.
Love this. thanks for sharing stories about your Mom.
So nice to see your lovely projects made using this paper collection, one of my favorites, to be sure! Thank you for sharing your very personal memories…perfect for a Mom’s Day tribute project. My Mom, in addition to raising 7 kids, was a professional seamstress. She used a Singer industrial model sewing machine. That thing could stitch through anything! She was teaching me to make a flat felled seam (lengthening flat sheets for my tall brothers’ X long beds) and I sewed my finger right into the seam!! No blood or panic, just a fast use of scissors to cut the threads!! Thanks for providing memory moments for many of us. This is such a lovely card!
Gorgeous as always!!
Wonderful tribute to your Mother. Such sweet memories. I, too, remember sitting next to my Mom as she sewed. There was not extra money for a new dress, but Mom always made sure I had one. I stepped out in her latest creation made so lovingly by her. We had amazing selfless Mothers.
Kathy, what a beautiful, meaningful card. I love anything about sewing and this collection (which I have) is so perfect. I love EVERYTHING you’ve done with it. It wasn’t my Mother but my Grandmother that taught me how to sew. So that image is very sweet to me as well. I spent many a day and hours beside my Grandmother learning her skills. Thank you for sharing your beautiful childhood story with us. Your Mom loved that dress but it was just a thing. YOU were her blessing. She gladly gave up the dress and didn’t think twice about it! Hugs!
Ok. So the cards were beautiful, but the story about your mother was much more beautiful. Clearly she loved you more than any old dress and she proved that to you after you fell sick. I love and miss my mother too! She died when I was only nine years old. Did your mother have a round cookie tin of buttons too? I think there is some secret law in the “vintage” universe that said that all moms back in the day had to save buttons in a recycled cookie tin! Happy Mothers Day to you Kathy! Thank you for sharing your amazing work with the world and your heart warming story!
What a BEAUTIFUL memory! Happy Mother’s Day.
what a beautiful card , I wish my mam was still here she would love this card , but sadly she passed away in 1978 ,
a little bit of interest I watched a programme on the TV on Tuesday night all about the SINGER sewing machine how mr singer invented it in the U,S,A, and then he brought it Scotland and built a factory in CLYDEBANK GLASGOW ,it employed over 10.000 people men,women and children it was a very good programme I thought you might like it as it all started In America
Kathy, I just love hearing stories of your childhood, especially about your talented, fun loving Mum. I guess it must be Mothers Day in USA, so have a wonderful day with your family.You surely did your Mum proud with this stunning card.
Blessings from UK (I’m still here!)
Beautiful card and an even more beautiful memory that you shared about your mom. Thank you so much as I remember my mother, her kindness and love. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Dear Kathy, this “Card” is the most precious card ever! Luv every single, thoughtful detail! And your “Story” ….so awesome!!! The tears are flowing this morning …happy memories! My mom’s been gone 14yrs …Thank you so much for sharing yours. Happy Mother’s Day to you! Big hugs, Suzy Q
Absolutely beautiful card – love all the embellishments – beautiful work!
Another heartfelt creation that warms my soul!! Loved hearing the story about your mom. I’m going to go get my craft on!!!
What a beautiful memorial to your awesome Mom. I love this folio and the stories behind it. Happy Mother’s Day to you and all our incredible moms. What precious memories we share.
Your talking about your Mom brought tears to my eyes. I sure miss mine and the hum of her sewing machine. Happy Mother’s Day Kathy, you’re the best! xoxoxo
What a lovely tribute to your mother! Thank you for sharing her story . . . Brought tears of similar memories of my mother. Love your artistic creativity!
I’m reading this, Kathy, with tears in my eyes…what wonderful and poignant memories you have of your mom. I cry for her and for my own mom who I had for 57 years. She was very much the same and always had an optimistic attitude about everything. The card is wonderful, Kathy…Happy Mother’s Day to you!
A beautiful memory. My mother made all my clothes growing up as well as hers. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
Have you posted the instructions for the folio base, if not I would love to have it. It is absolutely stunning.
Kathy, this is precious. Absolutely beautiful use of the papers. Happy Mother’s Day to you, my sweet and crazy talented friend.