Once
the breakfast dishes were done, Ina pulled a jar of her canned beef from the
pantry shelf and set to chopping onions, carrots, and potatoes for a nice beef
stew. Once it was simmering on the stove, she sat down to review again the instructions
for the doll. “The trouble with these patterns,” she thought to herself, “is
that the drawings are cuter than the doll will be.” Nevertheless, she dutifully
laid out the pattern on the dining room table and began to cut away, leaving the
work only to put on a pot of coffee and set a plate of cookies on the kitchen
table for Jack.
Coming in for his mid-morning warming, Jack peered into the dining room to ask what she was doing.
“Well,”
Ina began, “Sadie wants a doll for Christmas, and we can’t afford to buy one, so
I’m making one.” She showed him the pattern, half expecting him to protest that
it was too late for such foolishness, but instead he just nodded thoughtfully.
As he left again for the barn, a purposeful set to his shoulders, Ina wondered
what was on his mind.
By noon, Ina had finished cutting out the doll and cleared the table, stacking the pieces on the sewing machine. And after they had enjoyed their stew, she cleared the dishes to the kitchen counter to be washed later in the afternoon. To delay the work was to break a cardinal rule of housewifery: “No housewife shall postpone washing, drying, and putting away the dishes after a meal.” And perish the thought that someone would call and find her dishes undone. But in this case, Ina felt justified. She could wash dishes as daylight faded but needed plenty of light to sew. Before Jack left again for the barn, he helped her position the sewing machine closer to the dining room window. She could sew several hours before daylight began to wane.
Pocketta-whir,
pocketta-whir, pocketta-whir, clunk – the old treadle machine stitched away. It
was impossible to sew quickly because of all the curves, but don’t worry. Ina
was skilled at keeping the machine moving forward while smoothly rounding the
corners. By the end of her afternoon session, the doll’s parts were sewn
together. As she and Jack sat under the light of the kerosene lantern that evening,
she carefully trimmed seams, clipped curves, and lovingly turned each piece
right side out.
Oh the things we're so used to having now. Electric lights, a dishwasher, sewing machines that whir with the touch of a foot pedal or button. All available twenty-four hours a day, so no matter when we get the urge to create (or clean!), we can.
ReplyDeleteSo true! And yet, I find that when daylight begins to fade, I'm not as comfortable at my sewing machine. Of course, I can press the button on the dishwasher anytime!
ReplyDeleteSome projects benefit from natural light no matter what.
ReplyDeleteCanned BEEF?? Was it chunks, shredded, ground?
I know she canned beef because she mentions it. I imagine it was in chunks for stew. I checked online, and it says that beef can be canned but a pressure canner must be used.
ReplyDeleteIt's rather amazing to me that most people survived the food preservation processes of yesteryear. When my mother described how her mother preserved fried chicken in fat, I was amazed. "You're lucky to be alive," I told her. I was skeptical of that process, but then someone else described the same process to me.