Our Sewing Heritage

Given my pasty white skin, freckles and red-hued hair some people find it hard to believe that my mother's maternal family is from Mexico. Even harder to believe is that when my grandfather was re-stationed away from the Arizona-Mexico border and given a new assignment in Alaska (where my mom was born) all of the Mexican family followed them. My great-grandmother, great-grandfather, two great uncles (one w/a wife and family), grandmother, grandfather and uncle suddenly found themselves in a much cooler climate.

My great-grandmother, Bertha, was the unbelievably talented lady in that bunch. Her sewing and knitting skills were unmatched. Lucky for me and my mom she wasn't bad at teaching her craft either and lived until I was 20 years old. While I do not know this to be true at all I always imagine her immediately getting to the task of making winter coats for the family's first Alaskan "arctic" winter.

While she may not have made coats for the entire family, however, she did manage to hand knit and embroider one magnificent coat while living in Alaska. It turned out so beautifully she entered it into the Alaska State Fair and took the Grand Marshall prize that year. That same coat has been hanging in my mother's sewing room since I was 15 and reminds me of how much wonderful talent I am surrounded by.

-Andrea