*Update: I recently found out from my Aunt that this first belonged to my Great-Grandmaw Sarah Jane Dreher Forbes. She died when my Grandma was only a teenager. That makes it even more special!!!
My grandmother's Singer sewing machine sat in what we, Mitchell cousins, lovingly referred to as "the cold room". It was the only bedroom in the back hall of her home (besides hers) with an air conditioner. It was the room all of us cousins wanted to sleep in – even though it was tiny, didn't have a bed, and was ffffffrrrrrrrrrrreeezing! But in South Louisiana a freezing room is a comforting place on a humid summer night.
At the foot of the floor pallet we always slept on sat this sewing machine. It featured four drawers, one of which had a sticker on it that either my Uncle Don or my cousin Donny had put there years before. The drawers were stuffed. With what? I don't know! I never dared open them.
A few years ago my grandmother's house needed to be emptied and I made it clear to my mom that if there were ever an option for me to have anything there were two items of my grandmother's I'd really love to have... her pie safe and her sewing machine. Both got passed around to other children (my aunts and uncles) throughout the past few years. They've sat out in the elements, been covered in dirt, penetrated with moisture from the thick, bayou air. But last month my parents came to visit with a surprise.... the sewing machine!
It was in rough shape. I didn't care. The metal base was covered in rust and dirt and... rabbit fur? I didn't care. The wooden top had been chipped and was cracking. I did not care.
I broke out my shop vac, lemon oil, plastic and wire brushes, and started cleaning! I oiled the hinges and joints. Cleaned as much of the dirt off as I could without ruining what was there. Coated the wood with oil to moisturize the brittle veneer.
Remember the drawers? I finally opened them! And guess what I found? Treasures!
Grandma's old bobbins and spools. Straight pins. Marking pens. A piece of baby blue sash chord from a house coat she used to wear. A bowling pin from 1991 (they loved to bowl!). A pocket devotional book that I'm sure she read several times. A Beltone hearing aid booklet from 1987! And a few things that probably were not hers... A shotgun shell. A "New Kids On The Block" Hangin' Tough cassette tape. And a few Legos.
The contents of those drawers made me smile! They were a snapshot of what life was like at Grandma Lula Belle's house! Family. Fun. Hard work. Spiritual growth.
How I miss those days! And I wish she were still here to teach me how to sew on that Singer sewing machine! But every day when I go into that foyer, I think of her. I love having things in my home that remind me of those I love.
By the way, that chair was hers, too! But that's a story for another time!
Now, let's go junkin'!
Liz
What is your favorite piece of furniture in your home?
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