collar tags

I had such a strange rememberance this morning.When I was growing up,my mom sewed.Like,alot.She is an incredible seamstress-honestly.But she wouldn't let me pick out the pattern or fabric for my clothes.We would go to the local fabric store,Lucia's...which was actually owned by our neighbor,Lucia Taylor.She was(is) one of the funniest and most interesting/eccentric people I've ever encountered.She was a world traveler and c-l-a-s-s-y.But man, was she funny.She was obsessed with her cats and had about 20 of them in her house.She also kept black birds in cages in her sunroom.Their house smelled of instant coffee,litter boxes and fabric.She kept all the inventory from the store in her basement, so there was hundreds of boxes of sewing notions and bolts of fabric.Also,my youngest brother had the misfortune of seeing her nipple in a mind numbing encounter with Lucia when he was about 13...all the poor kid was doing was running something to their front door for my mom.Lucia was in her seventies at this point,so not exactly a nip glance a young kid would hope for.Ha! Poor guy.
 Anyway-I was rembering Lucia this morning,and my mom sewing and the hours we would spend at that fabric store.I remember the beaded door curtain that led to the back room and how I would touch the beads and it seemed so mysterious to me-why they would be hanging in that sewing shop.I would pour over the pattern books and pick out cool and funky bell-bottoms and maxi skirts and gauzy tops with bell sleeves,inevitably my mom would refute any of my pleas and would pick out yet another plaid fabric for yet another jumpsuit,or Holly Hobby fabric for one more jumper dress. But *everything*she made for me,she would sew a tag in that said really funny things.Like, 'for my sweetheart'..or 'made with love'...or 'sewn for someone special'. Isn't that funny? I loved it and as frustrated as I was with having another yellow jumpsuit with ric-rac and a striped belt hanging in my closet,I couldn't wait to see what 'message' was on the tag. I know now,that it may have been difficult for her to show affection or be demonstrative. I may not have been whispered those words in my ear..but in the little ways. The ways that I am NOW seeing clearly.