This week, our city is in full back-to school mode. All I can say is I am thrilled I am not going back to school. I really don’t understand this middle of August routine they have created, as we used to go back to school the Tuesday after Labor Day. My grandchildren are going back this week and I know it is less-than-fun to put on school clothes and go back.
Mom made beautiful dresses for my sister and me. You couldn’t wear pants back then in the dark ages. Nope, you had to wear skirts or dresses. Mom started sewing our back to school clothes in August so that we would have the requisite dark cottons to mark the season.
Playground was my favorite time…to be out of the room and in the fresh air was delightful. A game of kick ball or climbing the monkey bars was always fun. I can’t exactly remember the school year, but I know it was in elementary school, when I had on one of my beautiful creations and I stepped on the hem and tore it out. Fortunately, I didn’t tear the skirt off, but the large double-folded hem was hanging down 6 inches.
Necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say, so I decided the intelligent thing to do would be to staple the hem back in—all the way around. When Mom saw my inventive solution she did a double-take. I knew, perhaps, that my idea wasn’t genius after all. She explained that everywhere the staple went in through all layers, I created 6 holes in the skirt. She painstakingly fixed the mess I created and the dress was ready to go again.
Finally, many years later, someone smart said it was OK for girls to wear slacks. I salute whoever made that daring call in the 70s. Mom made my first pantsuit (matching top and slacks) of blue velour…I had arrived. No jeans, but comfy slacks.
What was your favorite back to school outfit?
