GOWNING ACHIEVEMENT : TIME FOR JOY, TEARS AND A RENEWED MOTHER-DAUGHTER FRIENDSHIP.Byline: Lori Moody Daily News Staff Writer When my mom set out to make my bridal gown, I didn't imagine how stitching yards of satin and lace would transform our relationship or what an emotional experience we were in for. There was the nerve-racking race to finish in time. There were fights, particularly when I reverted to the role of impatient 8-year-old instead of a 39-year-old adult. Moms do that to you. And there were the crying spells. Weddings do that to you. Mom and I have been close since my dad died when I was 12. Our relationship grew as we spent more time together during the three months she worked on the dress. I gained a renewed respect for her talent and creativity. I had forgotten how strong a person she is. Even when family problems threatened to sidetrack her emotionally, she kept working on my dress. For me. There was never any question that my mom would make ``The Dress,'' which is how it eventually came to be known. And as it turned out, she outfitted most of the wedding party - the six flower girls flower girl n. A young girl who carries flowers in a procession, especially at a wedding. Noun 1. flower girl - a woman who sells flowers in the street , the matron-of-honor and ``best man'' (a woman), the ring bearer The word/phrase ringbearer or ring bearer or ring-bearer may refer to:
Her friend Anne thought she was crazy. ``You don't think about the entire thing,'' my mom says. ``Otherwise, you would go nuts. You take it day by day and challenge by challenge.'' I had complete confidence. She has been sewing since she was a kid. Her parents didn't have a lot of money. If she wanted clothes, she made them. I inherited her Singer. When she got married in her early 20s, she made curtains and bedspreads. She also made many of my baby clothes and dresses I wore as a girl. ``Sewing is not a hobby,'' she says. ``It's something I've always done.'' She stopped sewing for me when she took a job outside the home when my dad died, and also partly, I believe, because she refused to contribute to the questionable fashion sense of a preteen pre·teen adj. 1. Relating to or designed for children especially between the ages of 10 and 12. 2. Being a child especially between the ages of 10 and 12; preadolescent. n. A preteen boy or girl. in the late '60s and early '70s. Fortunately, we completely agreed on the wedding dress. In fact, my mom had begun looking at bridal gown patterns even before David popped the question. Her sewing room in Palmdale was transformed into a wedding factory. When the time came for her to begin my dress, we went to a department store so I could try on a couple of styles. When I put on a veil, my mom cried. I knew those wouldn't be the last tears I would see. We found a pattern and fabric, silk satin and alencon lace A`len`Con´ lace´ 1. See under Lace. . My mom's trial began. She collected sewing books on wedding gowns. She'd call me early in the morning. ``I've been up since 5 going over the pattern,'' she'd say. This went on for a few days. Then it was time to get on with the dress. We rolled out the 11-1/2 yards - $40 a yard! - on the cutting table. My mom had her scissors scissors Cutting instrument or tool consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. Modern scissors are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection between the cutting ends in hand, ready to make that first cut. ``Nooooooooo!'' I yelled. Fortunately, my mom has a sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour . My least favorite moment was trying on the muslin muslin, general name for plain woven fine white cottons for domestic use. It is believed that muslins were first made at Mosul (now a city of Iraq). They were widely made in India, from where they were first imported to England in the late 17th cent. sample of the bodice that my mom made to get the right fit before cutting into the actual fabric. What a disaster. It was this unflattering, thin piece of fabric in a shade of yellowish beige that made you want to run right out to a tanning booth A tanning booth is a device that emits ultraviolet radiation, usually for the purpose of a cosmetic tan. They are very similar to a tanning bed, but the design is such that it is intended to be used while standing up, rather than lying down. despite the risks. My reaction was, ``This is awful.'' My mom's was, ``She hates her wedding dress.'' Jill, my best friend and matron-of-honor, talked some sense into me, and I was able to smooth things over with my mom. I cherished the time we spent together sewing the pearls on the lace bodice. She ultimately sewed sew v. sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing, sews v.tr. 1. To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: on most of the 4,100 pearls, 1,000 bugle bugle, brass wind musical instrument consisting of a conical tube coiled once upon itself, capable of producing five or six harmonics. It is usually in G or B flat. beads and 250 sequins. But during the few hours I could help, I felt like we had our own sewing circle sewing circle n. A group of people, especially women, who meet regularly for the purpose of sewing, often for charitable causes. . It was so peaceful. We mainly gossiped or talked about the wedding. I found out later from my sister-in-law Diana that my mom would have to take breaks from working with the fabric because her hands would ache. Gathering the stiff fabric even caused her hands to bleed. I cried when I heard that. She didn't want me to know. When my mom finished the dress, I got a message on my voice mail at work: ``I just wanted you to know, you can celebrate. Your wedding dress is done. Now we do the train. I think I will go out and get a bottle of champagne.'' On the morning of the wedding, we both woke up at 5 a.m. in the hotel room we were sharing. We talked about all the outfits she made for the wedding. We reminisced. ``This has been a very special time,'' she told me. I loved everything about my wedding dress, right down to the pillbox pillbox, small, low fortification that houses machine guns and antitank weapons. Similar to a blockhouse, it is usually made of concrete, steel, logs, or filled sandbags. Pillboxes came into use during the early 20th cent. headdress headdress, head covering or decoration, protective or ceremonial, which has been an important part of costume since ancient times. Its style is governed in general by climate, available materials, religion or superstition, and the dictates of fashion. and veil. Not only is it beautiful, it was made by my mom. I can never thank her enough. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Pam Potter checks the final fitting of the w edding dress she made for her daughter, Lori Moody. ``This has been a very special time,'' Potter told her daughter on her wedding day. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion