Sewing Dreams and Experiences

Writers: Ames, Eimi
Date Posted: 8th August 2010

Characters: Lisadi, Gantarion, Unnamed Girl
Description: Lisadi helps a young girl repair a damaged garment
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 10, day 9 of Turn 5

"Morning Gantarion," Lisadi said as she entered the seamstress rooms.
"How are you today?"

The other woman, bent over an article of clothing, mumbled through a
mouthful of pins. "Busy. Very busy." She gestured to a table behind
her and added, "Can you fix the hem on that dress?"

"Of course," Lisadi said pleasantly. Walking over to the counter, she
picked up the garment, gathered up her supplies and took a seat to
begin fixing the hem on the dress. It was a beautiful, pale rose in
color, and Lisadi couldn't help but run her fingers over the material
and imagine wearing the dress herself. Chuckling quietly, she took her
pins and needles and began working.

After a short time, Gantarion stood and came over to join her. "No
little ones today?" She asked. Lisadi shook her head. "No, the nursery
wasn't very full, so they didn't need me today."

With a firm nod of her head, the older woman said, "I'm going to get a
bit of a snack. If anyone comes, help them as best you can."
Gantarion, who had more years of experience doing this work than
Lisadi, smiled and left the room. Lisadi was alone. She really didn't
mind. When she worked with the children, nothing seemed quiet, so this
was a nice change from that more hectic routine, even if she stabbed
herself with a needle now and then. Sucking on her finger, she shook
her head at her own clumsiness. She'd mended and darned things for
Burned and even some of the others at the cothold, but some of the
more fine work the women here did took time to learn. Lisadi loved a
challenge, so she set her mind to learning everything she could and
doing her best work.

As she got back to her hemming, the sound of footsteps drew her
attention. She looked up and saw the shadowy form of a figure just
outside the doorway.

The glows obviously over-exaggerated the size of the new-comer, for the
shadowy shape turned out to be a little girl, not yet out of Harper
Classes, but already having reached her growth spurt. She was not,
however, too old to cry. Her face was tear streaked and her lip
trembled as she stepped in, holding a fine yellow dress in her hand.
"Can you help me?" she asked softly.

Lisadi's heart immediately went out to the young girl as she took in
her tear-stained face. Putting the dress she'd been working on quickly
aside, Lisadi rose and moved over to the girl.

"Tell me what happened, love," she said reaching a hand out to the
girl's shoulder. "What has you so upset?"

Fresh tears came to the surface as she held out the garment to the
woman. "Mama told me not to play with grandmother's dress, but I did,
and I broke it!"

"Don't cry," Lisadi said kindly, bending down on one knee to look the
little girl in the eye. "I bet we can find a way to fix it. Here, let
me take a look." Lisadi gently took the dress from the girl's hands.
As she examined the yellow garment, she found what the problem was.
The sleeve had come off the main body of the dress. Not a hard problem
to fix at all.

"Oh, look, we can definitely fix this. Would you like to help me?"
Lisadi asked, wanting the girl to know that it really was something
they could tackle. "I'm Lisadi, and I think with your help we can have
this gown fixed up in no-time."

"Ok," the girl sniffed, though her tears now were of relief rather than
fear. "But I don't know how."

"Don't worry. I'll show you." Lisadi had placed a hand on the young
girl's shoulder and steered her over to a stool near where she had
been working.

Holding the yellow dress in her hands, Lisadi showed the girl where
the sleeve had come off the bodice of the dress. "See, only this
little seam has come loose. We can probably fix it quickly. Now, we'll
just find some thread that matches and a needle. Have you ever
threaded a needle before?" Lisadi looked towards the young girl as she
held the thread and the needle in her hand. Perhaps if she could make
the girl feel as though she had helped repair the dress, she would not
feel so upset over whatever had happened.

"Yes," she sniffed, whipping her eyes with the back of her hands. "I
can sew buttons on my papa's shirts."

"Wonderful!" Lisadi exclaimed. "Why don't you thread this needle for
us, while I get the material back in place so we can stitch it back
together." Lisadi handed the young girl the needle and thread. Then,
laying out the dress onto the counter, she moved and positioned the
cloth so the sleeve looked like it was where it belonged. She turned
back to see how the young lady was doing with the needle.

With intense concentration, tongue clamped between her lips, the girl
carefully threaded the needle. When she was satisfied the thread would
not easier slip back through, she tied a knot as her mother had taught
her with equal care. "I got it."

"Wonderful job," Lisadi exclaimed, beaming at the young girl. "Now, if
you look at the dress, I've realigned the sleeve where it belongs.
We're going to stitch it back together. Here let me show you." Lisadi
took the needle and carefully moved it through the fabric, pulling the
thread so it was tight before she pushed the needle back through again
with a tiny, almost invisible stitch.

"Now you try," Lisadi said, holding the needle and thread in the air
where it was attached to the dress, as she placed her hand on the
girl's back and guided her closer to the counter.

Taking the needle in hand, the girl starred down at the dress in front
of her with the same determination as when she had done the first task.
Carefully, she pushed it through the fabric of the dress as she had seen
Lisadi do. "Like this?" she asked, seeking confirmation that she was
doing it right.

"Exactly like that," Lisadi praised the girl. "Now just pull it all
the way through and then start coming back to the front, but remember
to keep your stitches small." Lisadi showed the girl exactly what she
meant with her hands in the air, mimicking the act she wanted her to
perform. "I bet you could fix the whole sleeve! You'd make a fine
seamstress some day if you keep this up." Lisadi smiled.

"I'm not going to be a seamstress," the girl said matter of factly as
she pulled the thread through for a second stitch. "I'm going to be a
harper."

"Oh, harpers are wonderfully talented. Perhaps someday you'll sing a
song for me," Lisadi, said, placing her hand gently on the girl's
back. "You're doing fabulously with that seam. Would you like to
finish it?"

"Can you do it?" Now that the panic had worn off, the girl wasn't so
interested in playing seamstress.

"Alright," Lisadi said with a smile and reached for the needle and
thread from the girl's hand. Working quickly but precisely she sewed
the sleeve back onto the dress. Finishing the last stitch she tied off
the string and then held the dress up for the girl to see.

"Good as new, I'd say, wouldn't you?" Lisadi looked around the dress
to see the girl's reaction.

Her face spread into a relieved smile. "Yes, I can't even see where it
was fixed!"

Lisadi was pleased to see the young girl smile so brightly. "You were
a big help in fixing this. Here you go." Lisadi folded the dress up
and handed it to the young girl. Seeing the happiness on her face
filled Lisadi with joy. She loved children and loved when they were
happy. It made her heart glad.

Last updated on the August 13th 2010

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