GrowingOlderHopeWiser

Aunt Mary made her singer sewing machine sing. She poured her love into every pattern she created for me. She would say pick out an outfit from this magazine, and she would recreate any designer dress I picked. She would lay out the pattern using only my measurements. I remember watching her unroll the large sheets of brown craft paper. She drew the pattern and cut it. Then she pinned it down on the material and cut it again. It was like magic to me to watch the process and especially to see the results.

Aunt Mary learned her craft working in the garment district in New York City. She worked on high-end Men’s suits. She even took me on a tour of her old factory. It was quite the experience. Each worker had a particular job in the process. They worked by volume. The more pieces they completed, the more they earned. So, Aunt Mary quickly sewed the dresses for me.

Among my favorite dresses she made were a wine velvet dress and a white lace dress with pink satin undergarments. She also made a blue Jackie Kennedy-style gown for me to attend a wedding. She also made me play dresses; in those days, girls wore dresses, rarely pants.

Aunt Mary was quite the fashionista, a true flapper from her days. She always dressed to the nines anytime she left the house. She also made sure I was well dressed as well.

She would roll up my hair with craft paper so that I would have beautiful corkscrew curls like Shirley Temple.

Aunt Mary was among the most influential people in my life. Her love was honest, deep, and lasting. I considered her my other mother. She had a marvelous sense of humor and a lively personality. She was always active. She ensured I had positive experiences. Her gourmet cooking provided remarkable food. For entertainment, she took me to places like Radio City’s Christmas shows. She would take me on long bus and train rides to visit places like Far Rockaway Beach and Prospect Park.

I will never forget the excellent Aunt Mary. I feel her presence as I cook delicious meals of my own now. I also sense her as I create my acrylic paintings.