Have you ever started a sewing project that spoke to your soul or lifted your broken heart? I’ve heard of this but never truly experienced it. Until recently. Let me tell you about this seemingly simple shirt I made that was truly a warm embrace from my dearly departed mother.

There’s No Rule Book for Grief….

On October 20th 2023 my sweet mom very unexpectedly passed away due to a freak accident at home.  To say I was devastated is an understatement. Fortunately, I have a large, supportive family. Here’s most of the grandkids with my dad at our Christmas party this year.

They, along with my husband and boys have been so amazing as we navigate this thing called grief. You would never know, but we took the picture below two days after my mom left this world. We were all so sad but my mom loved watching us play Mario Kart at night before the kids went to bed. We play nearly every night and she and my dad woud visit us often. So we put on our Halloween costumes early and took pictures for our Christmas card. The black, felt mask I’m wearing was soaked in tears the whole time. My friend showed up during this photoshoot to bring us dinner and wondered what on earth was happening. Grief. There’s no rule book, rhyme or reason. It’s such a strange thing.

Through the magic of photo shop my husband made our Christmas card look completely delightful. Absent of all the sadness that was in our hearts. That was a miracle too. But it’s not the one I’m writing about. The one I’m writing about happened because of an unfinished sewing project that my mom started nearly 40 years ago.

A Project Found…

My youngest sister has found healing while helping my dad sift through boxes of old memories and unfinished sewing projects of my moms. They would organize and separate them into different bins to be donated. While doing this my sister found a sewing project my mom had started decades ago. It was the Simplicity number 9025 shirt pattern. The Copyright is 1979 but she probably didn’t start in until the 80’s. Well, my sister gathered all the pieces and put it in some bags and boxes with several other items for me to go through. She delivered them to me the week before Christmas.

Unboxing the Memories….

I let it all sit there in my sewing room for a few days, oblivious to its contents. It was hard to think about the memories that might be revealed if I opened it all up. I waited until Christmas Eve and then my curiosity got the better of me. That, and I desperately wanted to feel close to my mom on this first Christmas without her. So I carefully opened the first bag in one of the boxes.

At first it just looked like old patterns she used to make us Christmas PJs. Then I started seeing the remnants of fabric from those PJs and then the memories came. Memories of when my boys were little, their chubby feet tripping on jammies that were a bit too long for their bodies. That was always my favorite. I was pulling out bits of fabric at a time when I saw it.

The Shirt is Revealed….

It was a sky blue colored, island print fabric. It seemed misplaced because all the other scraps were either woven or flannel, but the blue fabric looked to be knit. Knit was a fabric my mom seldom used. I, on the other hand, LOVE using knit fabric. So I pulled it out to examine more closely.

Yes, it was indeed a knit fabric, but it was already cut out into something. Perhaps sleeves? They looked like sleeves for a dropped shoulder shirt. How funny. That’s something I would wear not my mom.

Then I saw more of the same fabric… a tiny scrap. Maybe a neckband of some sort? Hmmmm…. So I dug deeper into the bag and pulled out a larger piece of fabric. This looked like the starting of a shirt. The front and back of the shoulders were already sewn together and it had the prettiest little button placket nearly finished.

It just needed buttons and buttonholes. I thought, well I can finish this on my own without instructions but it would be nice to know what pattern it came from at least. So I peeked back in the bag and there they were. The instructions for Simplicity pattern number 9025. 

I gave them a quick scan and saw that it should have one more piece for the neckband which I saw was actually a collar. I ended up finding it at the very bottom of the bag with a piece of fusible interfacing and the actual pattern piece still attached. It’s the only pattern piece I was able to find for this shirt. Below is an excerpt from the pattern I thought I would share. Although it’s quite dated I found it delightful and wished commercial patterns still came with the courtesies this vintage pattern came with. A quick search on the internet showed me what the pattern packet would have looked like.

Simplicity 9025, The Extra Sure Pattern. Copyright 1979

9025 Simplicity has E.S.P.  The Extra Sure Pattern for fool-proof sewing… for timesaving for fit… for fabric direction… for fashion… for Extra Sewing Pleasure the E.S.P. Pattern does it!

⚫new, easier sew-sure pattern

⚫ specially developed shortcuts to sewing 

⚫ three-size pattern for a sure fit

⚫one fabric width most appropriate to design 

⚫fashion tips to stretch your wardrobe

For you… today’s busy woman… our Extra Special Person we make beautiful use of your time!

You want good fashion

The Top

There are three sizes in each E.S.P. pattern so if you are between sizes, you can adjust it right on the pattern piece. This multiple sizing is another plus for the E.S.P.Ⓡ pattern.

Setting the trend for today’s fashion, this nonchalant knit pullover makes a top sensation!! The crisp standing collar, easy extended shoulders and front band, slightly pleated for added softness, all work together to achieve the utmost in fashion versatility. The shirt-tail hem can be worn in or out to change the look. And knits made the top easy sew, easy wear!!

Made in cotton knits, the top looks terrific over jeans and casual pants. For skirts you may want to add a narrow belt and blouse it slightly to go with fashion’s new soft look. For those special occasions, sew it in a silky or glitter knit. Worn with your dressiest skirt or pants, a glitter belt and snappy dress sandals, you’re all set for a magical night on the town.

The cutting layout (in the fourth column) is given for 58″ 60″ (150cm) knit fabric with nap. This means you can choose a knit with a one-way design or a one-way texture which most knits have. Just be sure your knit follows the Pick-A-Knit® Rule explained below…..

It was Like Getting a Warm Hug….

It seemed like fate that my mom started this project so many years ago and forgot about it only for me to find it on the very Christmas Eve I was missing her the most. Should I finish it right now? I know I could and it would be so fun! Like sewing one last time with my mom. The joy I felt at that very thought of making this long forgotten top overcame any sadness I had felt for the last two months! It felt like my mom was hugging me right then and there. 

Were Necks Smaller in the 1970s?

She had finished the shouders so carfeully with ribbon so that it wouldn’t stretch out. I carefully slipped the partially finished shirt over my head to see if it would even fit by body. It did! Thanks to the pattern’s generous ⅝ in seam allowance. I decided to do a ⅜ in seam allowance to give me a little more room though. And I did need to do something different for the neck. It was absolutely tiny. Perhaps that was the reason my mom shelved this project. I examined her work on the placket and shoulders as well as the instructions to see if she had done something different to cause the neck opening to be so tiny. I simply couldn’t figure it out. Maybe necks were just smaller in the 70’s than mine is now? 

I needed to make the neck bigger so that I could wear it. But then I wouldn’t be able to use the collar pieces. So how would I finish the neck? Luck was on my side because in one of the boxes of my moms sewing things, I found a package of unopened bias tape in the perfect color to match this shirt. I had to make the neck opening wider by nearly 2 inches before I could attach it but I couldn’t believe how this was all working out in my favor. It was like my mom planned it all. She was always so good at making everything special. 

Styling My New Vintage Shirt!

I did end up adding some ½ in elastic to the inside of the sleeve hem. It kind of gives it the look of a peasant blouse, which I love. 

Following the patterns styling suggestions, I styled it with some boot cut jeans and a belt. Then I threw on my clogs that matched my belt and felt like I was transported to another time. A time when my mom was young and raising small kids and wanted to make a pretty blue shirt.

Perhaps she was tired and was pulled away to comfort a crying baby or make dinner. She probably thought, “I’ll get back to it tomorrow.” But tomorrow turned into days, days turned into months and months into years until finally it escaped her thoughts….

How could she ever know, all those years ago, what a miracle this unfinished project would be for her oldest daughter 40 years in the future. It was truly the perfect gift that I never knew I could ask for. A flawlessly planned gift that only SHE could orchestrate from the other side in heaven where I know she now resides. Thank you mom. I love you.