Bird of Paradise

a short story

I am not, by any standards, a “modern” woman. As my main interest is making reproductions of historical costumes. I guess none of you will be surprised. I like things old, I like antique things, because often there is a story behind it. And I like stories.

I have this little old sewing implement, that I often use. It’s hideous orange color betrays that it dates back to the 1970’s . It is a hemming gauge that used to be from my maternal grandmother. She was a talented seamstress, like my mum. When I grew up my mother and I didn’t have much money. As a single mother my mum had to be creative to make ends meet. But I always looked neat, tidy and fashionable. She made very sure of that. My happiest childhood memories are of my mother happily sewing something behind her sewing machine. And me playing with my Barbie dolls or picking up the pins from the floor that she had lost.

When I grew older my mother always encouraged me to have my own authentic sense of style. And faithfully made my outfits the way I wanted them to be. Even if they were a little bit or very different. I still like my clothing to be a little bit different. That doesn’t mean I never wear jeans and a sweater. But more often than not my favorite outfits, especially my dresses, are colorful and/or different. This used to annoy my ex-boyfriend. Who wanted me to dress (and behave) more grown up. This meant “normal” clothes in grey’s , beige’s , blacks and dark blue’s. That just wasn’t me… I used to wonder if my husband never got annoyed with my slightly off-beat sense of fashion. That was, until I heard him lovingly and proudly tell, one of my sisters. That he loves the way I stand out in the crowd. Colorful and different, like a butterfly, fairy or a bird of paradise.

A couple of years ago, my son drew a picture of his mum and dad. Dad was a man living inside a tree. I was a fairy fluttering in the sky.

And guess what, I just love fairies! Especially Tinkerbell. I like creatures small, cute, fierce, cocky and slightly annoying. And when I say that, my husband smiles and says: “that so typically you…”

When I use my little hemming gauge I think of the generations of costumers before me. I come from a long line of people working with textiles. I am grateful that I inherited their talent. And the way that talent enables me to create the things I like, the way I like them.