Montgomery County sentinel., 1957-10-03

oSSouSC II dpplleS So well 10 MI
champion sewer of the year, a
What has RoSanna Kelly
won 18 ribbons, seven of them
blue, at the Montgomery County
Fair; % ribbons out of 80 entries
at the Maryland State Fair and
again seven of them were firsts;
and four first, one second and one
third out of eight entries in the
Damascus Community Fair.
And what about me? In my
case, it is more rip" than reap"
After a 20-year struggle with a
19-ought-three Singer Sewing
machine, I have only a bunch"
land a more concise description
couldn't be found) of curtains
with not very straight seams.
My experience has taught me
only one thing: that the bunchier
the curtain, the less the dip in
the hem will be noticed. But
even this doesn't prevent some of
our windows from having de-
cided list to the left or right.
Leisure Dessert"
The difference between us Is
that to Rosanna, sewing is the
dessert" of her leisure hours. To
me, a rainy day or a cozy eve
ming at home means curling up
with good book.
Rosanna would rather curl up
with her sewing machine and
work out ticklish problems on
collars, or tucks or pleats. Sew
ing a straight seam, she finds
boring but give her complicat-
ed and difficult pattern to work
out and she is relaxed and happy
Any kind of pattern for me is
a one-way ticket to st. Eliza
beths and even my Straight"
seams turn me into a shrieking
shrew.
Some day l expect to bite my
tongue clean through in frustrat-
ed rage during the lop-sided bat
ties between me and that un-
printable machine and the miles
OF unmanageable material.
Rosanna, on the other hand,
creates not scenes but works of
art when she sews and she finds
great personal satisfaction in de-
signing her own patterns.
Knowing her record,I had ex-
pected to find a background of
either professional or All and
: Homemakers' Club experience
since she lives upcounty on the
other side of Damascus.
City Background
However, the last farm in
Montgomery this side of the
County line" was purchased only
three years ago; Rosanna is a
city gal with bookkeeping and ac-
counting experience; her only
sewing lessons were a semester's
course in her second year of high
school; the Montgomery Fair
was her first entry into competi-
ton; and her only experience has
been making clothes for herself
and family.
We don't mean to minimize
this experience. Besides herself
and husband, George, her family
includes Timothy, 16; Mike, Ia;
Pat, II; Barbara Ann, II; Chris
topher, 6 and Georgia Ann, 8.
Rosanna hasn't lacked for prac-
tice.
Lack of money during the de-
preston years and wanting a de-
cent wardrobe started Rosanna
on her career of making her own
clothes.
She was fortunate in having a
sewing teacher at the Holidays
burg, Pennsylvania High School,
in her home town, who recog-
nized Rosanna's creative ability
and encouraged her long after
she had finished the one semester
course.
A more apt name for a sewing
teacher than Miss Grace Fits we
have yet to hear. Miss Fits is
remembered by Rosanna with
gratitude and appreciation. The
last report from home was that
Miss Fits was taking flying les
sons SO she must be quite a
character.
Mail Course
Miss Fits dreams of Rosanna
studying designing are being
realized now after all these years
through a two-year correspond.
ence course which the busy Mrs.
Kelly manages to sandwich into
her hours of homemaking, moth
ering, remodeling an old farm
house into a modern dream"
home, making drapes for the
house and clothes for the family,
and acting as secretary for her
husband who is transportation
consultant.
Only the fact that her husband
travels lot and she has many
lonely evenings in which she
would rather sew than read tun-
believable as this is to mel has
Ind 70 hnr. cnr,nnlotircr half nf tLn