I am enclosing a poem I wrote about a dress I made in 1941 when I was 14 years old. It was a time when Newfoundland was gradually recovering from the Great Depression and times weren't too prosperous.

I needed a dress, so I went to my neighbour next door and asked her if she'd help me cut it out, which she did. I took it home and sewed the pieces together on my mother's sewing machine.

Some time ago I was telling my daughter about it. I decided I'd write a poem about it. The dress is still fresh in my memory. The neighbour passed away many years ago.

The Dress

When I was but a teenager
My skills I would address
With a few tips from my neighbour
Of necessity I made a dress

No lesson had I in sewing
Or any of the fine arts
Taking on this venture
I thought was pretty smart

I held it out before me
My handiwork to approve
Then I rubbed it over
With a flat-iron from the stove

To me this was a masterpiece
It really was a jewel
I took it to my neighbour
Seeking her approval

I see it now before me
I remember to this day
If only I had a picture
I'd put it on display

Twas made from bleached flour sacks
Coloured with Old Rose dye
For whatever reason
It can still bring a tear to my eyes

Many years have passed now
Since first that dress was donned
So many things have happened
The neighbour now is gone

Through the years we chatted
Things from memory fade
I didn't think to ask her
If she remembered the dress we made

Since then I've done some sewing
Dresses, shirts and slacks
But they didn't hold a candle
To the dress from flour sacks.   Submitted By: NULL