The Walworthians: All Stitched Up
The Walworthians
A collection of telephone interviews published in the Wayne County STAR Newspaper and Wayne County MAIL Newspaper, 1994-209
by Kate Chamberlin
Personalized Items
August 15, 2002
Shopping causes quite a dilemma for me. It’s too frustrating for my husband to take me. I want to feel everything and insist that he describe what ever I’m touching. It takes a lot of time and, if we have our two little ones with us… well, it’s just too much to make it an enjoyable outing. Most of my shopping is now done through catalogues.
When I learned more about All Stitched Up, the new business in Walworth, I ordered a personalized hat for each of our five grandchildren, who range in ages from 12- to 2-years old. Then, I had second thoughts about it.
“But, they’re baseball caps,” I said to my husband one muggy evening after dinner. “They’re fine for the two boys, but do you really think the three girls will like them?”
“Their own name is on the front,” he said. “Why wouldn’t they like them?”
“Well, “ I sighed, “they’re not very feminine.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore,” he sniffed.
“Little girls used to wear frilly underpants,” I parried. “There would be one for each day of the week — the day would be embroidered on the bottom. Sunday panties would be the frilliest of them all!”
“Let me enlighten you about today’s girls,” he retorted, “I see a lot of them leaving the mall as I’m arriving to mop the floors. “They wear scant clothing and most have a little butterfly tattooed on their shoulder; a heart on their over-exposed breasts; a rainbow on their midriff; and wreaths around their ankles. They wear pierced jewelry on all the pieces and parts of their exposed body. They’re in tube tops and the shortest of shorts.”
“But,” I huffed, embarrassed about how far out of date 17-years of being blind had made me, “they could only tattoo two days of the week! What would they do for the other five days?”
Without a comment, he kissed my cheek and went outside to let our little ones run through the butterfly sprinkler.
The following week, we gave the hats to our five grandchildren. The gals at All Stitched Up had done a wonderful job of choosing the hat colors and using a cool, contrasting color to embroider the name on each hat. The hats were good quality to begin with and the price was affordable.
As each of the older children found their name, we adjusted the fit. They loved their new hats. They wouldn’t take them off for dinner and insisted on wearing them to bed. In the morning, amidst the tangle of sleeping bags, pillows and hats, there was no squabbling about which hat belonged to whom — their name was clearly visible.
Perhaps this is a solution to my shopping dilemma. I wonder what we can embroider initials on for Christmas?
NOTE: for more information about All Stitched Up, phone Donna Klaeysen at (315)986-1227 or Nancy Johnston at (315)986-1537.
2018 Up-Date: Donna has retired from “All Stitched Up”, but, Nancy is still in business.