Super glue ...

Years ago I was a very competent seamstress. Made clothes and costumes for all my children and decorated my home with a variety of pillows, window coverings, tablecloths, etc., and really enjoyed the process.

Then things changed. With the kids growing up and having definite opinions on how they dressed, and me heading back into the workforce, I sewed less and less. Even mending and alterations took a backseat to ... well let's see. "Might as well donate those jeans to Goodwill so someone taller can use them" and "What? The stitching around the zipper unraveled on those pants? Time for the million safety pin mend method."

Never could make those jeans that came already worn out and with the knees missing anyway. So when the "whatever" look arrived and things got a whole lot sloppier as well as easier, I was happy.

You know. It was the time when a mother's contribution to kids' wardrobes was minimal. Didn't have to worry about taking up those pants with raggedy hems from stepping on too long legs. And holes? The more the better. And it wasn't because of wear that they were there. It was because they were in.

My favorite though, in regards to mending and quick garment fixes, was the advent of super glue.

Used it plenty too, and saved the day when a careful application to hem on a prom dress made it in just a few minutes, a little shorter than "the olden days length" it came with and acceptable for the upcoming dance. Also bonded a broken and manicured fingernail back in place just long enough for Cinderella to remain in "princess form" and return from the ball.

Needless to say, super glue soon became a staple at our house and even with an occasional drop that fell to carpet and the permanent bonding of the glue bottle itself to the drawer it resided in, I can only recall one other incident when super glue was an issue.

So with that said, here's a tip:

... Never, never, never proceed to glue badges onto your child's cub scout/boy scout shirt unless the aforementioned child isn't wearing it.

... Took a lot of time and solvent following that infamous pack meeting to free my crying son ... who thankfully was adolescent and lacked chest hair. 


♦ Hope you'll let me share your stories and photos here at my new residence "In a Nutshell." Email me at nutshellstories@gmail.com.