Sewing has been part of Anieta Trame’s life for as long as she can remember, but she had given it up for years.
“I was a home economics teacher at Mattoon Middle School and when I finished that gig I thought I would never sew again because I taught it all day long for 19 years. I sold my sewing machine and got rid of everything and then I had granddaughters,” she said.
Trame purchased a new sewing machine and started teaching her oldest granddaughter, Ellie, to sew the same way her mother taught her to sew years ago. “Ellie immediately fell in love with it,” Trame said. She now has three granddaughters ages 9, 4 and 18 months, and one grandson, age 6, and they all love to sew and create with grandma. “I now have two sewing machines and three sergers, which is more than I ever had before,” Trame said.
Creating unique skirts and dresses and super hero aprons and pillowcases, Trame’s two daughters-in-law encouraged her to do more and offer her talents to others. With a drive to keep busy in retirement, she decided to embark on a new venture called “Stitched Memories by Grammy.”
Trame is starting her venture by offering an array of home-sewn items including aprons, skirts, dresses, baby bibs, hand towels and pajamas for the first time at Sarah Bush Lincoln Volunteer Guild’s Fall Market. She will also take custom orders for matching items including mother/daughter dresses, aprons and more.
“My vision is to start making aprons or other items from pieces of clothing that belonged to loved ones or someone who has passed,” she said. She recalls making a special baptismal gown for her second granddaughter from pieces of her own wedding dress as well as the wedding dress of the child’s other grandmother.
Inspired by her grandchildren, Trame is driven to keep creating and make more memories. “I had a tough time with retiring. I like to keep busy and I like to create,” she said. She finished her 35-year career at Mattoon Middle School by serving as the school librarian and now works part-time as a librarian at Sarah Bush Lincoln.
The Sarah Bush Lincoln Volunteer Guild’s Fall Market offers opportunities to shop for one-of-a-kind items, as well as national chain home-party items for the house and garden. Fall Market is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, October 20, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 21, in the Lumpkin Family Center for Health Education. Convenient parking is available in the north parking lot. Admission is free.
Some of the handmade items include: jewelry, pottery, candles, quilts, clothing, and honey products. From the home-party line, shoppers will find cosmetics, jewelry, body wraps, antibacterial cleaning items, home décor items, food storage, and much more.
This year’s sponsors include SBL Women’s Healthcare (corporate sponsor); Cromwell Radio Group including station WMCI 101.3, the Axe 92.1 and the Party 104.3 (title sponsor); Painted Properties Realty Company, Inyart Tire & Auto Center, Paap Auto Body, Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home, Hunan Restaurant, KIMA Clean & Restoration/Century 21, Charleston Rehab & Health Care Center and Coldwell Banker Real Estate (event sponsors).
The complete list of vendors is as follows:
Bee My Honey, Charley High by Denise Titus, Ekko Jewelry Designs, Gold Canyon Candles, Gene’s Jewelry, Heart & Soul, JLM Jewelry, Jon Schubert-Pencil Portrait Artist, Larkin Enterprises, Limelight by Alcove, Lipsense, Lucky Ducky Baby, LuLaRoe, Maddison Avenue Candle Company, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Matilda Jane Clothing, Norwex, Pink Zebra, Plunder, Plush Boutique, Premier Designs Jewelry, Razzle Dazzle, Rebecca Lee Cards, Renew, Rodan + Fields, SBL Medical Weight Management, Scentsy, Sew Bee It, Signature Homestyles, Stanley Home Products & Fuller Brush, Stitched Memories by Grammy, Sugar Plum Pretties, Tastefully Simple, The Pampered Chef, Touchstone Crystal by Swarovski, Trades of Hope, Tupperware, Usborne Books, Vintage Cottage Beauty, Wildflower Honey & Queen Bee Soaps, and Wood Pens & Things.
Volunteer Services director Colleen Stoner said, “We’re really excited about the quality of vendors we have at this year’s Fall Market. I think community members will be pleased with what they see. What’s even better is that all proceeds support Lifeline grant assistance.”
The Guild provides grant assistance to individuals who would not otherwise be able to have Lifeline in their homes. Lifeline is dedicated to provide personal response service, peace of mind, and early intervention to individuals whose health is at risk in East Central Illinois and assist them to remain safe and independent with dignity in their own homes. Each year the SBL Volunteer Guild donates $15,000 for Lifeline grant assistance.
For more information, contact the SBL Volunteer Guild at 258 or 348-2500.