86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 19, 2000
According to the Millers, big families are fun. They ought to know with a family
of eight. Parents Grace and Eric are surrounded by'Children Daniel, 20; Laura,
19; Eldon, 16; Joel, 14; Alicia, 12; and Patrick, 10.
Big Families Have More Fun
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
MOUNT JOY (Lancaster
Co.) Having six children in
this era isn’t commonplace. It’s
enough to garner lots of stares
when the family walks down the
street.
Grace Miller laughs as she re
calls the reactions of some
people who find it difficult to be
lieve that she and her husband
Eric have six children who range
in age from 10 to 20.
“I love a big family,” Grace
said. “I think people who don’t
have big families are missing
out.”
The Millers have made con
scious choices that enable them
to enjoy a large family in an era
noted for hectic schedules and
expensive toys.
“Early on, my husband and I
selected the motto: I must live
simply so others may simply
live,” Grace said.
That philosophy affects every
area of family life. Some people
may observe that it means no
television, few presents, and
little money.
These are a few of the many sewing projects Grace has recently completed.
Grace said that she learned to sew by sitting on a pile of mending while watching
her mother at the sewing machine. The family tradition continues with daughter
Laura, who learned by watching Grace. The two had the unusual distinction of
winning “best of show” in the adult and youth constructed clothing division at
the state Farm Show.
It does. But so much more is
included most often spelled
“time.” It’s teaching children
the satisfaction of working with
their jjands, of working together
until a job is completed, and
having fun doing it.
An example of that is daugh
ter Laura, 19, who was the 1999
Elizabethtown Fair Queen, and
who, for six years, clinched
“best of show” at the state level
for her sewing fashions.
Laura achieved her sewing ex
pertise just like Grace did by
watching her mother.
Grace said that she grew up as
the eighth child in a family of
nine.
“I used to sit on the mending
pile and watch my mom sew,”
Grace said.
Because Grace was left
handed, she became frustrated
trying to imitate her mother’s
sewing movements. But by
fourth grade, Grace had made
her first dress from fabric
scraps. By 12 years of age, Grace
was quilting.
Her high school teacher rec
ognized her sewing skills. In
stead of insisting she sew a
beginner’s basic project, the
teacher assigned her to sew proj
ects for her.
After high school,' Grace
sewed bridal gowns for a few
friends. Her reputation spread.
Since then, Grace is booked
month’s in advance. For the last
four summers, Laura has as
sisted her mother in the bridal
business.
“Laura is a natural at design
ing. She can visualize a project
better than I can,” Grace said.
Rather than purchase new
clothing, Laura enjoyed buying
thrift shop clothing and making
changes to fit her personal style.
Laura is studying fashion
design and production at
LaSalle Fashion Institute,
Boston.
“My sewing machine has been
the center of everything,” Grace
said of it’s location. “I’ve given
up my living room for a sewing
room, but it’s been worth it for
the children.”
Her sewing room is in one of
the farm house’s large rooms.
The adjoining living room is
“The sewing machine has always been the center of
our home,’’ Grace said. Although she has tried to rele
gate her bridal sewing business to a back room in the
farmhouse, she finds it works much better to be the hub
of family living.
where the family gathers, en
couraging family togetherness.
When the children were
small, Grace pieced at least 100
quilts and was hired by several
artists to quilt projects that have
been pictured in several newspa
pers, magazines, and even in a
book.
Grace gained skill in fitting
clothing and in combining pat
terns through experience.
“When you work with fabric
and patterns, you soon under
stand how lines work and how to
manipulate them,” Grace said
of adapting styles to clients’
wishes.
The custom-made bridal
gowns allow brides to combine
features in several dresses into
the gowns of their dreams.
“Precision is the name of the
game. If you cut right, it will sew
right,” Grace said of the frustra
tion improperly cut fabric pro
duces.
As a 4-H leader, Grace said
she stresses the importance of
learning to cut and sew straight.
She is proud that her 4-H mem
bers all advanced beyond county
competition in 4-H.
Unlike most sewing clubs,
Grace begins classes in January.
Although Grace is a 4-H sewing
leader, Laura was never in 4-H.
By the time her mother was
teaching, Laura was so ad
vanced she preferred sewing in
dependently. This limited the
sewing competitions that she
was eligible to enter.
Grace limits her own competi
tions. Although she has won
many ribbons for her sewing
projects, she stopped entering in
local fairs because she didn’t
want to stand in the way of ama
teur seamstresses.
“I want others to find the sat
isfaction of working with their
hands,” Grace said.
She even allows some of her
clients to sew some parts of their
gown to give them the satisfac
tion of “making it.”
As the 1999 Elizabeth
town Fair Queen, Laura
wore the gowns she made.
An accomplished seam
stress, Laura is studying
fashion design and produc
tion at LaSalle, Boston. She
is also a recipient of Lan
caster County’s Farm and
Home Foundation Scholar
ship.
Some clients purchase their
own fabric. Others rely on Grace
to buy it. Most of the fabric
Grace purchases is from the Co
lumbia Sewing Outlet and from
Philadelphia fabric stores.
“I don’t keep a fabric inven
tory. Colors change. This year’s
burgundy is not the same shade
(Turn to Page B 7)