Passing down a sewing tradition

Louise Dukart is passing down a love of sewing to her children and grandchildren.

"I started sewing when I was a member of 4-H," said Louise. "I learned how to sew from my mom when I was 7 or 8 years old."

"We were more practical. I hemmed dish towels. We sewed chicken feed bags into shirts," she said.

"We sewed our own dresses and skirts, sometimes pants. In those days, we weren't permitted to wear pants to school," she added.

"In 1961, I bought my first sewing machine with my 4-H steer. I still have it and I still use it sometimes. It's great for heavy sewing and for zippers," she said.

Louise has always used an electric sewing machine, but she loves her serger.

It finishes the edges of a seam, she said.

"Patching, that was very important. My mom loved to patch. I even like to patch to this day," she said. "It was something we did. I suppose it was economical at that time."

Louise and her husband, Elmer, farmed south of Gladstone and moved to Dickinson in 1991.

A member of 4-H for 45 years, Louise taught her children to sew through the program.

Her daughter Sara Conlon remembers taking clothing and textiles along with other 4-H projects.

"I used to make a lot of shorts for summer. I sewed for the Make It With Wool contest," she said.

Being the youngest of seven children, it was either hand-me-downs or something home sewn, said Sara.

She remembers taking classes from her grandmother, who taught her to follow swirls on a paper. The objective was to learn to control the speed of the machine.

Even Sara's brothers were taught to sew.

"They sewed saddle blankets, boot bags and also did some of their own mending," said Louise.

Today, Sara is sewing receiving blankets and bibs for her 4-week-old son Riley.

Sara and her husband, Mike, also are the parents of Kyle, 3, and Samantha, who attends Hagen Junior High School.

Samantha has the advantage of learning to sew with the help of her mother and grandmother.

She recently made a pair of wool gauchos with flared bottoms and a silky, black shirt for the Roughrider Days Fair and Expo, 4-H Division

She enjoys recycling fabrics into something new. She recently used her grandfather's ties to make a purse.

And she embellished a sweatshirt for the "Decorate your Duds" 4-H project.

Samantha wants to make a quilt as her next sewing project and has already picked out a "Cats in the Barn" pattern.

Louise is currently working on Christmas projects, but couldn't tell what they are. She still is a 4-H leader and serves as the 4-H Council treasurer.

"I'm a project leader now, so I help wherever needed," she said.

Her favorite task, however, is helping her grandchildren learn to sew.