My Old Blue Coat

My mother was a thrifty woman.  She had to be.   She was
widowed with three little kids . . .

I had an older sister so of course I inherited most of her clothes
to wear: hand-me-downs.  But I didn’t really mind that.  There was
one bathing suit of hers that was great—-white with little blue stars
all over and ruffles at the hips.  Sensational!!

One year Mom bought me a beautiful new blue wool coat.
She got it a little large so it would “last” a couple of years.
Some might say the sleeves were too long:

my new blue coat, taken
in front of my best friends’s house in April. ©booksandbuttons

I wore it with a wide-brimmed felt navy hat.  I
loved that outfit.

Years later I was still wearing that coat . . . looks
like it might be Christmastime in this photo–it’s
probably about three years later–or more!–and my
mother had attached a row of fur at the bottom of
the coat to make it fit a while longer!

my old blue coat with fur added to the hem ©booksandbuttons

I’ll bet I’m wearing those red rubber boots that we all wore.  And I remember that clever hat that was a combination hat and scarf.  It was cold in upstate New York!    (Sorry the photo isn’t too clear—-can you see the fur at the bottom?)

my old blue coat ©booksandbuttons

What “make-do” stories do you have to tell?