By the time I got to high school my dad’s business was suffering. A new highway was built and caused flooding multiple times at his machine shop in Williamsburg, Ohio.
Eventually insurance would no longer cover the damage and things went downhill. He’d eventually cut his losses and move what remained of the shop to an old movie theater in New Richmond.
An era of austerity would begin for our family, but we never went without.
Mom was always resourceful and started making clothes (again) as I was starting college.
(She used to make matching holiday pajamas for us growing up… and period pieces for the Bicentennial in 1976… shirts for the boys, dresses for my sister…)
I started a plaid phase in the mid-90’s (thanks grunge) and Mom made the nicest button-downs, with contrasting fabric on the inside cuffs and below the collar. In addition to her ‘hand made’ tag she’d sew a ‘GLASS’ name on absolutely everything I owned — including plaid boxers she made.
I probably exasperated OH MOM! but wore everything with pride.
God I was lucky.
I previously wrote about this shirt back in 2004
Posted November 29, 2023