I love the hand-stitched detail in the dress my mother’s wearing in this portrait of her and her mother.

The key into a character can be as simple as a sewing basket that goes unnoticed until something causes me to remember why I’ve kept it. It belonged to my mother. Her mother made it.

Memories flood in—hours in fabric departments. Mom laying out a pattern. Cutting, matching notches, pinning, fitting. Machine stitching. Marking the hem—Stand still! Finishing and pressing. Here! Try it on! Wh...