Ruined, oh no, terrific save, and remembering my Mother.

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When I was little, I had this shear material dress (I wore a slip underneath, obviously) that my Mom had bought me. It was light pink. She washed it and it was just a little bit wrinkled. She put an iron on the coolest setting and when the light indicated it was heated up, she tried it near the bottom hem. Mom putting the iron on. Smoke, "Sh*t!" I heard my Mother say. A scortched smell. When she pulled the iron away, brown matted, burned material. My Mother was all upset. She had just bought and washed that dress. But she recovered herself and went to work. She cut the burned part out that was in the shape of the point of the iron. It looked a little like the bow of a boat. Then she folded the edges back. She cut a little more at the top so it would fold better and sit down. She put a book on it to help train the fold to stay down. Then she looked and looked in her notions box and sewing box. She found a bunch of lace and thread. She took the book off the dress. She placed the lace on the hole different ways. Then she started to cut the lace. Before my eyes, a gaping hole in my dress became something beautiful. She put lace on each edge and hand sewed it. Then she placed lace across, cut and did it again and again. I saw the bottom of a bell form as she sewed. Then she put a little lace on the top like for a handle. Finally, she made a bow and sewed it where the handle and the sides of the bell met to cover all the piecing. It looked beautiful! I thought that was soooo cool. My Mom has been gone since June of 1998, but I think of the time she rescued a dress from a mistake in a beautiful way. Whenever I wore that dress, people would comment on the pretty bell. She took something ruined and made it wonderful. I often think of this when the song sung by Dollie Parton, "Coat of Many Colors" comes on the radio. Have you or someone you know ever rescued an outfit that seemed to have been ruined? Have you heard the song above? What do you think of when you hear the song? What kinds of things make you think of your Mother or any other really neat, creative, resourceful woman in your life?