Suddenly, I was six year old me clutching a blue corduroy doll dress and a needle threaded with sky blue cotton thread and sitting next to Mrs. Tucker as she showed me the ins and outs of smocking… I still have the doll’s dress tucked away with my original Barbie with case who wore the dress on our “matching days” — both of us wearing our blue on blue smocked dresses… it was the first time an adult shared needlework with me and I felt pretty self-important….and remarkably clever and creative….