Frances “Fran” Vauter tries to keep busy any way she can.
From working on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle to sewing dresses for an orphanage in Ethiopia, Vauter, 100, who lives in Marian Manor near Green Tree, continues to work with her hands, a habit she learned from her parents.
“My mother put me in the garden to plant vegetables. I was always in the garden,” said Vauter, who had seven siblings growing up in Forest City, 20 miles north of Scranton.
She also enjoys singing and dancing, but sewing is her favorite activity. She taught herself to sew at a young age.
“I had an older sister who sewed some. (My sisters) were great crocheters,” Vauter said.
She also crocheted, but her passion is sewing. The mother of three children, Vauter created a number of outfits for her children and then her grandchildren.
One outfit she is fond of is a cape that she made for her daughter.
“It was reversible and it was beautiful,” she said.
Her daughter, Fran Tarkett, still has the cape, as well as a communion dress and a sweater that her mother knitted for a baptism outfit.
“I just love that she is still doing all of this,” said Tarkett, 77, of Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood.
One of Tarkett's favorite outfits was a plaid dress.
“There was a fashion show at school and I wore the dress. Everyone thought it was from a store,” Tarkett said.
Clothing is not the only thing Vauter can create. She has made afghans and quilts, especially Steelers quilts. She would cut Steelers T-shirts to make squares and sew them together.
She passed her passion for sewing to her grandchildren. Tarkett's daughter, Laura, made her own prom gown. Laura also made her younger sister Donna's wedding gown. Donna also sews and sells items online.
Vauter's spirit of giving continues with her donations to an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
She learned about “pillow case dresses” that people were making for charity and became interested. Around the same time, she learned that the Rev. Vince Stegman of St. Stephens Parish in Pittsburgh's Hazelwood neighborhood planned a trip to Ethiopia, which included a visit to the orphanage.
Before his trip, Vauter made more than 20 dresses.
Rose Velgich, director of religious education at St. Stephens, also made the trip.
“I was able to witness the joy in the eyes of the children as they opened the packages of dresses that Fran had made,” Velgich said. “Each one was unique, made of vibrant colors that reflected the personalities of the children. To me, Fran is a true example of giving unselfishly and making a difference in the lives of children.”
Jim Spezialetti is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-388-5805 or jspezialetti@tribweb.com.
