After a morning of shopping with my mom (the queen of finding stylish clothes dirt cheap), I had lunch with her and my dad at their house. She’d been cleaning out "treasures" as she looked for some goodies for my brother’s 50th birthday celebration. Among the treasures was this table cloth, crisply starched (you don’t think I got a line that sharp, do you?). "Want it?" she asked, then noted that my Gram had embroidered it. Even without that connection, I would have gladly taken it. "Sure," I said.
Sunday morning, after the weekly cleaning, I set it on our table. My mom came to visit with my niece and nephew who are visiting for the week. She saw the cloth and ran her finger along the crocheted edging. "This must be at least 70 years old," she said. She told me that my grandparents had been married for ten years before they had their first child, and during that time Gram had done a lot of decorative handiwork. It set my mind spinning to think of her, a young married woman in the late 1920s or early 1930s, determined to make something pretty for her home. There are pillowcases and other linens from her in my closet, but this one, with its cheery flower basket pulls at me.
What do you have that makes you sentimental about a parent or grandparent? Tell me about it in the comments, or better yet, take a picture and post it on your blog. Be sure to let me know so I can visit and see, okay?
i have a few things from my grandmother that i love. an old colander, and a pink depression glass dessert set that she probably got piece by piece at a gas station, according to my mother. my sister and i still lamnet the loss of certain of her decorative articles (dancing girl lams and “japanese” prints), but no one wanted her plastic slipcovers! thanks for sharing that lovely story.
Oh, so lovely!
I posted about this a couple of weeks back, so I won’t repeat myself, but isn’t it wonderful to have those reminders of the women in our past?
It’s beautiful, and it looks like it belongs on your table.
So pretty and vivid after all this time. You’re very lucky to have such lovely reminders of your grandmother.
xo
Just touching handmade items connects me to another time. I have lots of my late grandmother’s handiwork displayed in my house. And I covet my mom’s hotpad collection. most of which were made by her mother. I’ve blogged about her a few times in the last couple of years.
http://robins2ndblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/roses-and-roller-rinks.html
I have my maternal grandmother’s cedar chest. It’s still full of papers and stuff that we’ve not gone through in the 13 years since her death… but that’s okay.
I also have one of my paternal great-grandmother’s crocheted doilies (under glass to hang on the wall), and the crochet hook she used to make it. I crocheted for a long time before I deemed myself worthy to use it.
Albeit not a tangible item, my Nanny’s vegetable soup is something that always reminds me of her. It’s aroma, deliciousness, and just the site of it begin back many a memory.
hey lady! i just posed something similar to this grandparent love fest over on ravelry, but i never did put a picture up. i’ll re-post it to my blog and include some pics, too! i love finding little treasures left behind by my Nonni & Pop Pop and Grandma & Grandpa. it’s like looking back in time…
I have a crocheted afghan made by my mamaw (mother’s mother). I’ll send you pics in email! 🙂