My mom made many things by hand. Of course, when she was growing up in the 1920's and 1930's, that was about the only way that things were done. This was the time of the Great Depression and it made a deep impression on her, and my father, too. Using EVERYTHING was vital during the Depression because there was no money to buy new things and it was important to not waste ANYTHING. Also, during World War II, there were tremendous shortages of many items and families had make do with what they had and make new things from old. For example, growing or bartering for fresh fruits and vegetables kept these precious items available for the family. When there was a surplus, mother was taught to "can" everything from pickled peaches to chow-chow, from fruit jams, jellies and preserves to green beans. She preserved many fruits and vegetables for use during the leaner or winter months. So, everything - even scraps of paper, fabric, 1" pencils, thread, and anything else that might be useful in the future - was saved. Today, we call that RECYCLING and REUSING, but back then it wasn't a "green" thing to do - it was the way of REAL life.
She loved to quilt. Here is the post I wrote about the quilts she made for me:
https://regnirpsstories.blogspot.com/2018/12/nice-dorothy-nell-clark-springer-and.html. And quilting was not only a way to use scraps of fabric, cotton and thread, it was a social event. Mother would have friends over, or she would go to their house, or to the church and they would quilt for hours. We often had a quilting frame in our living room! My dad had made her a portable, adjustable quilt frame and she used it many times. Then, when all the work was finished, someone would be the recipient of these beautiful, comfortable hand-made quilts.
Here is a quilt still in the frame that she was making for my son.
She also loved to sew and do needlework. When we were younger, my mother made many of our clothes - pajamas, shirts, dresses for my sister and much more. When the grandchildren came along, she would also make clothes for them. Here are some of the things she made for my son.
The fabric that was left over from all sewing projects was then used to make the quilts mentioned above. She also embroidered, especially in her younger years. I am not sure these are things she made, but they are similar.
When cross-stitching on a plastic canvas became popular, she had several patterns she liked to make. Here is a perpetual calendar she made for us.
The days, months, birthday, etc. are all on individual movable squares, so it is really easy to modify the calendar for each month of any year. This one has had lots of use! She also made Mug Rugs and napkin rings.
She loved to quilt. Here is the post I wrote about the quilts she made for me:
https://regnirpsstories.blogspot.com/2018/12/nice-dorothy-nell-clark-springer-and.html. And quilting was not only a way to use scraps of fabric, cotton and thread, it was a social event. Mother would have friends over, or she would go to their house, or to the church and they would quilt for hours. We often had a quilting frame in our living room! My dad had made her a portable, adjustable quilt frame and she used it many times. Then, when all the work was finished, someone would be the recipient of these beautiful, comfortable hand-made quilts.
Here is a quilt still in the frame that she was making for my son.
She also loved to sew and do needlework. When we were younger, my mother made many of our clothes - pajamas, shirts, dresses for my sister and much more. When the grandchildren came along, she would also make clothes for them. Here are some of the things she made for my son.
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| Another baby quilt |
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| Burp Pad and Bib |
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| Sleeveless shirt |
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| Bugs Bunny Overalls |
The fabric that was left over from all sewing projects was then used to make the quilts mentioned above. She also embroidered, especially in her younger years. I am not sure these are things she made, but they are similar.
When cross-stitching on a plastic canvas became popular, she had several patterns she liked to make. Here is a perpetual calendar she made for us.
The days, months, birthday, etc. are all on individual movable squares, so it is really easy to modify the calendar for each month of any year. This one has had lots of use! She also made Mug Rugs and napkin rings.
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| Christmas Napkin Rings |
In her later years, she also did some Paint-By-Number items. This is from a set of tea towels she made for us.
Mother loved to work with her hands and all of her children and grandchildren have been blessed through the years with many of the fruits of her labor.
'Til Next Time!
#52Ancestors
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