Signs of Hard Work and a Home Well Made

Four and one half years ago, I wrote “A Life Worth Celebrating”, sharing with you the story of Gladys Pell.  Then two weeks ago I mentioned the handiwork of my husband’s grandmother (Gladys Pell) and great-grandmother, Gertrude Crow, with a promise to share some of it with you.  Well here you go…

I’m just going to pop all these pictures in here with very little commentary.  Please allow me to say first that I am honored beyond words to harbor these treasures.  Many of them are well-used, having been carefully folded and put away only when their holes or stains became too large to hide with a pretty vase. 

These pieces speak to me of hard-working women who gave the devil no chance to dwell in idle hands.  And they testify of homes well made!

Do you think being a “home maker” is so 20th century?  Is a house just a place to sleep and get in out of the rain?  Well the women who spent their quiet moments with a crochet hook or embroidery hoop in their hands were proud to have a home to make.  These ladies never had fine homes, but they adorned them with love, seeking to make a warm and welcoming space for husband, children, friends and neighbors. 

There are quilt squares for two entire quilts, no doubt embroidered and appliqued just as fingers became too crippled to do the last steps of setting them together and quilting them together with batting and backing.  And there is a beautiful square (please comment if you know the name of that pattern) that has the pattern pieces pinned to it.

There are handmade pillowcases – and while they are solid colors, the texture makes me wonder if they were made from feed sacks – I wonder how I could confirm that?  Even sacking was trimmed with delicate crocheted lace.

And there are dozens of crocheted squares that I hope you will help me identify.  I suppose they were just table decorations? 

I know we’ve been talking about quilts over the last few weeks – and there is one quilt in the bunch -  but I couldn’t help but share the other crafts as well.  Maybe I’ll find more quilts yet – along with the dutch boy I shared a few weeks ago, that just makes 2 quilts that were saved.

If you have handmade pieces displayed in your home, would you please share a picture with me?