Lori of Humble quilts has been hosting a string quilt along all year. Strings are my go-to fun piecing, so I work on them very often!! I really love strings!!! Above it a row of six inch wide strings...I think I will make a Chinese Coin quilt from this particular piece of patchwork. I am linking to her blog
HERE.
I just got back from a trip to see my sister in Colorado. She was one of my teachers, being a lot older than I was, showing me how to sew and quilt when I was little. She is now in a nursing home, with fairly advanced Parkinsonian dementia. She recognized me, but now has forgotten I was there. It is a devastating disease, for sure. Above are her tools, including an old crochet hook on the right.
Her husband is trying to get some of her things given away to the people who should have them. Skip this if you want to...but I photographed some of the boxes of things, just so I would kind of have a record, you know?
Miscellaneous scissor, etc...
Thread!!!
And more thread!! and buttons in tins...did your mom or grand mom have a button box?
Old, old cigar boxes full of threads...some from the old TG &Y store.
More...
and more!! scissors, thread, buttons, hook and eyes, snaps, zippers, chalk hem markers, seam guages, rulers, cutting mats, needles, pins, marking pencils, a zillion shoulder pads (think 1980's) just on and on and on.
I am glad these all did not go to the good will...I found some of my momma's patterns (cut from corn flake boxes) and scissors, too, so they are around 70 years old and very precious to me.
Thanks for listening!
Hugs from Julie
20 comments:
Life can be hard Julie my thoughts for your sister
OMG, I have some of my Gramma's TG&Y thread, too! Not sure I would use it, but it's a fun memory to have.
I like Chinese Coins quilts. I made one bed-size and a couple of minis.
What a hard thing to have your sister declining like that. Being able to save a few of those items will be a link to her as your teacher. And then to find things of your mother's! I am glad you were able to make the visit and save some mementos.
Wow, she had a lot of scissors. She must have been a prolific seamstress. And those shoulder pads. . . there were some great and unique clothes in the 80's.
0h Julie. I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. That must be so difficult.
How great that you were able to go visit her though and retain pictures of some of her things, from her past life.
Big hugs to you!
I do like your use of the strings.
So sorry about your sis. Fun to look through things and give them a good home. Love button boxes with all sorts of buttons in them!
Yes, my grandma, my mother and myself all have buttons in tin boxes. When I was a child, I used to play in Mom's buttons tins and arrange them in colors, or sizes just to realize a few months later, that they were all together again. Now I know she did it on purpose just to keep me busy for awhile but back then, I was so discouraged at the mess. Ha! you should see my sewing room. Now, where is this neat freak organized child? Where did she go?
I'm sorry to hear about your sister's disease. Getting older is not easy. Sending prayers her way and yours. Hugs. ♥ ;^)
I'm so glad you were able to see your sis. Sisters are the dearest people. My heart goes out to you and to her husband. Those sewing items are treasures! I am blessed to have my mom's red button box as well as the falling apart sewing box she gave me.
Enjoy those strings. They are fun!
I finished my Emerald City and have started my Straits of Mackinac. Stringing out!
It's hard to see our loved ones slip away. Your sister knows in her heart that you were there, so hold that in your heart, too.
I played with my Mom's button box for years, sorting, counting, and dreaming. I wish I had it today.
So sorry to hear about your sister. My dad had Parkinson's also. When my mother could no longer care for him, we put him in a nursing home. My mom went over twice a day to feed him - for over 10 years. It's really hard when you don't know if the remember who you are or if you were there or not.
Take care...
So sorry to hear the sad news about your sister, but glad you are getting to have part of her sewing things, and particularly things from your mom. Try to remember only the good times, and forget the rest. I had similar experiences when my sister died, and it is never easy.
---"Love"
I am so sorry abut your sister; I, too, went through my mother's sewing things (like your sister's, my mom's notions and the like went on and on...); she asked me to keep what I wanted and gift the rest or give it away to Goodwill. It's hard. (She has macular degeneration to the point where she can't see to sew anymore.) Sending you hugs. Oh, I love Chinese Coin quilts, yours will be pretty. I, too, am addicted to strings. ;)
Life hurts, eh! I'm sorry to hear about your sister. It was so thoughtful of your BIL to keep things for you.
I used to buy fabric at the TG&Y store. I was not into quilting at the time. I miss those stores...nostalgia. When I was young, we had a Scott's Five & Dime downtown. It had a lunch counter the length of the store. A favorite place to eat while downtown. I bought fabric in that store. It changed to a TG&Y in later years. Long gone but lots of memories were made there.
What a sad disease. So glad that you had a chance to visit her while she still recognized you, even if she didn’t remember. And what a treasure you received. How kind of your BIL to think of it
A dear friend of mine passed away in January, and a couple of weeks ago I received a surprise box in the mail. Her husband and daughter had a sale and went through and save things that they thought that I would treasure. I'm glad you got this chance to save some things that meant something to you....and to spend some time with that sister.
When my son was a toddler I bought remnants of fabric at TG&Y to make his one piece jumpers. (Boy jumpers --don't know what to call them.) I did it because I loved to see how much I could make with so little. When he got older it was his favorite place to shop for toys. If the price had two numbers he could buy it! My way of teaching him about his allowance. Wonderful memories. He is forty-six now.
Glad you got to spend time with your sister.
What I love about your pictures is they show your sister used her items--and did not use them up. There is such a lesson in that. To have enough to keep inspiring us until we no longer can do it, and then the items still inspire us. Not to run out of inspiration!
So sad to hear about your sister. Dementia is so very devastating, both for the sufferer and their family. Our grandmothers stored all sorts of souvenirs in those cigar boxes, our grandkids will find our "treasures" in empty swiffer boxes! The containers change, the "collectors" will keep on collecting and saving!
My daddy and both of his parents had Alzheimer's, so I understand. I have my grandmother's sewing box full of items. I don't use them (I don't want them mixed in and forgotten) but I pull that box out every once in a while and go thru it. Those things will be precious to you.
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