March 3, 2009

Embroidered

I never received dish towels from Mom when she was young. In those days the flour came in flour sacks. Well, she made a lot of bread for 10 kids so she did go through a few flour sacks! They were always bleached and made into dish towels. I remember the confusion when the flour sacks arrived printed. Why the change? Why the upset? The dish towel source was gone and she had to resort to buying fabric just for the dish towels. (Now the print flower bags did not go to waste. They became little dresses or aprons.) Eventually flour sacks became paper sacks as they are today.

As the years went on, Mom continued to embroider dish towels, but her tinted glasses and cataracts confused the colors of the thread. It took me a few months to figure out what was going on and most of the towels I own are from that era.

I don't want to use them. I want to touch them. I want to remember who made them. I smile at the mixed thread colors knowing she is in heaven looking at them with her hands on her hip just shacking her head. She's wondering how in the world did that happen. :)

9 comments:

Paula, the quilter said...

What a sweet memory you have of your mother. And that bowl! I have several like that, but they have cracks in them. I use them for snacks like popcorn.

Connie said...

Paula, I love popcorn in that bowl! My most favorite thing? Cookie dough!!

Does anyone eat raw cookie dough any more?

Unknown said...

Very pretty work.
My most precious items in my house are the ones that people have made for me.
We still eat cookie dough! Yum!

Unknown said...

What a treasure! I love old things that belonged to my Mom or my Grandmas or great Grandma. My great grandma lived to be 100 years old. We had a big party for her with 57 of her descendants traveling from all over the US to be there.

Still eat cookie dough? It's the best!

Jacki

Montanagirl said...

That is a lovely reminder of your Mom, Connie. She was a woman of many talents. Oh, the sewing she did! I remember that about her.

The Hobbit said...

Love the towels Am doing some for my daughters as a Christmas presents Hope they treasure them as much as you do yours

Faye said...

I enjoyed the dish towels. I saved all of my Grandma's, she did a lot of embroidery and she crocheted 3 big bedspreads out of that fine crochet cotton. I still have those too but don't know how to display them. I need to bring this stuff out at least so I can see them.

Leedra said...

I am not sure how you found me. But thank you for the visits. Took more than one for me to realise you were not the same Connie that has been coming to my blog. Sorry. I like your blog. This post. I also like the one after this, about the photos and scrapbooking. I guess that is why I have not taken up scrapbooking, I have enough expensive hobbies. I have a company named Heirloom Goods. You sidebar is along the lines of where my company name came from, although I seem to be doing more photography than anything right now.

Mommy_Duck_Oshiro said...

I love your posts. This one brought a little tear. I have my towels from Grandma in a drawer and love to just look and them and feel the stitching from time to time. I'm sure Grandma frowns at me just leaving them sitting in a drawer and them getting no use...but hopefully she doesn't mind too much. :o)