Homemade/Handmade things from the past that you cherish

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

I was going to put this in the Home forum, but though there might be much more discussion here and some that never visit that forum, who would be interested.

Do you have some favorite things that were handmade or homemade by people in your past (or present) that you dearly love and wouldn't part with?

I have several wooden pieces my grandfather made. A pretty end table that he made in high school shop class (this would have been back in the 1920's) A wooden toy box he made for my brother and I when we were young, and an oak Crayon box he made for me.

I have several stunning quilts my grandmother made, every stitch by hand and so perfect, as well as a case of Barbie doll clothes that are stunningly 1970's! I also have a couple of afghans she crocheted, and some ceramic pieces she made.

My great uncle did stained glass, and I have a small lamp, a couple of angels, and several holiday pieces to hang in the window (a candle, and a holly leaf).

I have a cross stitched table cloth my great grandmother did and a hooked rug (framed for wall art) my mom made for me for my first home.

Every one of these is really a treasure, and I find ways to use and display them in my home, and can't yet see the day I would ever part with them, as they remind me everyday, of those who made them.

asoutherngirl · ‎03-07-2016

mominohio, I recently posted on another thread that devolved into a mess, that I was the 6th generation recipient of a hope chest, and how I cherished the hand crocheted covers, quilts, tatted pillowcases... those are treasures that can never be replaced.

The thing that gives life its greatest significance is the capacity to care

qvcfreak · ‎03-10-2010

I have baby blankets my mom made for our son as well as a full size she made him when he was in high school. I also have crocheted throws my mil made for us. My aunt who was very poor made our son a quilt from her old dresses, I absolutely love each and every one of them.

Perkup · ‎03-09-2010

I do have a cedar chest with a number of crocheted tablecloths, napkins, a few knitted sweaters, comforters and of course some doilies - made by my

Grandmother, Aunt and Mother. They really don't work anywhere in my home at this point, but there is no way I would lose them - the work is just lovely and the love in them is very heart warming to me.

I also had several handmade quilts, made by my former husband's Grandmother. After he passed, I distributed them among her other Grandchildren - there were just enough for one each. I know some of them have cherished these quilts - not sure about a couple, but they had a chance to own something special.

And not handmade, but I have a small aluminum saucepan ( only 5 inches across ) that my Grandmother used every morning to make my llittle girl breakfasts.. Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, poached eggs, etc. DH asked me why I didn't get rid of that "thing", as it wasn't good for mucy anymore, being all dented, etc. I told him that little pot may look empty now, but it holds more memories for me than almost anything else I own

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@asoutherngirl wrote:
mominohio, I recently posted on another thread that devolved into a mess, that I was the 6th generation recipient of a hope chest, and how I cherished the hand crocheted covers, quilts, tatted pillowcases... those are treasures that can never be replaced.

@asoutherngirl

Oh my! 6th generation! That is so exciting and wonderful. Maybe I'm just overly sentimental, but I love history, especially the personal perspective. In all those treasures I see the story of the time in which they were born. I feel the love that was behind their creation, and wonder what the original maker would think to know they still exist, and are treasured today.

Sorry about the other thread. Was it the one asking about those who had hope chests? If so, I guess I was surprised at how many people there thought a hope chest was some kind of ball and chain to housewife slavery LOL!

Karnerblue · ‎03-18-2015

I have a sweater that my Mom knitted for me. She made one each for my three sisters and myself. I am the only one that has mine. I was probably 6 or 7. So it's over 50 years old. My Dad carved a rosary out of wood and gave it to me for my Confirmation.

"Never water yourself down just because someone can't handle you 100% proof."

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Perkup wrote:
I do have a cedar chest with a number of crocheted tablecloths, napkins, a few knitted sweaters, comforters and of course some doilies - made by my
Grandmother, Aunt and Mother. They really don't work anywhere in my home at this point, but there is no way I would lose them - the work is just lovely and the love in them is very heart warming to me.

I also had several handmade quilts, made by my former husband's Grandmother. After he passed, I distributed them among her other Grandchildren - there were just enough for one each. I know some of them have cherished these quilts - not sure about a couple, but they had a chance to own something special.

And not handmade, but I have a small aluminum saucepan ( only 5 inches across ) that my Grandmother used every morning to make my llittle girl breakfasts.. Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, poached eggs, etc. DH asked me why I didn't get rid of that "thing", as it wasn't good for mucy anymore, being all dented, etc. I told him that little pot may look empty now, but it holds more memories for me than almost anything else I own

@Perkup

Your aluminum saucepan story brings tears to my eyes.

It's funny, but when people stand outside their burned down home, or the wooden splinters left behind in a tornado, and tell the cameras that it was just things, and they can be replaced, I think of things like your pan. Absolutely no monetary or historical value, to anyone but you, and then absolutely priceless.

I have always known I would mourn the loss of things like that in some kind of disaster. Take the big screen TV or the jewelry etc. but don't separate me from that 1800's family Bible that is falling apart and water stained, or the broken rolling pin my great grandma used all her life, and still adorns my kitchen. I would indeed, be mournful.

asoutherngirl · ‎03-07-2016

Hi there mominohio. Yes, the thread was one which devolved into a mess about having a chest either made one stupid or a snob! I was always pleased that my family history (which can be traced to 1682), could be touched, held, seen, as more than just a legal document. The stories of the women who crafted the articles, was always passed along with the piece itself. As I have passed to my daughter, the seventh recipient of this particular chest, I share with her the history of her family. By the way, one of our female ancestors was a doctor, trained in France in 1901. Her daughter, a teacher, traveled the Appalachians, collecting handmade items, and making recordings of original music in the area.

The thing that gives life its greatest significance is the capacity to care

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@asoutherngirl wrote:
Hi there mominohio. Yes, the thread was one which devolved into a mess about having a chest either made one stupid or a snob! I was always pleased that my family history (which can be traced to 1682), could be touched, held, seen, as more than just a legal document. The stories of the women who crafted the articles, was always passed along with the piece itself. As I have passed to my daughter, the seventh recipient of this particular chest, I share with her the history of her family. By the way, one of our female ancestors was a doctor, trained in France in 1901. Her daughter, a teacher, traveled the Appalachians, collecting handmade items, and making recordings of original music in the area.

How wonderful @asoutherngirl, to have such a rich understanding and tangible items from your family's past, especially going back so far.

I lost my great aunt a couple of years ago, and she was our family historian and collector of the past things. We never had things going back much farther than the mid 1800's and few of those, but she kept them, labeled them and passed them down (and I was a lucky recipient of several items), and I will be forever grateful for those that continue the tradition. I am documenting the things I have now, so that my son, niece and nephew may have the opportunity to carry these things and their stories on to the next several generations.

tdog · ‎04-05-2010

@qvcfreak wrote:
I have baby blankets my mom made for our son as well as a full size she made him when he was in high school. I also have crocheted throws my mil made for us. My aunt who was very poor made our son a quilt from her old dresses, I absolutely love each and every one of them.

That is true love.