jump up and down: my creative maternal legacy

I had intended for this to be a Mother's Day post, but I am not too late, so I thought I would do it anyway. The women in these old, and not so technically great, but oh so dear to me photos are the women who have given me a creative legacy.

circa 1978 - me in my Mom's arms, my cousin Jennifer underneath my Grandma, Great Grandma, and Aunt Gail.

These are the women who taught me to love working with my hands. These are the women that I have seen creating, often out of necessity, but always with love. They have taught me through actual lessons and simply through example.

My mother, DeAnn, is the best seamstress I know, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this. She has made countless dresses for me (including my wedding dress which fit like a glove), countless other pieces of clothing for me and my brothers and cousins and herself. Now she is honing her talents as a quilter and creating some impressive art. She is the friend that every non-sewer wants to have. She always has clothing from friends that needs mending or altering. She is incredibly generous with her gift. She is always willing to go on a fabric hunt for me (she lives in a bigger city with more fabric choices). I love that she shares her love through her craft.

I give credit to my Grandma, Carol, for giving me most of my actual sewing lessons. I would just get into my head that I wanted to make something and she was always there to guide me through it. She is working hard now to leave a legacy with her grandchildren by making each of them a large quilt for their bed. You can see mine here. I love the image in my mind that I have of my grandmother crocheting doilies in the evening. I love that I finally learned to crochet from her about a year and a half ago. She would never brag about it, but she is one talented lady.

circa 1989 - Grandma, Great Grandma, Mom and Me (please excuse the fact that I am not looking at the camera - I was 12 and awkward, what can I say?)

And my Great Grandmother, Anita, seemed to always have a quilt on her frames. The last quilt she hand quilted was one for me. I knew her mostly in her last years when she had become stricken with Alzeimers, but I know from her vague memories and the stories from my own grandmother that she was an innovative and creative woman - the wife of a sheep herder and farmer, she started her married life traveling with groups of sheep herders, cooking their meals. She had eight babies and she sewed and quilted and crocheted and baked for them. When I think of what I know from stories of her life, I am certain that she lived a creative life.

I am thankful for the creative legacy that I have through these amazing women. Happy Mother's Day!

Comments

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What a lovely post Jessi. I too was raised around the sewing machine.

Posted by: iSew | May 14, 2008 at 07:37 AM

Thanks for your post today Jessi... thanks for caring about the things that have come down through the women in our family ... and thanks for reminding me how dear they are to me ...you've helped me understand why I enjoy sewing ... Happy Mother's Day ... Love you, Mom

Posted by: Mom | May 14, 2008 at 05:09 PM

love this... sounds like you come from an impressive line of women. you are a lucky girl.

Posted by: kelly | May 15, 2008 at 09:53 AM