"It takes ages to finish a quilt you're not working on!"

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Mum-in-law has been tidying up again...

Yesterday after I'd been to the Embroiderer's Guild, I stopped off at MIL's house for a cuppa and chat. She said (as she so often does, bless her heart) she had a sudden thought about a box at the bottom of a drawer in a back room. This is the box she handed me: With the ribbon still around it, it looked like it may have once contained biscuits or chocolates, or lingerie perhaps. She didn't remember. But this is what she had been storing in it for the past 50 years:
There is a suppercloth, tray cloths, doilies, crocheted collars made by her grandmother, embroidered handkies, a crocheted sauce bottle cover, and a beaded necklace, which she had made herself when she was in her twenties. She said she'd done a lot of beading, but given most of it away as gifts at the time. I soaked the material items overnight, hung them out to dry this morning, and thanks to strong winds, they are now inside waiting to be ironed.
Finally, she handed me a plastic bag containing these two small tapestries, complete with wool and needles. She'd bought them only a few years ago, but couldn't finish them once arthritis had got its cruel grip on her fingers.

4 comments:

Aussie Stitcher said...

Your linens are amazing, I love looking at what you post.

Chelle said...

Amazing! All of that goodness, crammed into what looks like a very nice but not-quite-big-enough box. And who crochets a sauce bottle cover? I'm sure no one does any more, and that is a shame. I love that with a touch of handwork, you can make anything pretty - even a sauce bottle.

Maggie Ann said...

How beautiful these are and what a wonderful MIL you have!

Gina E. said...

thanks ladies! :-)