The thing about family heirlooms is that while they may be extremely precious items to pass down from generation to generation - it usually means someone has passed away. In my recent experience with receiving family heirlooms, no one passed away (thank the good Lord) -- but my Grandmother's health is definitely declining. Our dear old Faye Ingram is living in an assisted living facility for Alzheimer's patients. Her poor mental health seems to be declining more and more each day. She's my only grandparent left, so this is very hard on the entire family.
So as my parents started to clean out my Grandmother's house to prepare to sell it, they came across some items they thought us "kids" might like to have. Some of it wasn't worth keeping... most of it I'd never seen before. But there were a few things that were antique looking that came from my Great Grandmother that I decided to keep.
My mom and Grandma called her "Burr" -- no one knows where this name came from -- but her given name was Mae Harper Morgan. She's from
Ringgold, Louisiana - a small town in
Bienville Parish.
She died some time in the mid-80s, so I don't have any real memories of her. But my mother adored her. Apparently she collected small
porcelain pieces, tea cups and other
nick knacks on her travels across the United States. I wouldn't imagine that a woman from such a small town would travel across the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s. But she did. And she collected "stuff."
I'd never seen these pieces before mom brought me to Grandma's house to look through the things they found. As mom and I looked at these mini pitchers and cup/saucer sets, I wished I had memories of my Grandmother using them for special breakfasts with me and my sister. I wish I could recall sipping orange juice out of the small cup while my Grandmother made pancakes. Unfortunately, I don't have those memories because it's not something we did as we grew up.
However.... I have decided that it is my mission to create such memories with my kids and
grandkids. I love traditions. So it's time to make our own.
One tradition we've already started is making pallets on the floor for movie night. So it makes those nights even more special to be able to use quilts and afghans made by the women in our family. Since I started crocheting blankets, I've come to appreciate the time and dedication to this art. It truly is an art. It takes time, patience, and more time.... oh, and more patience. :)
I don't know how to make a quilt, but these beautifully crafted blankets will forever be cherished in my eyes. With the mind-numbing hustle and bustle of this generation -- I'm afraid this will be a lost art over the next few generations. "Burr" made these gorgeous pieces, except my Grandma recently told my mom (when asked about the history of these blankets) that the grey one - seen below on top of the kids - was made by "Burr" and her mother, which would be my Great Great Grandmother. WOW.
(Kennedy and Brady -- when you read this as adults, you BETTER still have these blankets. They are so very important to me.)
The amazing details of the stitching around the pets of these flowers is so beautiful. There are a few imperfections here and there, but that's what gives these heirlooms such character.
This pink and green one has definitely been used and is starting to fray in some areas. It was likely made from material that will not hold up to the rough-and-tough nature of my young kiddos. They don't just lay still with blankets. They wrestle with them, carry them over their heads to pretend to be monsters, make forts out of them. So this particular one will be for snuggle purposes only. :)
This brown afghan is Brady's new addition and the blue/green afghan is now Kennedy's. My kiddos LOVE blankets. Even in the 100 degree heat of a Louisiana summer, they like to be covered up. I don't blame them. It's very comforting.
She's just like her mama. She picks books based on the cover. If it's cute on the outside, it's bound to be good on the inside, right?
