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~ Jean Williams, Handweaver

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Tag Archives: grandmothers

Passing It On

24 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Knitting, Nostalgia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Creativity, family, grandmothers, Knitting, Weaving

We as humans seem wired to want to pass things on to the next generation. We tell our children about our family heritage. We save heirlooms to hand down.  We hope our children remember all the things we tried to teach them. And sometimes they even learn things we unintentionally model.

I did not learn to knit or weave or sew from my Mom. She was a busy farm wife, mother, and freelance writer without much leisure time. But I saw that she sewed, she knit, she wove when something was needed, and I wanted “to do that too.” However, I learned to knit and sew and weave in 4-H and later in school.

The Knitting Lesson

The Knitting Lesson

As a young mother myself, I wanted my children to know how to work with their hands. I wanted to share with them the pleasure of making something themselves. But I also did not want to force them. I did not want to make it a dreaded project. So I crafted around them, asked them from time to time if they wanted to try, and if they showed interest, I showed them. Now I wish I had been more tenacious. None of my four has taken up knitting needles, shuttle, or fiber. That may soon change.

My daughter’s family just left after a week’s visit. In between trips to parks and reading stories, one granddaughter asked to learn how to knit. So I picked out some bright green yarn from the stash, a pair of easy-to-handle needles and off we went. She stuck to it and today before they left, she cast off a nice little sample piece.

I did warn my daughter: now that her daughter is learning to knit, she, too, will have to learn so that she can help her daughter on this adventure. She smiled and nodded.

A turn at the loom

A turn at the loom

Not to be left out, another granddaughter asked how to weave. I have a towel warp on the loom with a bit of warp at the end. So I showed her how to move the treadles and how to throw the shuttle. She wove through one sequence of the twill pattern, then she skipped off to another game. Shorter attention span on that one! Someday, she may try it again. At least she knows whom to ask.

Not every child or grandchild will be interested in fiber arts, but every one we teach will in turn pass along the skills in their own children. It’s been going on for generations.

Pass it on!

Write a Letter

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Nostalgia

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

creative inspiration, family, grandmothers, Holidays, Projects

Handwoven Notecard with Star Motif

Handwoven Note Card with Star Motif

Every year, as I put away Christmas, I go through the Christmas cards and re-read the letters enclosed in them. This is the only communication I receive from several of these people, but I so appreciate the letters (unlike what the media makes us think about Christmas letters!)  I love reading about friends’ families and finding out what they did this past year and what they plan for the new year. How else can we stay in touch?

When I was a child and complained about being bored, my Mom would suggest writing a letter—either that or some job I really didn’t want to do.

That suggestion to write a letter was a pretty good one. Who doesn’t like to get some “real mail” – not just junk mail – in the mailbox? And how else to get letters than to write them? At least that was the logic.

Yes, I know what they say about letter writing—that it’s a thing of the past, that in this digital age, it’s a waste of paper and time. I beg to differ!

I treasure the letters I received from my grandmothers and others who are now gone. Their encouragements, greetings, and stories bring a smile as I re-read them after so many years. And as anyone who has tried to research their family history knows, letters give a glimpse into our ancestors’ everyday lives.

So I forge ahead into the new year, once again resolving to write more letters. Even if I don’t hear back, I hope the lines in the cards will cheer someone up and brighten their day.

When was the last time you wrote a letter?

If you are looking for a blank note card with a handmade touch for your next letter, you can find several options at my Etsy shop, JeanWeaves.

In Homage to Our Grandmothers

17 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Craft History, Weaving Inspiration

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Tags

creative inspiration, family, grandmothers, handwork

My Grandmothers leave me in awe. Both of them raised families during the Depression. Both were farm wives—women whose days started early and ended late. Both helped work the farm. Both grew expansive gardens, preserving the produce at harvest. Both cooked from scratch to feed hungry families. And yet both found time and energy to make beautiful things!

Grandma K

Grandma K

Grandma D

Grandma D

These women were experts in the art of making do with what was on hand to create lovely accents for their homes and their families. My mother tells a story of her Grandmother seeing a doily in a store window, studying it, then going home and making one just like it for herself. Growing up, I just assumed that everyone’s Grandma did what mine did. Some did; some didn’t. Both Grandmas crocheted and knit. One also beaded, quilted, sewed as well — and she wove rag rugs.

I bring them up because I really appreciate that they exposed my parents, and then me, to the joy of working with my hands and that I can try to make something beautiful too.

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