guiding grandmothers...

there's been so much excitement this week at jellen's house of fabric. seeing our store featured in a national publication is beyond exciting.  and to have our story shared with so many friends in the quilting world is very special.

it's a dream come true for sure. and one that had it's beginnings a very long time ago with two very special ladies...my grandmothers.

 

here i am at age five with my granny ewing. she lived about an hour from us in wooster, ohio. she was the sweetest woman and adored me, red curly hair and all. she would sit for hours and hours working with an embroidery hoop. i will never forget the green tin can she kept her floss and needles in. she loved showing me new stitches and would sometimes let me practice on her projects, often pillowcases stamped with blue ink from ben franklin. i'm sure i tested her patience more than once, but she never gave up on me.  unfortunately she passed away long before my skills were perfected, but her encouragement early on is very much appreciated and remembered. 

 

here i am in sidney, new york with my grandmother hillick.  she was a very good seamstress, often making her own clothes. i was always fascinated with her sewing machine and tinkered around making doll clothes. then i asked to make something to wear. so she took me down to the town's only five and dime store and we bought a pattern and fabric. the next morning she left me with my uncle charlie while she went to work. being i was eight and he was a teenager, he told me to get lost as soon as she was gone. so i did. i lost myself in that pile of fabric. by the time my grandmother got home from the hardware store she and my grandfather owned that afternoon, i had the dress mostly finished. and the rest as they say, is history.

p.s. yes, i am wearing that dress in this photo, exactly forty five years ago this month.

i doubt that i often expressed my thanks for what they taught me. i'm not even sure i appreciated it at the time. i suppose that is a part of growing up though. it often takes years to truly see and understand the lessons you've been taught. today, if i had the opportunity, i would throw my arms around them with a big hug and kiss and let them know just how grateful i am. they shared skills with me that turned into a life long passion. the most beautiful thing is, i now get to share those talents with others.