Saturday, May 5, 2012

Grandma's favourite craft projects...

Who did you inherit your craft genes from?  For me, I got them from Grandma. She was passionate about crafting! Here is the gorgeous lady pictured with my daughter as a 3yo.Wow, that photo is now 10 years old. 


Grandma was my Mum's mother. She lived to the ripe old age of 97 and crafted up until she was 94. If she wasn't click clacking with her knitting or crochet needles, she was making slice. You would have got on with her like a house on fire. Everybody loved her. Her chatter and craft brought smiles to many people's faces.

Living through 2x world wars and the Depression period she crafted to recycle. She was part of the Country Women's Association of Tasmania which showcased Handcraft and Home Industry. She had little spare money so she used what was around her. She was even a craft demonstrator teaching lots of women her craft. She taught me how to knit and could pick up a dropped stitch in a flash (there were plenty of those).

I hope you can imagine her knitting in this her knitting chair in front of the fire. You can even see a cushion she crocheted.

Top 5 Grandma craft projects:
5. Crocheted afghans (usually acrylic yarn)
4. Easter bunny rabbit made from a folded face washer
3. Knitted bags using plastic bread bags
2. Knitted Christmas tree stockings (always filled with a Santa chocolate)
and the most famous of all...
1. Knitted toilet roll doll (if only we had kept one)!!!

Who did you get your crafting genes from?

Thank you for strolling through my MEMORY LANE..

                                                                               Jan x

7 comments:

Rowyn said...

That's amazing that your Grandmother crafted up until age 94!

My craft genes come from both sides of the family. On my Mum's side her Mother and Grandmother were embroiderers. My Mother is a knitter and a stitcher.

On my Dad's side, his Mother was a knitter and a seamstress. I have a hardanger tablecloth that someone made on my Dad's side too.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend Jan.

Jan Gartlan said...

Rowyn, you certainly have a spread of crafting genes in your family. It's great you still have the tablecloth in your family. What a treasure!

Chelle said...

My mother is a professional quilter and my grandmother was extremely gifted at all kinds of needlework and crochet/knitting. So it's kind of a no brainer where my crafting came from. I had a needle in my hand by the time I was 10. :o)

Anonymous said...

Lovely post, your grandmother sounds like a lovely lady!

dulcinella said...

I loved your post! Sure brought back memories to my grandmother and my great grandmother who both loved to do all kinds of needlework! I cherish a blue sweater my grandmother made me more than 35 years ago. Thanks for bringing back the memories!

Valentina said...

I got my crafty genes from both my nannies! My dad's mum was a crocheter and a knitter while my mum's mum was a knitter and a stitcher!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

How lovely to read about your dear grandmother.

My grandad was a craftsman, a stonemason and carpenter. When he did something he did it PROPERLY!
Our pet gerbil died (as they do) and he made a headstone out of marble with the animal's name carved onto it! Mum expected a little wooden cross, not an foot high marble monument.
My Mum was a couture dressmaker and always made our clothes and our dolls' clothes. She also cross stitched, tapestried and knitted at the speed of a snail!
My sis is more traditionally "crafty" making lovely things from fabric, paint, wood etc while I prefer to stitch. I like the "mathematical" side of cross stitching and speciality stitching rather than free-form embroidery.
The boys in our family all draw and cartoon.