Crafts over the years - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic Info:
The theme for Week 49 is "Craft." Do you have an ancestor who was a craftsman? How about a tradition of crafting in your family? (I come from a line of crafters and I have always enjoyed doing crafts of all kinds. I've also started quilting, a craft that both my grandmother and my aunt spent countless hours doing.) Do you have a handmade craft that's been passed down?

I grew up either watching or doing crafts by my paternal grandmother, mother, my oldest sister, Theresa, and my brother, Charlie. I had started doing crafts by that stage from making cards to helping Theresa with wreaths among other things. 

My Grandmother
My paternal grandmother, Jean, would crochet and was very good at it. I know when I was growing up, she would sit in her chair, play solitaire, and take time out and crochet. First she made dolls with a dress and then what we called dogs. Both of these held toilet paper rolls. They were all over the place when I was growing up, but I never got any because I was too young I was told.

The toilet paper roll cover dog. Credit

The toilet paper roll cover for doll. Credit

However, last year I met up with one of Jean's partner's great nephews. Upon talking to him, I found Jean had given some of her doilies to his great aunt and sister of Jean's partner. Back in the 1950's or 1960's, this woman was talking with Jean and told her she couldn't find the true ones any longer as they were all really thin or plastic. Jean told her she'd make her some and did and gave them to her. The woman used them for years until she put them away so they wouldn't get ruined.

The different types of doilies together. 

The one under my brother's ashes in our home.

The one in our living room. 

The one we had on our dining room table which was multicolored. 

Now, the circle is complete because she had her great nephew return them to me in January 2019. She said she didn't used them any longer and wanted to give them back to Jean's family. I only expected one or two, but what I got was a small treasure trove as you can see by the pictures above.

My Mother
My mother didn't do many crafts when I was growing up. This was probably due to her working or watching TV. Now, she watches TV but hasn't worked for awhile. She did start making me another knitted throw, but I haven't a clue where this is now, since she moved to Kansas and then into a nursing home.

However, she told me when she was pregnant with me, she started another one. This was in oranges, browns and an off white colors - true 1970s colors that's for sure!

Anyhow, when I asked her why she kept doing a chevron crochet blanket instead of a straight line, she said that's the only one she was taught, so did that one.

This blanket, after many starts and stops from Mom, has many different textures and colors because Mom could never find the same colors as she started.

The is part of the blanket she made me. Notice the different colors. This is now on our couch in our study. 

However, now due to arthritis and dementia, she no longer can do anything like this, so these I can cherish.

My Sister, Theresa
Well, what can I say? We were always doing something different and trying things. These sometimes came out well and other times there were more laughs than anything. Usually stories came with the "well we're not doing that again" type of stuff.

The first one which always comes to mind is the time Theresa wanted to make some money by making homemade wreaths and stuff for the front doors. We had some branches around where we lived we used first and came off well. Then we had to go look and sometimes we went into forests where there were plenty. What we didn't count on was sitting there working to cut the thinner branches and then came a stench. I looked up and noticed some bears but they were probably a mile or so away. However, I got a bad feeling and kept an eye on them. After 10 or so minutes, I insisted we were done but Theresa wanted a few more branches. By this point the bears (as there was a huge one  and a smaller one I was thinking was a few years old baby) were about a half mile away and I wanted out. I told her to get everything in the car and sit in the car while I finish the branch I was working on. She put everything in the car but didn't get in. The bears were now getting much closer and I finally got down leaving the branch behind. Theresa started to complain and I told her she could complain all she wanted but if she wanted to talk it over with the bears be my guest (and a bit of swearing mixed in). She asked me what I was talking about as I got in the car and was telling her to do the same. She just made it in and we got the hell out of there.

We did get some of the wreaths done and dressed up. Made a bit a money but not enough to do that again! Too bad we never took any pictures.

Other things were like making clocks with pictures, just pictures and other things on wood with a high gloss plastic coating over it. It worked out great but with having active kids and animals around the items which you had to let dry for many days, it wasn't practical (and you can tell there are more stories around this one!) but it was fun.

Another thing Theresa has tried recently, was making jewelry. This includes necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Theresa made this bracelet for me back a few years ago. 

My Brother, Charlie
Charlie drew when he was growing up. They were really good drawings too.

However, he went away from it by the time he was in his 20s. Then when he got older, he went back to carpentry after he was hurt in a workplace accident and couldn't go back to full time work.

When they moved into their home, and then he talked about building a huge shed, I knew he was getting back into carpentry as the equipment was huge. He did and eventually set up his business called Wood Chuck Wood Working. This was in the huge shed at his home where he came up with his ideas and projects. Some of these are below.

One of the tables he worked on and part of his shop

More of his shop where he worked. 

However, we lost Charlie in 2019. When it came time to find something to "bring him home" in his wife, Kathy, used one of his creations for this purpose. 

Charlie's box he made and now resides in.

He was very talented, but like me, a perfectionist. It wasn't until a few years ago, I find out our paternal grandfather, Mathias (aka Mathew) Schmitz was a carpenter and joiner.

A joiner is part of the carpentry occupation. Credit

This is our grandfather's Intention to become a citizen paperwork. Notice the occupation on the second line.
Credit: USCIS

Sometimes these things do run into families.

Me - Jo Ann
I wouldn't call myself very skilled but I give things a shot, like up in Theresa's little blurb above. Still to this day watching her face go white when she saw how close the bears were and when they turned, saw us, and started running for the car...something I'll never forget.

Anyhow, I've done and tried many things over the years with crafts. This came in handy when we were planning our wedding and the stuff I had already done for the wedding Australia when we had a fire and I lost things I had already done and bought for the wedding. We had planned another in New York, where I grew up, but because of the fire, never got to have. In fact, I had already done the favors for that wedding which were small hats with lace and bears on them.

We lost everything I had done - the cake topper and the small teddy bear touches I had planned all over. We looked all over and couldn't find a cake topper like we wanted, so I had to find the stuff to make one like we wanted. Same thing with putting teddy bears in my wedding bouquet, so we got it and then had tiny bears to put in after we got them, and limited to only one group of bears for one of the tables and made up bears for everyone who was an attendant along with the teddy necklaces the girls wore on the day.

The first cake topper with the bears I came up with before the fire we had in 1997. 

The sneakers I bought and made the bridal (appliques, ribbon and bears added) to wear on my wedding day in 1997.

The 2nd wedding cake topper quickly made for our wedding in 1997. 

The bear hats I made as wedding gifts. 

There have been many other things I've done over the years - knitting, cross stitching, fancying up the outside of a book, scrapbooking, and picture taking which was then printed and used.

My book cover I made for a photo and information album.

One of my cross stitches I made many years ago.

My first quilt which the skills need to be worked on. 

My  crocheting which I think is just too hard even though I still have basically a whole blanket done which needs to be joined. 

My Thanksgiving turkey I made from cross stitching using plastic instead of fabric.

I've balanced this with my other hobbies of baking and reading. However, a few years ago, I've tried to combine 2 of them - chocolate and coloring/painting.

I've taken a melting class for chocolate and they showed us how to make chocolates and how to apply "paint" and dust to the chocolates.

Chocolates made from class

Chocolates made from class

Up close trifles

For the future, I'm planning on a few crafty things. This is due to me having an inflamed tendon in my right thumb and wrist so I can't do much right now unfortunately. It's hard to think of doing crafts or typing when you're in pain wiping your butt!

Ouch. It's been about 2 weeks and still going. 

But goals are goals. I want to do some chocolates with color, make a quilted blanket with family pictures on it (I have tried quilting before but need to work on this), decoupage family tree ornaments of ancestors, and acid etching on glass. Too bad my wrist and thumb are slowing me down.

These are pictures I figured out how to transfer onto material,
but didn't like how they came out. Need to try others and then make the quilt! 

I keep telling everyone, I'm busy all the time but somehow no one believes me. Because on top of these things, I also do my own genealogy and help others and index when I can. Oh, also I'm the secretary and treasurer of our area Neighbourhood Watch group.