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| Handmade items by Floyda Mabel Steiner McClure |
My husband's maternal grandmother, Floyda Mabel Steiner McClure (1878-1948) left a legacy of beautifully-crafted needlework!
Above, a snapshot showing only a few of these treasured crocheted doilies and dainty gloves, a lacy embroidered tablecloth, a cross-stitched tablecloth, and a colorful crocheted afghan, and more . . . all painstakingly hand-made by Floyda, with great care.
Being a needlecraft enthusiast myself, I can appreciate Floyda's expertise. For some projects, she used the tiniest steel crochet hooks and ultrathin cotton threads. Her stitches are neat and even, with fine finishing touches.
These lovely items were preserved neatly and safely for decades by my sis-in-law, who kindly gave them to me for documentation before we share with other descendants.
My sis-in-law also wrote down some personal memories that will accompany these needlework keepsakes to their new homes in the family. One specific memory is that Floyda "taught me to sew when I was about four years old, and gave me fabric for my projects, mostly doll clothes..."
After I air these items, I will preserve them in archival tissue and archival boxes. Each box will include a write-up of Grandma Floyda's life story, growing up as the beloved only child of doting parents and becoming an accomplished crocheter and embroiderer, plus family remembrances of Floyda.
I do hope that sharing Floyda's legacy and details of her life with her descendants will inspire them as they admire the needlework items she created with love and dedication!
You're making me realize that I've got to store my grandmother & great-grandmother's crochet an tatting in a better, more archival way. I've got to add them onto my archival storage plan & start making that plan a reality!
ReplyDeleteWe have so many linens, clothing items, etc. Currently they are in stored carefully in bins for preservation, but it makes me sad that we can't see them and enjoy them. We also have forty placemat/napkin samples from my grandparents' short-lived linen company. I really need to figure out what to do with them!!
ReplyDeleteI always commune with my mother while I sew, and I should write down (or dictate while communing) some of her advice about "making things work out" when pattern pieces didn't have matching edges.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading and commenting, ladies! And best of luck with your fabric family treasures and memories. What makes these special is not just the craftsmanship but the stories too!
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