Sue's maternal great-grandmother's name was Alice. I remember her as my sweet Great Grandma living in the tidy home built by my great grandfather, who I only met as a baby. She had an interesting telephone table, pretty dishes in a corner cabinet, a pink-tiled bathroom, and a tall thin black painted cupboard in her bedroom housing the only crafting supplies that I ever saw. (Can this really be?! All crafting supplies in one thin cabinet? There was that mysterious basement room that I never ventured into, was told it was a junk room......)
Alice's needle skills were quite fine, and, as a kid, I was thrilled to have many tiny crocheted doilies as various dollhouse rugs and tablecloths. Maybe it's time to frame these somehow.
Our shop was becoming a reality when my mom was spending hours and hours helping her 94 year old mother downsize last summer. (Alice was my grandma's mother-in-law). Knitting needles and crochet hooks came home for me - as did Alice's needle storage case, and her knitting bag. Mom says the knitting bag went everywhere with her....
My mom remembers Alice (her grandmother) and the Lane Booster Club. The Lane County Boosters chartered themselves in the late 1920's when children were in school and Alice was involved with it until her death in 1987. It morphed over the years to become more of a classic county extension club. Lifelong friends were made and they met monthly until the late '60s, and then less regularly for special occasions. Several of Great Grandma's projects from Lane Boosters are with us. Maybe one of the projects was that needle storage case? Check out this charming crocheted rug!
And we're pretty sure she did this doily to match her green and yellow kitchen.
All members had this pin ~
Of course these things don't mean as much to everyone, but I'm pretty sure some of Alice's tendencies made it into my DNA, and I'm glad to have some tangible reminders of her. It's also very interesting to me to think about her in conjunction with that Lane Booster Club - and all the women's groups that have been part of history in various ways. Today's groups may be a bit more "focused" (book club, wine club, fitness classes and groups, gourmet club, bible study groups, service clubs, etc. etc), but we definitely still seek face-to-face gatherings, camaraderie, and friends.
I'll write another Family Ties Chapter again soon!
