No doubt, when Aunt Inez was growing up in the 20's, crocheting was a common skill for young women to learn. She left proof of that when she passed away. When the day came for us to sort through her lifetime of possessions we found many beautiful pieces of her work: doilies, an apron, pillowcases with crocheted insertions and edgings, and tablecloths. Years of living along had brought her to put these items away to yellow with age and to be damaged by mice. We found many examples of the little rodents' work, gnawing single and double stitches, fillets, and connecting chains, until the loops had given way and left big holes in the items, as seen in this picture of what was left of a tablecloth:
And then, some of the items fell into the hands of my mother-in-law who was an excellent seamstress. She took sections from the tablecloths, bleached, washed, and starched them so the beauty was restored. She carefully cut portions and hand stitched them to pillows she had made. Now I have two of those thrifted pillows on my iron bed. Love 'em. Such a wonderful way to keep memories of Aunt Inie. Enjoy -- Charlotte
To be sure, Aunt Inez and your mother-in-law would be pleased to see this, and to know how much you enjoy the pillows.
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