Aunt Naomi was easily my favorite of my mother's three sisters. With my cousins, it was a toss-up between Aunt Naomi and my own dear mother for their favorite aunt. On one hand, Aunt Naomi had no children of her own -- on the other hand she held the hearts of everyone else's child. Like my grandmother and my aunts, she was an excellent needle worker. She sewed, crocheted, tatted, and quilted along with many other such works. She was extremely giving and gave away far more of her projects than she ever kept for herself.
Aunt Naomi often made her own patterns or "picked" them off of the already completed work of others. One favorite story my mother told, was of a time in the 1930's when she and my aunt were walking down a crowded sidewalk in downtown Akron. Quite a few paces in front of them was a woman wearing an attractive crocheted hat. My mother off-handedly remarked to my aunt something to the effect of "I love the hat that woman is wearing; I wouldn't mind having one like that myself." That's all it took! My little aunt (about 4' 9") grabbed my mother and began dragging her along as she hurried to catch up to the woman and get a closer look at the hat. After trailing the poor lady for several blocks and through one store, Aunt Naomi decided that she had figured out the pattern. Several weeks later my aunt presented my mom with a copy of the hat she had admired.
I first heard that story when I was a very young girl. I guess it rather inspired me, because I have been copying things ever since. Below are a some pics of the latest Brambleberry Cottage version of a couple American Girl doll caps. Maybe you'll recognize them.
This is Marisol's cap - Brambleberry Cottage style. Marisol was the 2005 Girl of the Year doll for AG dolls.
The second pic is of the Julie cap in the traditional color. Julie is AG doll's Historical Doll for 1974. This is about the time I graduated from highschool, and I remember making and wearing similar caps.
The great thing about "copying" is that I can get the style I like for less and in the color I like -- say PINK for instance.
2 comments:
The girls looks so cute in their crocheted hats!
I love that story about your aunt. I wonder what that woman thought of being followed, LOL? Did she know her hat had made such an impression?
I have a favorite aunt, too. It is my Aunt Mary. She also never married, but was the aunt that all of us cousins had the most fun with. She wasn't a sewist, but she was really into crafting. And she worked for a gift shop for decades, so we always got the coolest gifts from her!
Alas, her vision is so bad (she is 87) that she can no longer do the things she once did. (I wish I knew how to string pearls like she did--it would be a lucrative career!)
But I still enjoy her company on our yearly visit to Ohio. I think everyone should be blessed with an Aunt Mary or an Aunt Naomi!
What wonderful memories of your Aunt Naomi!
I love crocheted hats. And I love the style you made for the dolls--the tight-fitting, no-brim kind. Someday I'll try to make one like this for myself. :)
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