Handmade By Nana

This polaroid was included with my gift from my Nana this year. It's she and I, in the late 1980's (don't let the decor deceive you into thinking it was the 70s), in her "Rec Room" where her sewing machines and oodles of fabric lived, and where she spent a majority of her time. I don't think I've mentioned her much here before, which seems kind of silly, really, since she's the one who taught me to sew, and tried to teach me to knit, and many other things. As a child, I would spend the weekend with her, starting with a trip to the fabric store for a pattern and fabric. And then to her Rec Room we would go, where we would work away for the weekend, watching Lawrence Welk and Wheel of Fortune, and talking about many important things. All while learning, envying, watching, and sometimes dreading her very meticulous skills of sewing.  My grandfather, "Bumpa" would come in from time to time to stoke the woodstove, tell a colorful joke, and supervise the project for a few minutes before he'd head back out into his garage, or into the woods. And at the end of the weekend, I'd head back to my house with something I had made, and of course now I know - so very much more than that. On the back of this polaroid is Bumpa's shakey, but still perfect scrawl of "Nana and Amy in her newly made nightgown - 2/21/88". I vaguely remember this nightgown (I remember that lace and ribbon at the bodice driving me nuts. I'm as impatient of a seamstress as I ever was), but oh, how I'll now treasure this photo.

As they do, things have changed much since then. Sadly, my Bumpa has passed away. My Nana is no longer working out of her Rec Room, but out of a small condo. And at 80something, her eyesight is not what it used to be. But none of that has slowed her down a bit, as far as I can see. She spends most of her day working on sewing and knitting projects for her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. And this Christmas, just like every other Christmas I've ever known, was full of handmade goods from Nana. There's always been a hat, mittens, new sweater, or quilt for everyone under her tree.

The boys got these matching bathrobes from her this year. With their names embroidered on the chest (because she's all about her embroidery machine - she's a Bernina lover too). They, of course, adore the fabric.

And a new pair of mittens for each babe. I wonder how many pairs of mittens she's made in her lifetime. Like so many women before her, and so many after her - creating them out of need for the ones she loves. But a whole lifetime of them? That's a lot of mittens, a lot of (acrylic) yarn. And a lot of love, too.

Thanks, Nana.

Comments

[Heidi]

I love those mittens with the string connecting them! My mom always makes those kind for her grandchildren, too.

[Regina]

Beautiful memories, a definite treasure. I'm pretty sure I had the same hair-do and long pajama dress at one point!

[leslie]

love the photo, makes me miss my grandma. :)

[sadira]

Amazing...my grandmother is 93 and still crocheting like a banshee (if that is a good comparison) And we always receive handmade gifts from her too! She was a clothing designer as well...

[amy h]

My grandma taught me to sew, too. I now have her old Singer since she moved on to a Bernina in the '80s. I remember being getting a little annoyed with her meticulousness, too. Thanks for the story!

[Grace]

Beautiful. This brings tears to my eyes. Neither of my grandmothers were crafty. One was a full-on career woman and the other -- well, long story there. My mother tried to be everything her own (career woman) mother was not, so she sewed and knitted and crocheted and woodworked ... and many other things. She is a fulltime student now, but I am dreaming of a day in the not-too-distant future (when she graduates this spring) that we can begin to craft together again. Beautiful post Amanda.

[kerry : k8tykat]

what a beautiful post amanda. lovely.

[robin]

Oh, I miss my Grandma! She always sewed and crocheted for her grandchildren and I STILL have many of the treasures she made me- being worn and enjoyed by MY children!!! What beautiful memories you have to cherish. And... love Nana's new goodies she made for your Angels!!<3

[Monica]

I think you are a very lucky person to have people like your Nana in your life!
I would treasure everything she makes, because when she goes, there will be so much of her around!
Great post!

[tracey]

you have been blessed indeed. this explains a lot...like how you are so talented at such a young age. you had a huge head start!
thanks for the memories...

[brandie]

really lovely post amanda...what a special relationship you have with your grandma!

[betsy]

I love this post, Amanda. Your Nana has given you many gifts: the gift of time (I love the descriptions of your childhood weekends together) and teaching you to sew of course. But, even more importantly, teaching you the importance of creating for the people in your life -- weaving, knitting, sewing, crafting, and cooking your love into each work. Beautiful post. xoxo (Um, is that eagle still around? Because I want you to hang it in YOUR Rec Room.)

[colleen]

oh, amanda, what a wonderful tradition of women making things you're carrying on. i wonder what your children will make for their families? beautiful bathrobes, by the way -- i'm sure they look great after bathing!

[Alison Whittington]

Wow, wow, wow, WOW! I have a Bumpa, too, my maternal grandfather, and my maternal grandmother was also Nana (well, she died in June, but she still IS Nana)... so they were Nana and Bumpa. I was the first grandchild and I was the one who named him Bumpa.

Many people have Nanas, but you're only one of two other people I've ever heard of whose grandfather they called Bumpa. And I saw a Bumpa's Cafe in St. Thomas, once, but I don't know if that Bumpa was grandfathery or not.

I am so, so, so excited to read this post.

[jean]

I was sitting here thinking about how much knowledge and skill that generation of women has/had. Then I realized that this generation of knitter/weaver/sewer/makers of things is taking those skills and that art to a new place. So maybe our yarn is nicer. But it's a beautiful thing to think she planted the seed so long ago, which is in full bloom now. Lovely tribute, Amanda.

[molly]

i just wrote about this on my blog this week--about how it's so much easier for me to craft when I know it's for someone I love.
your nana is an example to us all. (i love the thought of how many mittens she has knitted in her lifetime...)

[Kristy]

My birth grandparents were never crafty in the slightest!Sadly they have all passed away but my new Grandma is such a great inspiration.She is always creating for us and teaching my girls how to knit.Such loving bonding time.Her mum was still crocheting for my baby girls at 93 when her sight was completely gone!That reminds me I must get round to learing myself xxx

[Amy]

Beautiful post. Kuddos to Nana for a lifetime of beautiful things and for teaching you to sew and value handmade things so much!

[abbyjane]

I always wished I had a a mother or a grandma who could sew or knit and could teach me and help me fix things. You are so fortunate! Maybe I'll be that mother and perhaps even that grandma myself some day.

[christina Gomez]

that was a sweet remebrance of your grandmother. Makes me want to start teaching my 8 yer old daughter how to do things like that. Memories are what keeps our loved ones alive, and ties us all together.
Happy crafting!
Christina

[Plumtickled]

I swear that is the same nightgown pattern my Mom made for us girls.... she had four of them. It was in the eighties and made from red floral flannel! Thanks for the memory!

[caro]

Wonderful! My gram couldn't see anymore by the time I was born, so she stuck to crocheting afghans for us. "There's only ever one live stitch to worry about. It doesn't matter if I can't see."
Funny thing, we called my grandfather Boompa too.

[hannah]

best nana ever? i think so. loving those '88 curls amanda!

[Tiff]

Wonderful photo! You are so fortunate to have grown up with an older generation to learn from. And what wonderful gifts you were all given, there is nothing better than knitted mittens!

[andi]

Thanks for sharing these beautiful memories with us, Amanda! Even though I am just a young mama right now, someday I hope to be a lovely grandmother like your Nana.

[Susan]

I've been lurking until now, but this post made me cry (happy-memory-tears), so I thought I'd chime in. With my Grammie, it was sweaters...for all 6 children and 17 grandchildren. And every time we outgrew one, she'd make another! She must have made so many... Thanks for sharing and making me remember.

[amisha]

what a beautiful post. i treasure my childhood crafting memories with my grandmothers so much... it's such a blessing to have such inspirational women in your life!

[QueenK]

I thought I was the only one with a Bumpa! My grandfather always hated the name and kept trying to get us to change it without success. Maybe if he'd known there were other Bumpas in the world he wouldn't have felt that way.

My mother is the meticulous sewer and it turned me off sewing until I figured out that I don't actually have to pull out a seam three times because it isn't utterly perfect. She does get much more professional results than I do, but I'd rather have my project done and move on to the next thing. So much for genetics!

[melissa]

What a touching post. Thank you.
I have a picture of myself at age 4ish, sitting on my Grammy's kitchen counter, helping her pour what looks like condensed milk into a bowl. (I now have that bowl, too!) I absolutely TREASURE that picture. She is gone now, but there is so much of her in me that I feel close to her everytime I bake or sew or water geraniums!

I like to think that if she were alive and if we were the same age, that we'd be BEST friends.

[Becki]

What great stories pictures tell! I never was able to have such productive weekends like that with my grandmothers, but my mother has more than made up for it! Cherish those memories for a lifetime!!

[kate]

I love this. I have tears in my eyes. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful tribute to your Nana!

[nina]

what a sweet sweet post.

and i heart poloroids!

[Linda Thompson]

What a treasure your Nana is... to give you such precious memories! You are blessed!

[April R]

That story made me well up. Precious memories!

April

[mel b.]

Love your blog!!! Those mittens bring back memories! My great aunt elsa made a whole mess of them one year for me, my brothers and sister. I tried tracking down a pair of them when i was at my parents' over thanksgiving to pass on to my own munchkins, but they seem to be long gone! hopefully keeping some little ones hands warm. i need to learn to knit!!!! Thanks for the lovely post!

[melissa f.]

look at you, you chaste little thing! i have a similar nana with similar taste.

it's a lovely testament to living (physically) to family...

[Mae]

Your post brought tears to my eyes. My Mom would be almost 74 if she was still alive. Lets just say that your Nana and her would have got along famously. Thanks for sharing about her.

[Barb]

I'm teary-eyed too. This is precious. What I wouldn't give to have my grandparents back (or to have better appreciated them while they were here. But none of us really know any better).

[Kathie]

My grandma taught me to sew and knit, too. I spent weeks at a time with her on her farm. We would milk the cows each morning and evening and gather the eggs, and slop the pigs. In between the chores and the dishes we would "work"; sewing or crafting with felt and sequins. I didn't know it at the time either but it is my grandmother who really formed my favorite parts of me.

[Li Wu]

Happy new year, Amanda! And thank you for this heart-warming post. My grandmom left two years ago and I wish my daughter had more time with her. I treasure a picture of us four generations of women together. Your nana sounds like the kind of grandmom I want to be! Here's wishing you more time with your nana.

[Amber Lee]

What great gifts she's given you, and the fact that you truly appreciate it all is even better.

[nuttnbunny]

Tears here too. What gorgeous rememberings.

Strangely I also had Nana and Bumpa (Who morphed into Bumpy with subsequent grandchildren. It wasn't until I was in college that I realized his name had "word-meaning" :-)

[Teresa]

Oh stop! My family will tease me if they see me reading your blog and crying!!!

[Leslie]

This is such a sweet post, and I couldn't help getting teary eyed reading it. Both of my grandmas were/are avid sewers, crocheters, knitters, and Hawaiian quilters. I feel so lucky that they have passed these skills down to me. . .and it's something that I plan to pass on to my own children. That's how a family lives on, don't you think?

[Dacia]

what a wonderful woman. i aspire to be like her someday. I'm sure you know how lucky you are to have her!