Gems in Classics

Time does fly!  It was just about six weeks ago when I discovered Rose Wilder Lane, daughter to Laura Ingalls Wilder, was once a local resident in Danbury, Connecticut.  See Best Kept Local Secret? 

All the books, The Women's Day Book of American Needlework, published in 1963, that I ordered through  ebay and amazon have finally arrived.  I took one copy, the one I had intended to donate to a local library, to our local CGOA Chapter meeting to show our members.  As one of the members flipped through the book she exclaimed, "Look, Dee, this one came with a handwritten note from 1966!"

As she read the note, we were all touched by the sentiment: it was a letter from a daughter to a mother discussing their love of the fiber arts and how this book will hopefully inspire the mother to "...transform all those bits of thread, yarn and cloth into a work of art." 

While scanning the letter to share with you all today, I decided to leaf through the pages again to see if there were any more notes.  Sure enough, I found another: it was tucked deep between the pages of 150 & 151 -- a clear reference to a beautiful crocheted (thread) bedspread pictured on page 151 that (the book states) resides in the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.  The author of the letter wrote:

"My friend makes a couple of bedspreads every year.  She even crochets while waiting to pick me up in the morning.  Sometimes she complains because I'm so prompt."

I've decided to keep this book, and it's notes, for myself (unless the author of the letter & note would like to reclaim them).  I find the bond between this mother and daughter, and their shared love of the fiber arts, too touching to give up and this is something I'd like to pass down to my daughter one day.  I'll donate another of the Amercian Needlework copies I have; of course I'll be checking them all to see if there are any more gems tucked between the pages.  :)Tags: crochet, classis, rose wilder lane, laura wilder ingalls, danbury, connecticut