A Family Affair
A Family Affair
Often as I go thru my creative day I find myself wondering who will continue the tradition of sewing, quilting and crafting in my own little family.
Growing up I always assumed that genes for such talents were passed down as a matter of the natural order in life. To my dismay I have learned otherwise; and am now reaching far up into the family tree to the branch where my grandbabies now sit! Who will cherish the boxes of bobbins, pins, beads and buttons and of course, fabric as I have?
My parents, products of the 1930s and parents in the 50s & 60s with 6 mouths to feed (not including their own!), knew how to stretch a food, fun and décor dollar. Underneath the needed frugality was the spirit of ingenuity and creativity; our house was always filled with creative vibes.
Tickling our creative stirrings were things like themed homemade birthday cakes (the Beatles 45 rpm record cake for my 13th birthday comes to mind), a pair of sawdust coated, red spray painted vanity lamp shades for my mother’s vanity (sounds gauche today but the shades actually had a lovely texture…I thought my Dad a décor genius!), and a family memory favorite – the hula hoop, grabbed from the yard, covered in tin foil and displayed as a halo for the statue of Mary for a festive Christmas mantle decoration. I can still remember coming home from school and seeing this bright and festive display and wondering how my Mother was able to come up with clever ideas all the time! We still laugh over this to this day – she says it was out of necessity and I say that you coulda fooled me!
So all through the 50s, 60s and 70s my siblings and I learned to sew, craft, cook, garden and woodwork. Sure, at some stages of life we enjoyed it more or less (depending on where our love lives were at the time!) My sisters and I especially enjoyed knowing how to sew when it came time for a prom dress or a new Easter outfit. We whipped up the outfits, with Mom standing at the ready to help with a zipper or buttonhole. And a very exciting bonus to sewing your own outfit was the fact that babysitting money was only spent on shoes, hat and purse!
Nothing in the world of creativity was off limits…the boys learned to cook, and we girls had equal access to hammers, nails and scrap wood.
Fast forward to my adult years…after a son, the blessing of a daughter. I can’t wait till she shows a leaning towards creativity! The things that we will craft together…why the possibilities are endless! What fun we will have.
So, I am sewing and decorating, and Schell is toddling. Surely the gene is there and by seeing me craft she is absorbing it all.
Soooo, I am still sewing and decorating and cross-stitching and she is walking, talking, going to grade school and still no interest. No problem, I can be patient when I need to be!
In the meantime, her older brother Jimmy takes up cross stitching for about 1 week and then moves on to woodburning where he proceeds to turn most any item in his path into a burnt creative offering. This is it, I think? This is the next creative branch on the tree? Thank goodness he turns his sights to basketball, leaving the creative world behind.
Still there is hope for Schell. One day she comes to me and wants to work on a stuffed doll. Now we are talking!
My excitement boils over….I am certain that when Schell experiences the thrill of thinking up and completing her doll she will be hooked. I envision evenings and weekends spent fondling taffetas and tulle for prom dresses or bonding over beads for the jewels she will want to craft.
Alas, the creative gene did not carry over from my womb! The creative DNA has stayed dormant in Schell. Today, as a grown woman, she blanches at the sight of needle and thread but can “create” a grant proposal that will knock you into the next room!
Her foray in to sewing – little Ms. Frankenstein we call the doll – resides on a shelf above my desk where she continues to make me, and Schell, chuckle at Nature’s sense of humor!
The good news is that Jimmy’s girls are showing no signs of interest in woodburning! Now 6 & 8, these little Yummies are always eager to come over for a visit and do something creative.
They sit on my lap feeding fat quarter scraps into the machine to make pillows, blankies and aprons. (There’s nothing like a homemade apron to wear when cooking pancakes on Saturday morning!)
Their little hands resting under mine as we feed the fabrics into the machine brings the warmth of contentment – knowing that the tradition of learning and creating continues, as it has for centuries.
This summer the girls will be ready to sit alone and try their hand at the Featherweight; with me, their Berry, standing by to lend a hand.
Sometimes the tree has more fruit on it then you think…you just need to reach up a little higher, that’s all.
So you all… I would love to hear about your creative experiences as a child, and how you are “reaching” up into the branches of your family tree. Green energy sources. Just use the Comment bar section to reply. Chat with you soon!
About the Author: Cheryl Reinhard Jukich
I'm a freelance textile, print and web designer. I am passionate about design and décor and love nothing better then the thrill of scouting out junk shops and hauling home that ‘just right’ piece for my friends or me. So my home and gardens are constantly being touched up, moved around or completely rehabbed! (It is a wonder I am still married!) In order to find inspiration for my textile designs I always think about the people and things that put a smile on my face.
Find great quilting and sewing references at our 
