Tuesday Treasures - Beary Special Bear

                               

     

     I guess you could say this is a three for one on the Tuesday Treasure postings. The quilted teddy bear sitting on the rocking chair was pieced together by my mom. My mom had some quilts that were made by my great-grandmother, Mary Caroline Estes who was married to Fred Herman Elfrank. She was a great seamstress who enjoyed making things for her family. My mom talks about all of the dresses and aprons, which I still have, that her grandmother would make. That’s when my mom stepped and pieced together the bears; this is just one of the five bears she made. Tied the arm of each bear there is a card saying;

“Once upon a time around the mid 1920’s I was known as a Flower Patch Quilt. I was hand pieced and quilted with love by Mary Caroline (Estes) Elfrank. 

November 11,1886 September 3, 1953

Debrah Sue (Elfrank) Langston, Mary’s granddaughter took the best parts of me and with lots of love I’m now a Beary Special Bear born April 1992.”

     We might not get to pull the quilt over us to keep warm but we have the warmth of a bear hug to remind us of the love from my great-grandmother and my own mom. The quilt behind the bear is my baby quilt made by my mom. In the center of each of the large white squares is a needlework piece from well-known nursery rhymes.   

     The black rocking chair that the bear is sitting on belonged to my great grandmother Elfrank, Mary Caroline Estes. My great grandmother would actually call it a bedroom rocker and it set in the corner of her bedroom.  If you have been following my postings on Tuesday Treasures you would remember reading that my grandmother had a thing about painting everything black. Well this is a perfect example. I decided that I wanted to find out the original color of the rocker, but she painted everything, so after taking with my mom she wasn't even sure the original color. She does however remember at one time it was white and we believe it to be at least 100 years old.