Tuesday Treasure - Quilts with Memories

     

     These are just six of the quilts that I have that were made by my great grandmother, some over one hundred years old. I received these quilts after the passing of my grandfather and there are so many warm memories I have with some of them. Right now they are on display, as pictured, hanging on an antique ladder that I purchased while in Germany. Recently though my mother voiced her thought that I should be enjoying them more as my grandma Elfrank had, yes mom I will use them more. 

     When we, my brothers and I, were younger and would visit my grandparents during the summer or even during a holiday visit we would use these quilts. I remember personally using the one on the bottom, the butterfly quilt on top and the bright orange and yellow quilt. I know my mom is right and I should be using them as they were meant to be used. Nothing feels better then wrapping yourself in a quilt especially one that was made by hand, by your own ancestor and made with love.  

Tuesday Treasure - My Wooden Treasure

Posted back in 2013...
My wooden treasure chest, so to speak. That would have to be the desk that I set at day in and day out blogging and doing all of my research. The desk that I comfortably set at once belonged to my grandparents, Fred H. and Martha C. Elfrank. This was the first piece of furniture they bought when they were married. I received it after the passing of my grandfather back in 2001 and it has traveled with us where ever we've gone. I couldn't think of a better place to sit and post my blogs, research, write, and run my business. This is a treasure that helps me to produce more treasures.





This desk continues to be a wooden treasure chest, I no longer set at the desk but it is still in my office. I continue to enjoy the memories around the desk, I can still remember seeing grandpa's brown leather pen and pencil holder with gold trim setting on the corner.

Tuesday Treasure - Needlepoint Ducks

     Some of you might look at this and wonder how it can be a treasure with the beautiful stitching. Insert smile and a little giggle. I’ve shared a few items that were hand down to me from my grandma Elfrank well this one is one I created with her. Every summer my brothers and I would spend time with our grandparents, our parents needed a break I guess don’t know why we were such angels. While we would visit we would spend hours enjoying ourselves everything from playing cards, board games, going to the park, Shriner events and even learning new things. The year I made this slips my mind but I’m sure you can tell I was learning needlepoint.  Grandma had a few patterns to choose from and I liked the ducks for this tea towel. I also made two pillow cases one with a princes and one with a long eared puppy, I still have those but can’t remember where I packed them.  Looking at it I remember all of the times I got stuck in the finger with that needle, I’m surprised there aren't any blood stains, but I got through it and was so proud of these ducks. Minus the pain I look back at the time that I spent with my grandma and truly enjoy the memories, I miss her but I’m so lucky to have so many treasures around me to remind me of fun we had. 

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. 

Tuesday Treasures - Martha Colleen Elfrank's Rocker

This rocking chair is one of many special pieces of furniture that I consider to be true family treasures. This chair originally belonged to my maternal grandmother, Martha Colleen Elfrank. When I was asking my mom about the chair she shared special reason behind the purchase with me. See my grandmother purchased this chair so she could rock me whenever I was visiting. The chair looks the same as it did when she got it and won’t change a thing. Now some would say it's an antique, but that would make me an antique, lets not go there. I hope she knows that I loved using it to rock my children and I will make sure that I continue to rock my grandchildren in the same rocker. 

Tuesday Treasures - 1979 Tole Painting

My maternal grandmother, Martha Colleen Elfrank, took a tole painting class back in 1979. This is one of the pieces she painted, yes its apples. What you don’t know is my grandmother went through this black phase, where she painted almost every piece of furniture in the house black. So I’m guessing it took place in 1979, since that is the date on the bottom of the painting with the edges painted black. Now when I say she painted the furniture black I’m talking chairs, end tables, coffee tables if it could be painted it was. I have this setting up in my office help remind me that no matter what your age is you can always try new things, just like grandma did. 

Tuesday's Treasures - Needlework

My grandmother, Martha Colleen Elfrank, had many ways of expressing her creativity. It wasn't unusual to find her flexing her creativity gene through needlework or painting. I remember my grandparents living in a couple different homes, no they weren't military, and I assume they liked change every so often. With each of these different homes I can remember seeing this particular piece of needlework hanging. On the back grandma signed her name with the year 1973, which I assume was when she finished it. It might sound strange to some but it was comforting to see it. That’s what makes it so special now for me because no matter how many homes we live in it will always have a place.  

Tuesday's Treasures

There are many things that I have found in my home that hold history, family history that is. I thought it would be fun to photograph a few of these “treasures” and share them with you and maybe a little story behind them.  So in short that is what “Tuesdays Treasures” is all about, maybe you have a few things in your own home that hold some piece of your family’s history. One thing that I have found through time is not all pieces or hints of our history are on paper, some of these hints might be hanging on our walls, sitting on a shelf or even hanging in a closet. I challenge you to look around your own home and find your own “Tuesdays Treasures.”  Please feel free to share them I would love to see and hear about your “Tuesday Treasures.”

Some would say that my grandma Elfrank was a woman set in her ways that spoke her mind whether you asked for her opinion or not. I won’t lie that is true but she was also very creative and had a great since of humor. That’s why I love this plaque; it shares so much of her options, creativity and her humor. She created this in 1979, noted on the bottom along with her name, Colleen.  No matter what home we live in there is always a place for it on the wall offering her advice with a dash of humor.