Lovely Ladies and Pin*Cushions

Yesterday I felt like a scatter-brain! Carla, a blogger and quilt maker, read my post about my Penny Rug Mat and pillow. She posted and wanted to know about the little doll in the photo. A doll? What doll? I did not see a doll! She clearly described what she was looking for, but the more I looked the more confused I became, there WAS NO DOLL in the photos! We emailed back and forth and then bingo the light lit and I realized that she was talking about the little pincushion in the shadows of the photo with the Penny Rug Mat. I then emailed her and told her that I now realized what she meant, but the "doll" is my pincushion! I had made her a few years ago. I belong to a doll group and we had a challenge to make a pincushion and this is the one I made. She covers a can where I keep some sewing supplies. I made her from brown cotton, her hair is black yarn, her eyes are tiny black beads and her facial features are stitched. She also wears "pearl-earrings!" On her arm I attached a removable magnet, this is very useful for picking up needles and pins! The skirt has pockets all around where I put small scissors and other sewing tools. It is odd, because I cannot bear to put pins in her arms or her body. . .I do not want to "hurt" her, she is my sewing buddy! I put large needles in her hair, but not in her head and the needles and pins are stuck into the skirt.

The other "lady" in red is a pin cushion given to me and I do not remember the lady who made her, I am so sorry! She is so well made and I have never stuck any pins in her. She stands with the photos of 3 very special and lovely ladies, from left to right, my Aunt Blandine, my Mother, Beatrice and my Aunt Rachel. My Aunt Blandine was an expert seamstress, she had her own business where she made wedding gowns and the dresses for the bridal party, she also owned a fabric shop. Her husband was a pastry Chef and he made the wedding cakes. When we would visit during the summer our Uncle would make my brother and I a birthday cake like a small wedding cake, we each had a birthday in July. Those summers I will never forget! My Aunt Rachel was one of the sweetest and kindest person I ever knew and I wish that I could have spent more time with her as I grew up. My Mother's family lived in Canada so we only got together once a year. My Mother was also and expert seamstress and made almost all of her clothes, she could look at a fashion and duplicate it without a pattern. I learned to sew by watching her. Their photos are in my sewing/laundry room, they watch over me and I am certain they sometimes laugh at me when I try to figure something out while sewing that I have never done before. . . maybe they are thinking, you silly little scatter-brain!