Creative Ladies

Kerry found Clara Estelle's boyfriend online. It was a male hatstand the same age and design as Clara Estelle. He was just too cute but also too expensive (aren't most men) so Clara Estelle is still single. I started thinking (dangerous for me) when we were deciding whether we could afford him and I thought--you know I would rather have sisters for Clara Estelle. I would name them Barbara Jean, for my mother, Clara Estelle's sister; and Violet Elizabeth, one of my favorite aunt and also my mother's sister. (My mother came from a family of five girls and three boys that survived childhood). My mother and aunt are soooo talented and creative. At seventy six, my aunt built herself a shelf with a closet rod for her guest bedroom with scrape material that I think came from curbing. She brings lots of things home from her walks with wonderful creative ideas for them. Both my mother and aunt sew just beautifully. My mother rarely bought a dress for herself or me when I was growing up and our clothes were very fashionable and beautiful. They both have a very creative eye for decorating too and I love both of their houses.
They came by their gifts from my grandmother, Ruth Benjamin (my great grandmother gave all of her girls boys' middle names so I think our quirkiness comes from her as well), who could look at a dress, go home and make a pattern out of newspaper and then sew it up. She taught me how to crochet and was starting to teach me how to tat but I never got to finish. She made most of the lace on my dresses when I was small. She made lovely quilts by hand and I got the last one she ever made as a wedding present. So if I ever have the opportunity to buy other hatstands like Clara Estelle, they will be named in honor of my mother, aunt, grandmother,etc.; depending on how lucky I am in finding them, and in honor of all the other creative women out there.
Stephanie