old crochet from J and L Antiques in Dublin, TX

The Joneses, who live near us, recently opened an antique store in Dublin, Texas, across from the Dr. Pepper Museum. We were already acquainted, because Mrs. Jones’ granddaughters were on the same softball team as my daughter. My mother, my girls, and I had a very pleasant visit at J and L Antiques. Mrs. Jones had a good collection of old sewing things and bits and pieces of crochet and embroidery. I found a tin of old crochet that was very much to my liking. Here is a sampling.

There were trims, odd-shaped pieces, practice pieces, a couple of less-than-perfect doilies. I feel there’s a wall hanging waiting for me to collect just the right number of oldish crochet pieces. As soon as I have enough, the wall hanging idea will spring fully-formed into my head, and then–oh no!–I’ll have to make it.

Children crafting

We had a moment of crafty harmony in our house today. My daughters sat together in the easy chair. One was crocheting a big flouncy flower, and the other was making a glove by fitting paper to her hand, cutting it in place, and taping it together. Designers in the making!

I used to cringe every time I saw tape being used up by children. Then I saw how much my children learn by exploring the properties of various tools and supplies available to them. They figure out more interesting construction techniques than I could ever teach them. It’s well worth the cost of the tape.