I just hope they will let me take it to do something with, and not just say "oh, we called the Historical Society and they didn't want it, said it was in such bad condition so we gave it to Salvation Army (threw it away, something similar)." Or have other aunt put it on a dress form in her loft over the fireplaced (used every winter) FR like she did my grandma's 75 yr old gown and grandpa's suit. I have no idea whether the dress is "lovely" or lace - all I know is that great-grandma saved it, she died when my godmother was 20 or 21, everybody who lived in that house since saved it even though it was hung and never boxed. Same thing with the china - my dad said it was never used (must have been early in 1900's but not when he was a boy), always stayed in butler's pantry, I do think my godmother used the platter to bring things to Grange b/c I found tape with her name on it on the back. I still can't believe my uncle (who grew up there seeing how it was treasured) let his wife and DD box it up without even washing it. It didn't have dust on it - but some pieces were actually gritty, they wrapped it in printed newpaper, as I said stacked it flat and crammed in cups and saucers, top and sides of taped box were bulging. No way would it survive trip (in another pickup - hopefully cab) to SC. The grit wasn't from being in pickup since I picked it up in my SUV. So newspaper must have been dirty? I washed it, air-dried in padded drainer, dried thoroughly with towel, and wrapped in unprinted newprint, at least 3 sheets each, in Rubbermaid box with air packs around edges and foam peanuts in spaces b/t. I sure hope it survives the next trip. My mom says Aunt has so much junk in her house she'll probably never unpack it, when she passes it'll probably go to someone who doesn't care, or be sold. I hope not - her DS who is coming to pick stuff up is 5 yrs older than me, family historian, so hopefully he will keep it. My godmother and her older brother who just turned 96 raised their younger siblings, my grandpa included, who in turn lived there with DW and their 5 boys, (plus their father, my godmother and younger DB for a while - maybe even the "baby" for a short time - so 5-6 adults and 5 kids in 4 bedrooms - great-uncle and boys slept in old servants' quarters in back of house upstairs, their parents slept in one of the front upstairs rooms, my 2 great-aunts slept in the other room, great-grandpa was downstairs in godmother's old room until they turned that into bathroom and then he moved to the parlor). None of them ever did anything with house or contents unless it was absolutely necessary - maybe it was neglect, maybe it was lack of $$ or maybe it was respect, or all 3, but it breaks my heart to see the old knee-knocker servant's stairway closed off and sheetrocked over at the top - we always used that staircase to visit great-uncle and DW when we went to see godmother downstairs (he converted upstairs to apt and put doors b/t front and back when he got married in early 70's - when he was in his 40's). And the upstairs is all sheetrocked - OK, I can see not keeping old horsehair plaster walls and sheetrocked and fake wood paneling (still not insulated) 70's renos, they did keep old brick fireplace (upstairs was added to original house sometime in 1800's and chimney was extended) and exposed beams in what was attic. But no casings on doors, very open and modern looking with picture window in back and that awful ceiling fan on the cathedral ceiling - at least they put grilles in new windows in front and saved the old front banister and treads, though stairs had to be rebuilt. I just hope they can save the mantels in the 2 front rooms downstairs, and the huge fireplace in the main room (original 1-room house?) that they used as DR until the 70's. The kitchen and milk room were added to the back of the house sometime in the 1800's, no foundation (?) and are falling off as is the back porch so they will probably have to be torn down, not sure where they will put kitchen downstairs. Hope they don't totally gut and pull out the pantry and the stairs behind it. Though it would be nice not to have electrical conduit running across the ceiling of the original 1 room. Sorry for another vent - I bought the back acreage from the youngest brother back in 2000 so it would stay in the family, 6 years later DH found a job in this state and we started planning modular house, moved in 2007. That winter we had a blizzard and Meals on Wheels couldn't make it out so I started bringing godmother dinner 3-4 times a week (enough for every night) when I found she didn't like their food anyway, we had been visiting her once a week or so when we first moved in but were busy with the house, after the blizzard I (and sometimes DD) would see her every other day, all through the summer too, we'd walk down through the woods b/c it's shorter than the road. She celebrated her 90th in Sept and then went into nursing home just as they moved in upstairs - my dad, his youngest DB (who lives across the street from farm) and I were the only ones who'd visit regularly. DD (just turned 5) still remembers her, has visited oldest DB (picked blueberries at his house last summer when I went to mend the fence) and is impressed by how old he is, upset when saw his tombstone until I explained it was just ready for him, they put his name on when his DW (my grandma's sister, 2 DB's married 2 DS's) died. Seems like not many have appreciation for the family history. I was thinking "something old, something new" for the young (now 3-10 yrs old) brides of the next generation, but aside from DD, I don't know if they even know their great-grandparents' names, much less their great-great-grandma's. Sorry, have to vent - DH is tired of hearing it, says I shouldn't get involved.

our daughter was baptized catholic later,when she was 13 and i had a cute infant style gown made for her from my wedding dress.it had boufant shoulders and lace and bows on the front and one big bow at the waist in back.the gown was knee length and i did a crinoline under it to make it poofy.i also had a bonnet made for her with the remaining material that matched her gown.she wore lace anklets and white slippers.to make her even cuter,i got a pair white rubber pants off a website in teen size and had ruffles sewn across the back of them.they looked adorable on her under the dress and she was so precious and innocent in her outfit on her baptism day.when she made her first communion at 14,i did the ruffled rubber pants under her communion dress,

Regarding the original poster's story: "You don't ask - you don't get". I've heard most of the above, a number of them from my Dad ... so that goes back a long way, as I was home only sporadically after I was 19, when I was home on the farm for the summer just after my first year of university. The ... I went back to Univ. ... and Dad went back to the community where we'd lived until a couple of years before to get married to second Mom (and we three boys got a ready-made sister out of that arrangement: I was going to say, "deal" ... but thought it somewhat inappropriate, given the circumstances). One that Dad used on occasion was, "I don't mind work (and I can testify to the validity of that observation) ... but if I can let my mind find a better way of doing it with less work, I'm happy to do that ... as long as the job gets done right". He could also have added, " ... and/or quicker". I've recalled one of Grandma's recently, having been diagnosed with prostate cancer ... which may well cause me next to no problems ... "Don't cross bridges till you get there". And, having been a farm woman all of her almost 90 years (1862 - 1951), she wouldn't have meant by that that one shouldn't plan ahead. The farmer who doesn't plan ahead ... goes broke ... almost always. I am troubled by the folks who spend all of their income before it's received, have large credit card debt, etc. What if they get a lay-off ... whether temporary ... or permanent? I much prefer having a financial cushion in case of emergency or other need. Grandma, again, "A penny saved ... is a penny earned". Also, "Look after the pennies ... and the pounds'll look after themselves" (and she was never near England). ole joyfuelled

My mother sewed. But my mother was a psychopath who never wanted me to know how to do anything that she was famous for doing or that might shine a spotlight on me rather than on her LOL. At 13, I took homemaking in junior high. Still can't make white sauce, but once I started sewing, I never looked back! (Interestingly, the only gap in all these years was during my very bad crummy disfunctional marriage. Occasionally the thought has crossed my mind that maybe I married someone who is exactly like my mother.) The summer before my first year of high school, which was ninth grade in my small-town at that time, I got a paper route. Spent all my money on fabric, and made all my clothes for the coming year. I was purdy close to adorable! The outfit that I remember most fondly was dotted Swiss. The blouse had long sleeves gathered into cuffs, & a stand up collar. The fabric was dotted Swiss, white with black dots oh, and the buttons and Lace trim were black. The skirt was black dotted Swiss with white dots. I sewed like a maniac for quite some time. Got married, no sewing for about 5 years as husband demanded constant attention. Almost the instant I was divorced, I made my aunt a green velour robe for Christmas. Then, I had an unexpected expense, seems like it was doctor bills for a kidney infection or something. No spare money, so I took a noonlight job at cloth world. Oh I loved that job! These days, I mostly play with quilting, and lately I've been making tote bags, occasionally out of new fabric but often out of old quilt blocks and scraps. Thanks so much for posting this, it is fun reading everyone else's experiences & re-living my own!