Denise Started Me Thinking

Denise, from Riverside Stitching, left this comment on yesterday's post of the Summer Sundress:

Now how many outfits have you made for the baby? lol Gorgeous - can't wait to see pics of her in it

It started me thinking about the why's I have for making her so many outfits.

1. I have two 8" dolls with crocheted clothes from Grandma Pearl . . Mom's mom, who we lived with until her death when I was in 4th grade.  One is a blond haired bride doll and the other is a white dress, red caped brunette Little Red Riding Hood. When I look at them I can remember all of the hours Grandma spent in her rocking chair, by the dining room window, crocheting. When I was small, I would climb on her lap when Mom was making breakfast for Dad and Lee, and we would "rock" to Florida to visit Aunt Ora and Margaret. So you can tell the number of miles she and I put on that rocking chair in the morning.
2. When I went through a box that the husband found in the garage, I found a lot of baby clothes that Mom had saved. In with these clothes I found one crocheted bootie . . . not sure where the other one disappeared too. It  made me smile because I knew Grandma had made that bootie for my foot. I should hunt it out and see if I can reproduce it. Maybe, one day, I will frame it . . . then I know I will find the other one.

But, I don't think these are the main reasons I am making the clothes for Miss Ellie Grace.

As most of you know, the husband and I have been married since 2003 . . . neither of us have any children. My brother has four children in their thirties.

Since I have been working on my family trees, I have been thinking about these people who have come before me. What I would give to have something made by them. I do have one thing, a book mark for a bible made by my maternal great grandmother, Ellen,  Grandpa Pearl's mom, who was known as Ellie.

Front of bookmark.

Back of bookmark . . . I can see how she printed her name.
Keever was her married name, to Grandma Pearl's step dad.
I think this is so cool, here are her maiden, 1st and 2nd married names:
Kirkham, Kreider and Keever . . .
How many people have the same initial that  many times.
No idea whose lock of hair it is. I know Grandma Pearl was a blond
in her youth, but, then again, it could be any one's.

I also found a family bible that had several pages of tin types in it. Most were not identified, but one was identified as Ellie Kirkham. So I do know what my great grandmother looked like as a baby.

But, I digress. I have always had this fear that when I die, no one will remember me . . . after a generation or two at least. So, if I make these clothes, and the afghan I am making for Ellie Grace, perhaps, one day, she will pass them on to her daughter or grand daughter and pass along that they were made for her by her great aunt, Paula.

This is my way to pass along my genes . . . via crochet . . lolol

By the way, when I found out Matt and Julie were naming their daughter Elizabeth Grace, I asked if she would be an Elizabeth or of they planned on a nickname.  For fun, I sent them a bunch of nicknames for Elizabeth - Beth, Betsy, Betty, Liz, Liza, Lizzie and Ellie.

When they told me they liked Ellie, I told them it was the name of their baby's great, great, great grandma. So we shall see what she actually becomes :0}