I hope you enjoy these photos from some of our wonderful Christmas celebrations from the past. The photos included were from a quick search…I know there are so many more.
Family Christmas memories through the years
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Author Archives: wonderfulstoryphotos
My family’s reading journey through time
One of the gifts that our family has continued to pass down through the generations is a love of reading and storytelling. I have compiled a precious photo collection in this blog. I selected photos that focus on books and reading with the hopes that they will help demonstrate how reading is often a way that knowledge is passed from one generation to the next. Parents reading to children and families reading together are powerful reminders of the quality level of joy that we get when we read together. When I look at these photos, I also experience a bond that I feel spanning the decades. As always, I hope that my blogs help open up our memories and generate our anecdotes and stories about these captured moments. I hope this blog provides a snapshot of my beloved family members at various stages of life, sharing a common activity that bonds them.
Our family’s tables and gatherings – a view through the years.
I think we all could agree that I adore taking nostalgic visits through the old family photos. To be honest, I also ADORE food and have so many cherished memories of family gatherings for meals. Dinners at our kitchen tables, at the Elks Club, at Howard Johnson’s, Bill Knapps, The University of Michigan Union, and hundreds of other venues. Also, picnics at the park and visits to ice cream parlors. And, let’s not forget the many birthday cakes that have delighted us.
I have many family members that are gifted cooks/chefs/bakers. Personally, I lack skills in this area. In fact, my father who would never say a bad thing about me answered a question I posed to him in the most clever way. I asked him to tell me if I was a good cook. I was goading him. But…like usual he came up with a PERFECT answer that still has me smiling. He looked at me lovingly and said, “Well, I don’t think you would be known for your cooking.” (My Dad was amazing!)
I decided that it would be fun to write this post using photos of some of the meals, kitchens, or tables that were photo documented by my family. My secret hope is that these photos, put together as a collection, will serve as a storytelling tool and enable my family members to share anecdotes and narratives about the family history of dining together.
There are not many photos that show our food…just us eating. I so wish that I had a photo of Grandma Pet’s niffles and her french fries. I would love a photo of Madalyn’s shrimp bowls and Aunt Babe’s pan fried fish dinners. Still, this collection should be fun.
To all the good cooks in my family (past and present) I thank you. Enjoy
Photo 1 -my estimated date is 1917
Photo 2 – my estimated date is 1953
Photo 3 – March 18, 1954
Photo 4 – February 11, 1955
Photo 5- March 18, 1955
Photo 6 – I estimated the date to be 1959
Photo 7 – I believe this is from 18 March 1960
Photo 8 – photo from 27 Nov 1958
Photo 9 – this photo is from 27 Nov 1960
Photo 10 – this photo is from 11 Feb 1962
Photo 11 – This photo is from 18 Mar 1962.
Photo 12 – I am estimating this photo was taken in 1963
Photo 13 – I estimate this photo is from 27 Nov 1963
Photo 14 – I estimate that this photo date is 1964.
Photo 15 – I estimate this photo date is 1964.
Photo 16 – I estimate this photo date is 1965
Photo 17 – This photo is from 15 Oct 1964.
Photo 18 – This photo is from 15 Oct 1964.
Photo 19 – I estimated that this photo is from November 1965.
Photo 20 – I estimated the date for the photo to be 1965.
Photo 21 – I estimated this photo date to be summer of 1966.
Photo 22 – I estimate this photo to be from 1966.
Photo 23 – I estimate this photo to be from Spring 1966.
Photo 24 – I estimate this photo date to be 1968
Photo 25 – This photo is from Oct. 1964.
Photo 26 – I estimate this photo was taken in 1969.
Photo 27 – This photo was from 1970
Photo 28 – This photo is from 1970.
Photo 29 – I estimate this photo to be from October 1972.
Photo 30 – This photo is from the summer of 1972.
Photo 31 – I estimate this photo to be from 1974.
Photo 32 – I estimate this photo is from 1975
Photo 33 – I estimate this photo to be from Christmas 1975.
Photo 34 – This photo is from 13 Aug 1977.
Photo 35 – I estimated the photo date to be 1979.
Photo 36 – I estimate the photo date is 1979
Photo 37 – This photo is from 1980.
Photo 38 – This photo is from Sept. 1982.
Photo 39 – This photo is estimated to be from 1982.
Photo 40 – photo date is estimated to be 1982
Photo 41 – I estimate this photo is from 1982.
Photo 42 – I estimate this photo is from 3 Jul 1989.
Photo 43 – I am estimating that this photo is from February 1983
Photo 44 – My date estimated is 1985.
Photo 45 – 3 Dec 1986
Photo 46 – Easter breakfast c1987
Photo 47 – My photo estimate is April 1987.
Photo 48 – December 1989
Photo 49 -This photo is from 1989.
Photo 50 – I estimate this is from 1989.
Photo 51 – Photo date estimated is 1991
Photo 52 – 1992
Photo 53 – December 1992
Photo 54- 1992
Photo 55 – April 1993
Photo 56 – 8 Jan 1994
Photo 57 – I believe this photo was from 1998.
Photo 58 – 10 May 2000
Photo 59 – estimated to be from 2001
Photo 60 – photo estimated to be 2007
Photo 61 – photo estimate 2008
Photo 62- photo estimated 2008
Photo 63 – photo estimated as 2008 or 2009
Photo 65 – photo estimated as 2008 or 2009
Photo 66 – photo estimated to be 2015
Photo 67 – photo date is estimated to be 2016
Photo 68 – estimated to be from 2016
Photo 69 – photo estimated to be from 2019
Photo 70 – photo from 2022 – dinner for one at 2502 Pittsfield Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI
Photo 71 – Christmas dinner 2022
Our families cars through the years
I had an idea that it would be fun to write about our family cars through the ages. My hope for this blog is that it will give us a minute to reminisce about the cars owned by our families in the past. It is fun for me to notice all of the aesthetic changes in car designs. The craftsmanship of these bygone designs is fascinating and offers such a window into the past. I think there may also be personal anecdotes or family stories related to some/all of these cars. This little blog is just an opportunity to capture some fun moments that were photographed many years ago.
I do not know what the make/model is for most of these great cars. I have done my best to guess …please let me know if I need to make additions or corrections. Each photo is numbered to make it easier for you to comment. The photos are not all in chronological order.
My hat is off to the Schmiling/ Wiesner family who clearly took many photos with the family car included. I will try to take a few more photos of my Jeep – smile!
Photo 1 – photo date estimated to be 1927
Photo 2 – photo date estimated to be 1933.
Photo 3 – photo date estimated to be 1933.
Photo 4 – photo date estimated to be 1943.
Photo 5 – photo date estimated to be 1942.
Photo 6 – Photo is dated 1937.
Photo 7 – Photo is dated October 1944.
Photo 8 – photo date estimated to be 1947.
Photo 9 – photo date estimated to be 1946.
Photo 10 – photo date estimated to be 1949/50.
Photo 11 – photo date estimated to be 1960.
Photo 12 – photo date estimated to be 1961.
Photo 13 – photo is dated December 1955.
Photo 14 – photo date is estimated to be 1946.
Photo 15 – photo date is estimated to be 1948.
Photo 16 – photo from 1959.
Photo 17 – photo from 1961.
Photo 1- photo date is estimated to be 1961.
Photo 19 – photo date is estimated to be 1965.
Photo 20 – photo date is estimated to be 1966.
Photo 21 – photo date is 18 June 1966.
Photo 22 – Thanksgiving 1967
Photo 23- Photo date is estimated to be 1968
Photo 24 – Photo is estimated to be from 1968.
Photo 25 – This photo is estimated to be from 1970
Photo 26- This photo is from April 1972
Photo 27 – This photo is estimated to be from 1976
Photo 28 – This photo is estimated to be from 1978
Photo 29 – This photo is estimated to be from 1978
Photo 30 – This photo is estimated to be from 1979
Photo 31- This photo is from July 1981
Photo 32 – This photo is from 1981
Photo 33 – This photo is estimated to be from 1982
Photo 34 – This photo is from 1984
Photo 35 – This photo is estimated to be from 1987.
Photo 36 – This photo is estimated to be from 1990.
Photo 37 – This photo was from 1992.
Photo 38 – This photo is from 1995
Photo 39 – This photo was from 2003
Photo 40 – This photo is estimated to be from 1998
Photo 41 – This photo is estimated to be from 1999
Photo 42 & Photo 43 – These photos are estimated to be from 2006
Photo 44 – This photo is estimated to be from 2009
Photo 45 – photo from 2016
Photo 46 – photo estimated to be from 2007
Photo 47- photo estimated to be from 2010
Photo 48 – photo from 2015
Photo 49 – photo from 2020
Warren Wakefield Barton 1884 -1962
1884 – When Warren Wakefield Barton was born on July 3, 1884, in Newburgh, New York, his father, Alexander, was 30 and his mother, Martha Elizabeth “Libby” Metz, was 26. He married Mary Young on April 30, 1927, in Stony Point, New York. He died on May 10, 1962, in New York at the age of 77
1885 – age 1 His sister Nelly died in 1885 when Warren Wakefield was 1 year old.
1886 – age 2 His brother Alexander Irvin was born on November 29, 1886, in New York when Warren Wakefield was 2 years old.
1889 – age 5 His brother Paul Revere was born on September 2, 1889, in Newburgh, New York, when Warren Wakefield was 5 years old.
1892- Age 7 His brother Alfred Tennyson was born on April 4, 1892, in Newburgh, New York, when Warren Wakefield was 7 years old.
1917- Age 32 His brother Alfred Tennyson died on April 7, 1917, in Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France, when Warren Wakefield was 32 years old.
1927- Age 42 Warren Wakefield Barton was married in Stony Point, New York, on April 30, 1927, when he was 42 years old.
1930 – Age 46 His father Alexander Irvin “A.I.” passed away on September 8, 1930, in York, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 76.
1945- Age 60 His mother Martha Elizabeth “Libby” passed away on March 22, 1945, in Eloise, Michigan, at the age of 86.
1962 – Age 77 Warren Wakefield Barton died on May 10, 1962, in New York when he was 77 years old.
How old was I when that family event happened? A partial list…
I am a 69 year old woman who loves to reflect on the history of her family throughout my lifetime.
Spending time thinking about how old I was when something happened helps me contextualize and process events in my life’s timeline. It also helps me to reflect on my own growth, and how events may have influenced my life and perspective. It can also aid me when I am discussing and sharing memories with others who were present at the time, helping me create a more accurate narrative of the past.
So here is a short little “how old was I” chart. My sisters can just do some simple math (is there simple math? LOL) to calculate their age at the time of these events.
1954
I was born. My father was 29 and my mother was 28 years old. My older sister was 2 years old. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the president. When I was born, my Grandma Pet was 68 years old. Bones was 44 years old and Madalyn was 37 years old. My paternal grandfather, George Sr. was 63 years old and my paternal grandmother was 60 years old.
1955
I was 1 year old when my great grandmother Grayer, (Amelia Louise Grayer nee Wisthoff) died on 1 May 1955.
1957
In February of 1957, my older sister and I visited our paternal grandparents in Benton Harbor. There are photos of that event.
In November of 1957, my younger sister was born. I was 3 years, 9 months and 16 days old.
My brother-in-law, Chris, was born on 23 Apr. 1957 – (of course, it would take me years to meet him!)
My father began his work overseeing work at Willow Run Labs.
1961
My family and Aunt Babe took a trip out west to the Badlands, Cooley Dam, Mt. Rainer, San Francisco, Disneyland, Yellowstone Park, Knott’s Berry Farm, Marine Land. I was 7.5 years old.
1962
My family and Aunt Babe took a trip to Virginia – Williamsburg. I was 8.5 years old.
1964
This is the year of our house construction on Danbury Lane. I was 10 years old.
1964 and 1965: Robert Hess served as the personal representative of the U.S. Army’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence and led teams of scientists through a field review of the Army’s Combat Surveillance capabilities in Europe and in Korea.
Gretchen coordinated the successful Christmas program at BUCC with an international theme.
1965
On 13 Feb 1965, our beloved Grandma Pet suddenly passed away. She was 79 years old. Mom was 39 years old. Uncle Bob was 47 years old. I had just turned 11 years old.
In August of 1965, Dad traveled to Japan.
1966
1 Jul 1966: Robert Hess receives 2nd highest Army award
Robert starts with HSRI – I was 12 years old.
Robert is Chairman of the building committee at BUCC and the new Addition is completed.
18 May 1966 – My great uncle Herman passed away. He was 88 years old.
1968
MAW had her brain surgery in 1968. I was approx. 14.5 years old and she was 16.5 years old. (I am not certain of the exact dates- please correct me on this date if necessary.)
1970
In 1970, I was 16 years old and I got my driver’s license.
31 May 1970: Robert Hess took me on a European trip.
President Nixon named Dad to the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee for 3 years.
December 1970 – this could be a possible date for MAW’s trip to Moscow.
1972
On my birthday in 1972, I turned 18 years old. I met Jack either that day or the week of my birthday. I graduated from Pioneer HS.
Tim’s father passed away on 6 Jul 1972. He was only 48 years old.
On 20 Jun 1972 my Great Aunt Minnie passed away. She was 93 years old.
1973
Mary Ann was living in France. Tour d’Aygosi 7, Aix-en-Provence 13100, France
Robert Hess was the Consultant of the Secretary of the Army’s Scientific Advisory Panel
April – Mary Ann is getting ready to return to America after a year abroad
Jack is at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX (August 24th)
Jack is at the Defense Language Institute in Washington DC
Briarwood Mall opened in October
1974
11 Feb 1974: Linda Claire turns 20 years old
March 1974: Linda visits Jack in DC for spring break
3 Apr 1974: tornado in Hillsdale
April 1974: Khaki takes trip to Germany
4 May 1974: Mary Ann graduates from the University of Michigan
1 Sept 1974: Andrew Jacob Wiesner is born in WI (Of course, I would not meet Drew for quite a few years!)
Claire and Hillsdale friends spend spring break in Washington DC
18 Nov 1974: Jack Groshans has honorable discharge from the US Air Force
1974: This could be a possible date for Dad’s trip to Venezuela for the Pan American Health Conference.
1976
15 May 1976: I graduated from Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI. I was 22 years old.
20 Oct 1976: My great aunt Lucy (Grover’s sister) passed away. She was 89 years old.
1977
February 1977 to April 1982: Jack Groshans worked for the US Postal Service
13 Aug 1977: Groshans Wedding in Ann Arbor, MI – I was 23 years old.
1978
July 1978 I was the Sales and Catering Manager for Weber’s Inn until March of 1980
1981
My amazing daughter was born on 3 Jul 1981 at 7:11pm. We were living at 1460 Bemidji Street, AA. I was 27 years old.
1983
Madalyn died on 21 Jan 1983. Madalyn was only 65 years old. I was 28 years old.
September 1983- December 1984 Jack Groshans attended Washtenaw Community College
1984
I worked at Chi Systems as Fulfillment Manager for Hospital Purchasing Management publication.
17 Mar 1984: Robert Jack Groshans died (paternal grandfather of my children) he was only 57 years old.
8 Apr 1984: My niece Kristy is born
19 Jul 1984: This was my hire date at the Ann Arbor Inn as their Conference Manager
20 Sep 1984: Henrietta Spruhan Hess dies in Kissimmee, FL (mother of Robert Hess). She was 90 years old. I was 30 years old.
1986
3 May 1986 My great Aunt Babe passed away. She was 95 years old. I was 32 years old.
1989
8 Jan 1989: My nephew Charlie was born. I was 34 (almost 35 years old)
1 Apr 1989: My younger sister married Chris. I was 35 years old.
May 1989: I was hired at the Radisson as the Conference Manager.
1991
8 April 1991: I had genetic counseling and Chorionic Villus sample because of pregnancy risk factors at Hutzel Hospital while 3 months pregnant. Dad accompanied me to this series of tests.
2 May 1991: Blake is born
31 May 1991: Robert Hess retires and is named Professor Emeritus. He was 66 years old.
Aug 1991: Linda Claire Groshans left job as Conference Manager at the Raddison on the Lake
August 1991: Amy and I went to Valley View condos at Grand Traverse Resort with Grandma and Grandpa. Jack joined us for the last weekend. The Whitmers also joined us. Our family had a 16th floor brunch at the Grand Traverse.
31 Oct 1991: My amazing son was born at 3:25pm. I was 37 years old.
28 Nov 1991: My uncle George died at age 69 (born in 1922)
1995
I was divorced from Jack. I was 41 years old.
8 Aug 1995: Bones died. He was 85 years old.
1996
I started work at First Congregational Church. I was 42 years old.
1997
15 Aug1997: My nephew Kevin was born
1998
1 Apr 1998: Linda Claire Groshans purchases 2725 Yost Blvd (and sells house at 5431 Pratt Road, AA, MI)
2004
My Uncle Bob passed away on 9 Dec 2004. He was 87 years old.
2005
I started employment at BUCC and stayed until 2010. I was 51 years old.
2006
1 Jan 2006. Family friend Winnie Martin passed away. She was 92 years old.
25 Jan 2006: Aunt Ginny passed away. She was 83 years old.
My mother Gretchen passed away on 1 Nov 2006. She was 81 years old. I was 52 years old.
My vintage Ginny Vogue doll and her vintage clothing – early 1960’s
I was born in Ann Arbor, MI in 1954. My childhood dolls have always been precious possessions for me. I have kept my dolls for all of these years, because they offered me lovely memories of a cherished time in my life. I have lots of happy memories of playing with my dolls in the attic or basement play spaces of my family homes. Playing dolls was an activity that helped expand my imagination. My dolls went to pretend parties, overnights, the theater, tea parties, and endless fashion shows. It was a time to just make believe. Even after all these years, I remember each of my dolls and each of their many outfits. My daughter also played with many of my dolls and that delighted me too.
My Great Aunt Babe (Helen Mayer), my mother (Gretchen Ream Hess), and family friends (Madalyn Klotz and Winnie Martin) made clothes for my dolls to supplement the ones we purchased at the toy store. I adore looking at the handiwork and the vintage fabrics that were used to create these outfits. The store bought doll clothes came from a toy store that was located at the corner of Main and Madison called “Kiddie Korner.” https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/125969 The shopping trips to the toy store felt magical.
Antique collection of miniature pitchers
Grandma Pet was my maternal grandmother. Her name was Amelia Grayer born in Scio Township, MI on 14 Sep 1885. She spent most of her life living in Ann Arbor, MI where she had a tourist home at 520 N. Main Street. Amelia married my grandfather, Grover Cleveland Ream on 26 Sep 1912 in Ann Arbor, MI when she was 27 years old.
I was born in 1954 and also lived in Ann Arbor, MI. I visited Grandma Pet’s home regularly and was always delighted to be there. Grandma was an exceptionally loving and kind woman and adored all 5 of her granddaughters.
A visit to her home usually included watching the Lawrence Welk show. We especially liked the Lennon Sisters who would often make a guest appearance on that show. Other shows included seeing Minnie Pearl on a show called “Hee Haw.”
Grandma’s large front porch housed several rocking chairs. As young girls, we could sit on the front porch and watch the parades that came down N. Main Street including the marching French Dukes. A riddle jar made for lots of fun. Grandma saved jokes by cutting them out of the newspaper and putting them into a glass jar. We could reach our hand into the jar and read our joke out loud. We loved to laugh. Grandma loved to laugh.
Food on the porch might be a purple cow (a vanilla ice cream float with Grape Nehi soda.) Grandma delighted in making the foods that each granddaughter liked the best. For me that was her french fries – she would make those while also making Nifflies (a German noodle dumpling of sorts) for my sisters.
Spending an overnight at Grandma’s house was special. We would sleep together in her bedroom off of the dining room and each evening, Grandma would recite the 23rd psalm in her sweet soothing voice.
We all knew we were loved.
In the Dining Room at Grandma’s house was a large piece of furniture referred to as a high-boy. Above the high-boy was a curio shelf that housed her collection of miniature pitchers. We did not play with these, but we were often held up high enough to look at them. The other items of interest on top of that high-boy were candies. I especially remember the Neapolitan coconut candies that were strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavored. Yum!
The little pitchers ended up in my possession. For many years, they have remained packed carefully in a box between wood shavings. Recently, I opened the box and picked several to put out in my tiny house. Good thing they take up so little real estate. I am also excited about giving some to my sisters and cousins. We all loved Grandma Pet. She was magical.
Some of my ancestors who were born in June with their homelands
Willaim Fred Wisthoff was my 2nd great grandfather. His birthday was 30 Jun 1833. His daughter was my great grandmother “Grandma Grayer.” William was born in Prussia. Later, in sources relating to his burial, it is stated that his birthplace was Germany.
Christian Fike was my 4th great grandfather. His birthday was 3 Jun 1760. His direct descendant was Hattie Fike who married Benjamin Ream. He was born in British Colonial America.
George was my 4th great grandfather. My ancestry records from Ancestry.com show his birth was 18 Jun 1729 in Broetzingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. One of his descendants was my great grandfather, Juan Hess. (note that the birthplace listed above is from Family Search)
Alexander Jackson was my 5th great grandfather. He was born on 12 Jun 1729. He was born in Ireland. One of his descendants was my great grandfather, Juan Hess.
Jonathan Jones was born in 1722 in British Colonial America. One of his descendants was my great grandmother Dorothy “Dora” Bishop Hess who was married to Juan Hess (Dora and Juan were my great grandparents.)
Abigail was born in June of 1640 in British Colonial America. One of her descendants was my great grandmother Dorothy “Dora” Bishop Hess who was married to Juan Hess (Dora and Juan were my great grandparents.)
Deborah was born in June of 1646 in British Colonial America. One of her descendants was my great grandmother Dorothy “Dora” Bishop Hess who was married to Juan Hess (Dora and Juan were my great grandparents.)
Vintage 1950’s homemade doll clothes Ann Arbor, MI
This story is about the quality and the quantity of doll clothes that I owned during the 1950’s. The doll in the photo above (believed to be a Betsy Wetsy) was one of my 1950’s baby dolls. She is 14″ tall and in remarkably great condition for her age. Many of her doll clothes were handmade by my Great Aunt Babe.
Aunt Babe was actually Helen Mae Mayer (nee Grayer). She was born 20 May 1890 in Webster Township, MI. Her parents had both come to this area near Ann Arbor from Germany.
I am not certain if all of this doll’s clothes were handmade by Helen, but I am fairly certain that most of them were. My Aunt made her livelihood as a seamstress and so it is obvious that she had the materials and the skill to provide a large wardrobe for each of my dolls. I believe that she worked out of her old west-side home in Ann Arbor, MI.
Both of my sisters certainly knew this Great Aunt and also knew that she made doll clothes.
This is a photo of Walter and Helen on their wedding day 10 May 1911. She was 20 years old. Walter and Helen never had their own children, but they became very much a part of our lives as their grand nieces. Walter passed away in 1957, when I was only 3 years old, so I have no personal memories of him, but I have heard of many lovely stories of his calm and fun nature.
My Great Aunt did quite well in her profession as a seamstress. Her income was good even during the Great Depression. One of her older sisters was my Grandmother, Amelia Ream (nee Grayer).
My Grandmother, was widowed when my mother was only 5 years old. At the time of my Grandfather’s death my uncle was only 13. My Grandmother became a single mother that also cared for my Great Grandmother. Money was very tight for my Grandmother especially during the lean years of the Depression. My Grandmother’s occupation. running a tourist home on N. Main Street in Ann Arbor, did not provide enough income for many of life’s luxuries.
My mother grew up feeling in debt/gratitude to our Great Aunt Helen because Helen had made sure that my mother, as a young girl, could have lovely clothing and toys. Helen provided my mother with those things that could not have been afforded to her otherwise. My mother’s feelings of indebtedness to my Great Aunt were powerful. Later in life, my mother would go on to have to care for my Great Aunt Helen and as she cared for her, my mother never forgot the gifts she had received from her during her childhood.
Our family would spend a great deal of time in the company of Great Aunt Helen. This is probably how Aunt Babe became familiar with our dolls.
I am now an old woman (69) and I want to donate some of the childhood items I have held onto for all these many years. I actually don’t feel attached to this Betsy Wetsy baby doll, but I feel so in awe of some of her clothes. For those of you who know me, you will also know that I am a “clothes horse” and I continue to adore fashion.
I know that my Great Aunt made an impressive number of doll clothes. She also made an impressive number of clothes for me and my sisters. I had a nurse costume (pictured below) and a cowgirl outfit that were part of my personal childhood gifts from her.
Aunt Babe would have been 63 years old at the time I was born in 1954. I believe that by the time she was making doll clothes for my dolls, her workmanship was not the same caliber as in her career days- my mother told me that she had never needed to take measurements for her clients. She could perfectly size them and could begin cutting fabric without even a pattern. I think that some of the doll clothes reflect that she was aging and hurrying to finish projects. Still, the clothing was pretty amazing.
In this close up photo of a snap, you can see that her stitches are not delicate but instead quick and functional.
Here are some of the clothes that Aunt Babe made for my baby doll.
I believe that Babe must have loved corduroy because she used it to sew several of our childhood outfits and jackets.
Look at the fun vintage fabrics and prints! Also, note that the shirt has a collar and a working button!
This close up photo of the nightgown’s back side shows the linen of the sweet fabric and also the quick sewing job on the snap.
The doll shoes in this photo do not go to this baby doll…I believe they are actually one of the toys that my Great Aunt purchased for my mother in the 1920’s.
This close up photo shows some of the stitching…
I know that this fabric showed up in other dresses/clothing during my childhood. It is amazing…right? The other photos show that some of the clothing was prepared quickly and without great precision.
This dress resembles a square dance dress that I believe Aunt Babe made for my mother. I am not sure that this doll dress was handmade?
I think my mother told me that these were her childhood shoes. They may have been purchased for her by Aunt Babe. My mother was born in 1925.
The shoes are very old and obviously well worn…
Below is a doll sized romper and doll socks.
It was fun to take these photographs of these doll clothes. It will be a nice memory of them as I find the actual clothing a new home.
telling life stories 