Lace making

When I was a child, all of the women made various forms of lace and other embellisments for everything they used in their homes, and especially for clothing. My grandmother and great grandmother could sit and rock or swing on the porch or by the fireplace for hours, all the while keeping their hands busy with some handwork. They made tatting, crochet, hairpin lace, embroidery, knitted items, and some things they called piecework. There were various bits of fabric, thread, yarn, any number of textiles, in bags. No item was left unadorned. Well, maybe my grandpa's feed sack underwear was. I bet it was difficult for those women to resist at least a tiny bit of trim.

When my own children were small, I regretted not learning more of these arts, but was forced to buy inferior, in my opinion, commercial trims for their clothing and the little book bags and covers for school. Now I see tatting, crochet and other laces in packages and on spools in stores, but I never see women making them. There is a man, though, from East Texas, who makes the flea market rounds and sits in his booth making crochet and other items. A simple doily costs over $20. The table cloth and bedspread he offers is in high three figures. These things were always present in the humble country houses in which I spent my childhood, and I do miss them.