52 Ancestors Week 49: Craft

From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for Week 49 is "Craft." Do you have an ancestor who was a craftsman? How about a tradition of crafting in your family? (I come from a line of crafters and I have always enjoyed doing crafts of all kinds. I've also started quilting, a craft that both my grandmother and my aunt spent countless hours doing.) Do you have a handmade craft that's been passed down?

Natalie Felker-Hamel

A Marco Ferraiolo original.

Crafting is the name of the game this week, huh? Let's see. I could talk about how my grandfather, Marco and my dad built the house I grew up in and my dad's dental practice. He also did a fair amount of oil painting, too. He did some landscapes and even painted a picture of his father and his second wife, Fortuna. That painting currently resides in the break room of my father's office. I used to look at it and wonder if that's where I got my artistic ideas  from. Then again, I can't draw people well. Animals? Sure! Landscapes? Yeah. Ordinary objects? Not that hard. People? NOPE!

Do stick figures count?

I've also already talked about my great-grandfather, Alfred Francis Hamel who was known as "Mr. Fix-it" in Newburyport. Sufficed it to say, crafting has been and still is a huge part of the family on both sides. Who should I focus on this week? Who's left? Well.....

There's still one person I need to talk about who really, really was into crafting. The person I'm referring to is my maternal grandmother, Natalie Florence Felker. She did most of the crafting for everyone in the family. Like Mrs. Weasley from the Harry Potter series, she would knit sweaters for all ten of us grandkids. They were hot, itchy and didn't fit too well to be honest. There's more to it than that and way more to her story than just a grandmother who loved to embroider, knit and crochet.

Natalie was born on April 20th, 1927 to Austin Felker and Henrietta Legault. Growing up, she was the second youngest child out of six children and for as long as I could remember, she was into creating all kinds of arts and crafts projects! If my grandfather was the typical grandfather, then I think my grandmother was the typical grandmother! Every time I visited, I don't think I ever saw her without some kind of sewing equipment out. She was ALWAYS working on something!

The Hamel clan in the groovy '60s!

In June of 1948, she married my grandfather, Robert Hamel and had six children including my mother. Natalie tended to make matching outfits for her two youngest daughters, my aunts Linda and Peggy. Having seen the pictures on Facebook for "Throwback Thursday", all I can say is that they were definitely yellow. Look at the pic. Linda is the tall girl in yellow and wow doesn't she look happy?! =D

When I was younger, she made even an afghan for my brother and I. I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons wrapped up in it on cold winter mornings. It was especially helpful after coming in from shoveling snow. Gotta love those New England winters! Her quilt also came in handy, too! Sadly, it wasn't one of those genealogy quilts I've seen around the Internet. It was just your typical colorful quilt that could keep you nice and warm. Or make a neat roof for a fort.

Time goes on.

That wasn't all she made. She was also quite adept at needlepoint and crochet work, too. Check out this picture. I was visiting my brother and his family for Thanksgiving and I needed to get a picture of this clock in preparation for this blog. Yes, I plan these in advance. Surprised? You should see the backlog of comic scripts I have at the ready.

The clock was made in 1989 and for the longest time it resided in the den at my parents' house. It was special to us not just because it had our last name on it. It meant a lot to the family because my grandmother made it and when my brother moved away, the clock went with him. I bet he has told his kids a lot about the woman who made this clock!

Now that's a cool anniversary present!

Don't worry. We still have PLENTY of her crochet work laying around. This one she made in 1996 for my parents' wedding anniversary. It's pretty cool. I mean, I'm not a needlepoint critic. I'm just a guy sharing the cool arts and crafts stuff my grandmother made over the years. It's interesting to be honest. Each one of my aunts and uncles received crochet work tailored to them and their own families. She took a lot of time to make these works of art for everyone and they're still loved to this day.

Since Christmas is coming up, there's one last creation my grandmother made that I want to share. We bring it out every Christmas and each one of the Hamel kids also has one of these works of art.

 This angel was one of the last things my grandmother made before she passed away in January of 2004. Ever since then, we've used it to top the Christmas tree. If there was no room, we would put it on the mantle next to other decorations. All of my aunts and uncles has a version of the angel and it's a nice piece to remember her by.

Don't get me wrong. The needlepoint and everything else is great, too! We have a lot of memories and I like to think that things that our ancestors left behind ensures that a piece of them will always be with us, forever. This includes photos, needlepoint projects, quilts, paintings and whatever else you can think of. It makes them tangible and more real and not just some name you put in your favorite tree creation software.

I've often wondered why she did all this work. It was clearly a hobby and she was great at it. Look at all the stuff I've shared. That's just a small sample of her work! Every single member of the immediate family has something of hers. Perhaps she wanted something for people to remember her by? Nah. Too selfish. Perhaps she just liked working on things and sharing them with her family. I like that explanation.

Ancestors leave behind great things that should be cherished by family members. The creations my grandmother made over the years definitely will! What they leave behind will always be with you. All ten of us have something of our grandmother and you can be sure we appreciate it.....Weasley sweaters and all!

See you next time!

P.S. I should note that my aunt Linda went on to make crafts as well. She make me a Superman cape and a Spider-Man costume back in the day. She is now designing doggie beds for all her friends and family. Cats also like it, too!