52 Ancestors Week 43: Homemade

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 43: Homemade

The theme for Week 43 is “Homemade.” Recipes, crafts, clothing, even furniture – these items made by our ancestors can make us feel more connected to them. What is something homemade that you treasure? Or, who was someone who made things a little extra special? 

Gotta love those samplers.

    I've checked my archives and it seems that the last time I wrote a blog about homemade goodies, I managed to make the entire Internet very hungry. That tends to happen when you talk about Italian ancestors and their penchant for creating everything from homemade pasta, sauce and even their very own wine. The quality of the vino naturally varied. It just depended on whether or not it could peel the paint off the side of your house. I still wonder who had the better wine. Giuseppe or Vincenzo.  According to my father, Giuseppe's brother Rocco was the winner for the best tasting wine. There was something about the soil in Melrose, Mass just made it sweeter.

    Now, what about my maternal side? Surely there have been some great homemade goodies, right? Well, there were believe it or not! While they didn't cook as much stuff as my Italian side, they made up for it in the form of clothing. Sometimes they were itchy and other times they help you win first prize in your junior high costume party. Let's suit up and look at some of the clothes I've had to wear over the years!

Natalie Felker, maker of fine sweaters.

    Not only did my grandmother Natalie collect creepy dolls as I talked about last week. She delighted in making sweaters for all ten of us grandkids. And since I was the second one, we have quite a collection of wool sweaters sitting at the very bottom of the dressers or locked away in some closet never to be seen again.

    It's not that they were bad or anything! They just itched a lot when you put them on! It didn't matter if you had a shirt on underneath it or anything! Some of the patterns were kind of cool. My grandmother gave me a sweater that faded into different shades of green. It looked pretty decent to me and if I could find it I would show it to everyone. I don't even know if we've saved it. I do know that it itched when I put it on and it didn't take long for me to grow out of it.

    That's what happens when you give a kid a sweater and that kid ends up growing out of it a few months later. At least it's in a safe place and that's what matters.  What's really funny is how all of the grandkids got sweaters, too. We got "Weasley sweaters" before "Harry Potter" was ever a thing!

    Of course, my grandmother wasn't the only one in my immediate family who made things for friends and family. My aunt Linda was quite adept at making doggie beds that also doubled as beds for cats. She even made a "Superman" cape for me once after she saw me rocking a "Superman" t-shirt one day. Hey. It was the 1980s. Every kid had a "Superman" t-shirt at some point and those shirts are still stylish today! Just ask Sheldon Cooper. 

    

Cue the '90s cartoon theme.

       By the fall of 1993, my days of wearing a Superman cape were long over. It was just as well because I was reading the adventures of many Marvel characters at the time including the tales of a wallcrawling wonder some of you readers might know about. "The Amazing Spider-Man" was my favorite Marvel character and I asked my aunt if she could make me a comic accurate costume for a  party that was being held at my junior high.

    Naturally, she accepted and I had to admit she really outdid herself. I know the eyes aren't reflective lenses like the ones on Spidey's mask but the outfit beat anything you'd find at Spirit Halloween in the early 1990s. I can't even imagine how long it took her to draw the web pattern.  

    When I look at the costume, it immediately takes me back to one very unforgettable Halloween. Not only did I win a prize for best costume at the Woodbury Junior High costume contest, I apparently scared the pants off of my two year old cousin Ryan while I was wearing it! After the party, we went to my aunt's apartment and she was feeding him. She opened the door and before I could get a word out he screamed at the top of his lungs! I quickly took the mask off and reassured him that it was me. He quickly calmed down but I swear the suit was the reason he's more of a fan of the DC characters these days. Whoops.

I love how my glasses lens reflects the light just
right.

    Don't worry. Ryan got over it and we did play several Spider-Man-related Sega Genesis games together.  Seeing his older cousin in a Spider-Man costume didn't scar him for life and he did get me back on more than one occasion.  Ahh, family....

    These days, the mask and the gloves are just about the only parts of the costume that still fits for obvious reasons. The weblines have faded but it's still undoubtedly a Spider-Man costume. I've even worn the mask a few times in several videos!

    If it still works, why not? I just wish the rest of the suit still fit. Fortunately, there have been many times in the comics where Parker only had his mask. So, it's still comic accurate! HAH!

    I guess you could say I had a lot more fun with the Spider-Man costume than I did with the "Weasley sweater". And for good reason. The suit wasn't nearly as itchy as the sweater!

       Between my father's side and the goodies they make and the clothing on my mother's side, I guess you could say I had no shortage of homemade goods. Whether it was a costume of a very popular superhero or some great cookies, I definitely hit the jackpot when it comes to homemade wares. I just wish those sweaters were more comfortable and longer lasting. I mean they were not as bad as they could have been. They were not ugly Christmas sweaters. They were actually pretty stylish. And that sense of style was passed onto my aunt who gave me a Spidey suit that stood the test of time!

See ya next time!