Nana and friends off on the train for a weekend of softball.  Nana Shirley is in slacks on the right.

Nana writes about her first games, traveling for games weekends, hitting a home run, becoming an umpire, which she loved.  She went away with her girl friends on the train to play for Auckland, the weekend featured early mornings, late nights, social games and dances held in honor of visiting teams.

Nana accepting an award for hitting a home run, her first award ever, she notes.  Very exciting!

Uniform parade.  The book is full of newspaper clippings, and a few press photos from games.

At Three Kings School.

Casey!

Next to batter up, in a very close game…

Still impressed Nana held on to all this, she obviously loved the game.

A current project I’m working on is documenting our family handwork, specifically the collection of vintage embroidery.  This includes work by my nana Shirley and her mother, and some other unknowns, maybe older family pieces, or work made by family friends.

This is one of my favourite sets, I love the beige colour, the composition of the the violets and the wide crochet boarder.

So simple, and the reverse of this piece is so perfect, you know the sewer was skilled.

See?  Not a thread loose.

I’ve been helping my mum sort out some of the family stuff that’s been with us (her) for years and years, there have been a few fabulous discoveries.  Like this one, my dad sleeping a drawing by my nana, he must have been about 3 or 4, I gather.  Boxes of her work was not recovered before the Big Family Fall Out, my granddad, still alive somewhere apparently disposed of heaps of old family stuff, sad really, in some ways these fragments help connect me to my dad, telling me more of his story.

Lots more of nana’s illustrations, I’m going to have to commit some time scanning them along with many old photos.

The girls have been hanging out with me in the sewing room for a few days, between outings of course.

Iris and Ramona next to Nana Shirley.

Ramona is such a summer girl!

Audrey, by the tin of needles… and Isobel, happy as always.

Love how these were colour coordinated with the kitten pictured on the tin…

Stunning.  But what’s inside?

I just get all excited when I find treats like this!

And this one?

It’s only crammed full with bias binding (Yusss!)

This lot above was from another flowery tin, more bias binding, some wider pieces this time…  yipeee!

I’m resisting the urge to put bias binding on all my edges, yes, even frocks.  I know I’ll have fun, but I know I will regret it!

All this thanks to my nana, and my mum of course for keeping EVERYTHING.  Here’s my nana, my grandfather and my dad:

I brought home a small stash of tins last time I was at my mums place.  Left overs of goodies that were my Nana Shirley’s.  I love this tin, such a great image, see?

Christmas mince pies… and a bottle of bubbly.  I think mum still has a mirror like this at home.

And what’s inside?

and then what’s in those boxes…?

wrapped in wax paper.

Look at those colours.

Beautiful!

I can’t wait to try these babies out on something.

Ooh love this combination..

This is a very disorganised pile of most of my vintage (and some newer) gloves.  You may have noticed I love gloves, and I love Autumn because that’s probably the perfect season for gloves.

Most of these gloves belonged to my Nana Shirley, my dad’s mum, she had several very long gloves, both black and white, long leather and long kid gloves.  She also had many pairs of short gloves, just to the wrist, and although long gloves are a must for evenings out, the short gloves are just perfect any day or any night, the mustard ones above are slightly fleecy inside, so very snug for those cool winter morning walks..

Another sweet detail, a cinched top of the glove, these are short navy gloves and will go with loads of outfits.

This beige pair are so soft to wear, and they have lovely clean and shiny buttons, I have never worn them, but one day will – the problem with white or lighter colours is of course keeping them clean!  Modern long gloves usually are made from stretch fabric and so do not need beautiful buttons to fasten then, such a shame really.

These mid forearm length coffee coloured gloves are one of my rarely worn favourites, so pretty with the detailing.

Another pair of beautifully detailed gloves, just over the wrist and hardly worn.

Mum gave me a couple of pairs of mauve gloves, at different times, she loves mauve.  Here’s a close up of the embroidery…

These are mostly short gloves…

These are pale turquoise long fingerless gloves and I think they were my Nana Shirley’s bridesmaid’s gloves.

Most of them spread on the table…