Family Traditions!

Way back in the late 70's my Grandma 'Big E' started a family tradition of writing on a plain white table cloth after holiday meals and then having someone embroider in the messages. You can watch your hand grow over the years on the table cloth and remember back to different times in life when you start to look at the different areas of the table cloth. For some this is more painful than for others. You always have to think carefully about who you bring to Thanksgiving there are many who eat their dinner with a message from a past love interest staring back at them.

Since the extended family has grown from Grandma and Grandpa and their original five kids to include their spouses, ten grand kids and six great grand kids with another on the way we had to start a second table cloth back in 2000. This came about not just for the need for more room to write but also from the need of another table cloth to cover the table which this year fed 28 at Kacey's house.

I have always loved the table cloth and seeing all the different funny messages from people. Grandma 'Big E' originally sewed the table cloth but after she passed away my Aunt Wendy took over and she continued up until four years ago when I somehow became the one who sews in the designs. Aunt Wendy was so good that she used to sew all the Thanksgiving designs in before Christmas so we could write on it again. I don't have that kind of time or motivation so I pack the table cloth up after Thanksgiving after giving it a good shake to get off any extra turkey and stuffing and then I box it up until just after Halloween when I frantically pull it out and count the number of designs to be sewn in. I then calculate how many nights I need to work on it until Thanksgiving when I have to be finished. Each year I panic as the dates gets closer but I've always managed to finish at least in time to get it washed up for the big day.

Here's a picture of the new table cloth - just after I finished sewing it up.


A closer picture of some of the designs.


And here's the table at Kacey's set for 28 - the new table cloth is at one end then we have a filler table cloth and on to the older one.


If my house was to burn down one of the things I'd save after my family and dogs would be the table cloth. The memories shared by generations of family are not replaceable and I hope that McKenzie and her cousins and second cousins once removed can continue on this tradition for a long time to come!