Thursday afternoon, my friend Barbara showed me a pretty pillow she had made at Alterations Express. She used fabric from her mother. her grandmother’s handmade lace and her special pillow.
When I saw the fabric I said,”Oh, my friend Joanne gave me a knitting bag made of something similar and it’s French and has pastoral scenes.” but I couldn’t remember the term and had to look it up-
Toile du Jouy
(and here is a link to a blogpost about the history of toile)
Barbara went and got a box with beautiful pieces of lace, created by her grandmother, Josephine Cinquegranni DiGalbo (b. 1890) Notice the blue edge on the lace.
I looked at the lace with admiration. Such expert craftsmanship and beauty. I asked Barbara is she had a photograph of her grandmother.
Barbara’s Grandparents, Angelo and Josephine, on their wedding day.
Her grandmother’s town of origin was Castlebuono, Sicily. The photograph was taken on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, a Pittsburgh neighborhood.
And here is a photo of their daughter, Mary Ann, Barbara’s mother. I had the pleasure of knowing her and remember her for her kindness to my children.
And here are some of the lace specimens, her grandmother’s pattern books and crochet hook were in the box, too.
A note in Barbara’s mother’s hand about the lace.