A traveler riding one evening along a country road near Brasstown, North Carolina, saw the sun rays break through the clouds and fall on the dark-gray gable end of a log cabin with a brick-red stone and clay chimney. It was early summer and the tender green of the Virginia creeper was climbing up the chimney side. The scene was too impressive to go unnoted, so he knocked at the door. The mother, who was holding one of the children in her arms, asked him in while other members of the family were busy getting supper. He said he had just stopped to tell them how much he liked their beautiful chimney. “Thank you for ‘lightin’,” replied the mother, “if it’s worth your comin’ in for, maybe we can keep it that way. They’ve been after me to whitewash it. Well, whitewash is nice, but I don’t think it’s as pretty as the red against the house and with the vines on it.” The traveler thought so too and was glad on his journey the next year to note that no “improvements” had been made.
—Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands written by Allen H. Eaton
I love the creativity and beauty that can be seen in everyday things like chimneys. Over the years I’ve thought often about the creative streak that can be found throughout the utilitarian things made by folks in Appalachia. From quilts to keep you warm to chairs to take a rest in there is much beauty to be found.
Here’s a couple of posts with examples.
- Depression Era Creativity
- Craftmanship And Cultivation Of Beauty – Lingering Legacies Of Early Mountaineers
Today’s Thankful November giveaway is used copy of Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands written by Allen H. Eaton. To be entered in the giveaway leave a comment on this post. Giveaway ends November 20, 2024.
Last night’s video: We’ve Never Made Soup Like This.
Tipper
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Oh, I would love to have this book! Part of our school curriculum is handicrafts.
The beauty in everyday objects gives me great pleasure. To use a well made pottery bowl for the salad I make is satisfying to my soul.
Beautiful story. I wish that all of us would take time to look at nature more closely.
This book sounds like it would be a good read, and unusually interesting.
This book sounds unusually interesting.
I fondly remember my grandmothers quilting and what were then called Quilting bees. The menfolk of the family and neighbors attending would usually go outside to whittle…I learned how to pass the time and do something productive at the same time.
Wonderful story. I have a picture of where my third great grandparents lived and the only thing still standing is the chimney and it is still a beautiful piece of carpentry. I can only imagine how spectacular it looked when first built. Thank you for sharing!
Crafting is one of my passions. I love hand painted items and hand painted gourds, homemade Christmas ornaments, quilts, crochet, knitting, creative writing, acrylic and oil painting, making a pretty dessert sometimes, and other things too bountiful to mention them all. God is our Great Creator and I wonder how it is going to be when we get to Heaven and have time to craft and create our ideas and then present them to Him for His approval and see His smile on our efforts. Sometimes I just marvel at the beautiful details and colors and brilliant ideas God puts in place here for us to see and enjoy!
I just stumbled upon your page and have found your stories to be delightful and informative! Thanks for sharing your little sliver of Appalachia with us!
Great story! I’d love to read the book.
Like the song says, “everything is beautiful in its own way.”
Have a great day!
What a beautiful story! I love the mother’s hospitality to a perfect stranger.
I also find it unique that today old chimneys are sometimes the only thing left standing where a house once was. I can imagine the people gathering around it and the importance of keeping one back then.
Good afternoon to all. Reading everyones post it reminded me of the first year I was married. I decided to make a blanket that required 250 flowers, which you used this thingy and wove the yarn back and forth to create the flower. Well, I finally finished the flowers 2 1/2 years later. My mother in law, took the flowers to her mother to crochet the flowers together and made this beautiful blanket. She put it together one weekend!! Needless to say I was astonished . Reminds me of Miss Jones the teacher teaching sewing skills in class, etc. I knew that first day it wasn’t for me, so I went to her and apologized that I was dropping the class. I’ll always remember her saying, “that’s to bad as your 2 sisters were great creators “. I knew than I was going to hear her words forever”. Lol I just didn’t get in the right lane when it came to being creative!
So, I do enjoy seeing and hearing stories of one’s creations.
At least I can sew a button on and heam a seem…but that’s about it.
My mom was a private duty nurse and worked nights. To my surprise one Christmas she had made 10 new outfits including matching hats for my Barbie doll. I still have all of them with the doll in a special suitcase. Priceless, just Priceless. Mom …. thank you!!
Love to all.
I live in a farmhouse that is 130 plus years old, and I love the beauty in simple things. Handicrafts were a way of life when my house was built, and I love continuing making things to make my home comfy welcoming.
This comment has more to do with chimneys and old home places. I have lived my entire life in a rural area where a huge amount of farming ( raising cotton) was done in the earlier years of my life, most of it by sharecroppers. There are a lot of the remains of these sharecropper homes on this old farm land. Anytime you are around one of these old homesites you need to be very careful and on the lookout for old wells especially near the old house. Many of them will be grown over with vines or other brush and you will not know a well is there until you fall in. I have hunted around many of these places but tried to not let my dogs or my own self get very close to the home site. Forgive me, but I am going to blow my own horn on this statement, I was never refused permission to hunt on these lands, the only thing I left behind to show that I had been there after hunting was foot prints.
Today’s post with a link to “Depression Era Creativity,” brought back such wonderful memories of my mother. I could write a book about the many things she did to create beauty in our home during the Great Depression. She was a great cook as well, and her niece said she remembered when they came to visit, Mama’s house always smelled like vanilla flavoring. I never thought much of it as a child, but now when I reflect back on those days, I realize how blessed we were. Daddy, on the other hand, loved his music and learned to play a mean banjo. He and his brother could make those rafters ring! We may not have had much in the way of material things, but thankfully we had beauty, music, and love in our home during an otherwise dismal period in history. As the years go by, I have come to appreciate what they did more and more, and count my blessings every day to have parents who taught us how to take what we had and make the most of it.
One of my most treasured possessions is a corn husk doll that my grandmother helped me make over 50 years ago. I think I would love this book.
Handcrafted items have always fascinated me. The ingenuity and skill of Appalachian folks is amazing. The old adage “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” was and still is an ever present reality of life in the mountains.
Love old chimneys. What stories they could tell!
I love hand made things! I do a lot of cross stitch and embroidery I have a new sewing machine but material is so expensive now it’s almost cheaper to buy already made. I am afraid before long they won’t sell fabric or embroidery thread not enough interest in it especially the younger generation but it gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I make something hand!
Tipper your soup looked wonderful! i love homemade soups and fresh bread! I hope I win the book!
Joanna
What a lovely thing to do, to stop and give a compliment like that. I wish we could all see that kindness at work today! ❤️
Beauty is all around us if we just stop and take the time to enjoy it. I have always enjoyed looking at old chimneys and I especially love old barns. Riding down country roads I’ll see an old barn standing alone in a field. Probably a tobacco barn. It brings back so many memories.
After seeing Granny’s video a couple of nights ago, makes me want to try crocheting and embroidering again. Granny Gazzie’s piece was beautiful, but Granny’s was also. As I like to say, “homemade gifts come from the heart. Bought gifts come from the wallet.” We all know though, giving gifts whether homemade or bought, come from the gift of love.
We love to drive in the country just looking at old home places. I often wonder about the families that used to live there and where they have all gone. This book sounds lovely.
Am an admirer of craftsmanship of all kinds; whether it be art, furniture, brooms, churns, or quilts, I like and appreciate it. I always try to get the maker to sign it if possible . My home has an eclectic variety of many crafts throughout. Many are of Appalachian origin and in my mind all are treasures. I would be happy to add this great read to my personal library ……
When I still lived down home, I was driving along and saw a whole wash line of beautiful quilts. I had to stop. I didn’t know if they were just being washed or if they might be for sale. The craftsmanship was amazing and the colors were spectacular. Sure enough, they were for sale and my dear mother-in-law leapt to mind. She had been raised in coal country in Kentucky and had often talked of the beautiful quilts that she and her neighbors had made. She hadn’t been able to take any with her when she moved to Detroit for work. Well, I wasn’t going to let her last years be quiltless, so I bought the one that looked the most like one she would have made. She used it daily until she passed. I now have it and think of her every time I look at it.
What an endearing story…….and so kind of you!
I would enjoy reading this book. Thank you for sharing!
I agree! Sometimes the most simple things have the most beauty and especially meaning.
Loved your soup video last night. I might try it the next time a make potato soup. I think roasting the veggies would give he soup more flavor. Best wishes to your family.
The Beauty of His Creation is So Comforting. I would like to win this Wonderful Prize. God Bless Your Wonderful Family.
I agree with leaving it all natural, makes a trip worth driving.
Stories like this, awash with southern hospitality of inviting a stranger in, always makes me smile.
Last night when you were looking for something to thin down the soup I kept thinking cream would be good. Those vegetables looked great. I learned to crochet a dishrag from You tube. It is not easy for me.
Handicrafts are a part of everyone’s life. No matter what is made, who made it or where in our world it comes from. We see the beauty in what attracts us with our eyes, touch, our tastes and feelings. In all the senses. God gave us each talents. We must discover what ever they are, and take it from there. God bless everyone and watch over all those still recovering from what nature took from them. Keep all these people’s safe, warm and comfortable, fed and clothed this winter and help all to recover soon and to get back to normalcy. Amen. Tipper and Cory were certainly creative with the fall vegetable soup. Cooking another talent or craft. Save me some of that delicious dish. Love y’all.
It’s always best to be kind, if it’s just to say a kind word. Help when you can. We love crafts, especially my youngest daughter. Would love to have this book.
I so enamoured with everything Appalachian especially the art/handicrafts. Thank you for sharing.
Always feel like I belong with the people and ways of Appalachia. My husband and I enjoy your content and feel the family connection, even though we are New Englanders. Thankful for the Presley’s!
The creativity and beauty that occur with each stitch of Granny’s crochet needle are at the top of the list. It’s been a long time since I heard anyone say ‘getting supper’. I still say it but my friend thinks it’s funny when I say I’ve got to take the taters up and I’ll be done getting supper.
What a nice gesture for the stranger to stop and let the person inside know how much beauty he saw in her home’s chimney. Even more amazing is how the lady allowed that stranger into her home with no fears. This sounds like an interesting book.
My grandmother would work in the field alongside my grandfather in the summer and she would quilt during the winter. She made the most beautiful quilts out of almost anything. She would make us rag and corn shuck dolls too. And my grandfather would carve little baskets out of walnut shells and whittle any number of creatures for us while he sat by the fire. Their hands were always busy and it kept their minds sharp. I learned so much from them.
I love all things handmade and some of the best times I have had is teaching my children and granddaughters how to sew quilts, make baskets and how to embroidery. I love our mountain heritage of making useful and beautiful things with our own hands.
I have noticed over quite some time now that you are a noticing person. You see beauty and meaning in seeming “small” things. I am like that myself. I don’t know what that says about us. Perhaps it is about seeing or feeling the unseen behind the seen. (One thing it does do is make nature forevermore interesting.) I think maybe handicrafts are another form of the same thing. The maker is saying something with their craft, even if only satisfaction for a job well done. In the example of the chimney and the Virginia creeper the recognition and appreciation of beauty allows a glimpse of the nature of the mother. She also notices and takes delight in little things.
I hope all the folks still suffering from Helene’s destruction were able to save some of their handcrafted items and still see beauty around them, wherever it may be found.
I love the beauty found in simple things as well. I was in the area of Crossville Tennessee and went to Pall Mall. The area was beautiful and while things were a little more modern some of the older homes were so beautiful. I loved driving the area with all it’s twist and turns and up and downs! I was the driver so I had all the fun! My passengers got a little geen but I loved it! Adventure driving is what I call it! I got off topic a little, but I do love the creativity and beauty of the Appalachian folks!
My grandmother,aunt and mother taught my cousin and I to knit and crochet when we were young. We made “bedspreads” and rugs for our Barbie doll houses. In fact, we made all of our Barbie doll furniture out of popsickle sticks and odds and ends. We used our imagination!
Really enjoyed your video last night on the roasted vegetable soup. Can’t wait to try it!
I have always liked fireplaces and chimneys they are just what helps to make a house a home. I admire the way many are made. There is beauty all around us we just need to look for it.
On my morning walks I always marvel at the beauty in the simplest things…the way the sunlight hits the leaves of a tree, the sunrise through the clouds, a flower I haven’t seen before…God’s gifts all around us.
So interesting! The book sounds great ! The soup supper in the video last night looked great also ! Thank you for sharing!
Sounds like a very interesting book I would love to read.
My wife is creative/artistic – making things from a variety of materials. I can only do so with wood. I like the chimneys on the outside of a house rather than in the middle of the house and protruding through the roof. I saw a house just this week with the chimney missing from the side and wondered if someone had installed central heat and eliminated the fireplace.
An old pillowcase my grandmother had put some beautiful embroidery stitches on to beautify it became inspiration for me to learn needlework. This last year I have learned the craft and now it is something I really enjoy doing.
God’s beauty surrounds us if we just be still and take it all in.
I love the pieces of history like chimneys of old home places that the Lord leaves leaves behind for us to enjoy. It makes me think on the families who lived there, what the home would’ve looked like. Just being in nature and reminders of the past is such a blessing.
I love your blog and utube channel.
Hope you and the family have a great day!!
We have a stone chimney built by the creative hands of a local man in our area almost forty years ago. We consider him to be a great artist. We watched in awe as he carefully picked each stone to use as he created our chimney so long ago. Hubby and I went with him to fields and collected the stones by hand, so it even meant that much more to us. Hubby built me a picnic table this past summer and it is not only very useful, it is beautiful sitting in our yard under the trees. He has built many things such as a swingset and little stools for the grandchildren. He has made me wooden spatulas and a fruit bowl. All of these are useful and beautiful and will last a very long time. I loved the video last evening…that soup looked sooo good!
I have always loved to “create” things all my life. I’m a firm believer that “homemade” is the best way to go for as much as possible. Nothing makes me happier than to receive something from someone that was handmade by them with love & care.
God bless my friends here, God bless you and your family, God bless Granny Wilson and her family, ❤️
There is beauty all around! I need to remove my blinders!
I’d have to agree with you, Tipper. Why not add a bit of self and flare to what our hands create and make? I’ve seen jars with twine wrap and little cloth toppers. I’ve seen beautiful quilts or knit items like granny makes-over the top in quality! “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” Feel free to pass that along to underachievers…. God bless you all and let’s keep NC, TN tornado/hurricane impacted folks in our prayers especially now it’s getting cold. Maybe I’ll get a roof and room by CHRISTMAS and a driveway by Valentine’s Day or maybe I won’t…. Still waiting in Bluefield, WV….nights bitter cold blowing through the walls and roof with a string holding the bedroom door closed in the whipping 50 mph wind…
Visit the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University to see many fine examples of our ancestors’ ingenuity and creativity. Among things that I have donated for safekeeping are my great grandparents’ handmade quilt, chair and cobbler’s bench.
We all need to look for beauty around us.
I agree most times simplest is best. One year for Christmas,my sister in law gave each one of the “girls” in the family a shoebox full of jars of homemade apple butter,pumpkin butter and jellies she had done herself. We were all so excited! Absolutely loved that gift.
Beauty can be found in the smallest details. Sometimes just slowing down and taking the time to look you notice so much!
There’s no beauty like natural beauty. If you study a rainbow – God’s coloring book!
The creative process is what separates us from animals, we think about what we’re going to do before we execute the making and end up with something either useful or beautiful!
In the world we live in the beauty is not always evident. But it is there if we take the time to look. It’s often found the everyday things we take for granted.
I always stop to appreciate an old chimney or rock wall. It always makes me think of the people who made a life there. And like you all, I love the beauty left behind. Our mountains are filled with these short stories.
Making things useful and beautiful, blessing two ways.
Thank you for the reminder to keep our eyes open and enjoy the beauty in the world.
❤️ Meg
Beauty is in almost everything if we would just slow down and see what’s right in front of our eyes
I never learned many handicrafts and have always wanted to. I got my 10 year old into a crochet class and she has really taken to it! She’s been crocheting flowers hoping to turn them into something. My 8 year makes potholders. I hope they continue and learn many of the old handicrafts- maybe they can teach their mama!
There is so much beauty in the little things that catch our eye!
I can’t wait to try the roasted vegetable soup. It looked amazing !
The beauty that is there, if we take time to look! Thank you for sharing! I would live a copy of the book. Prayers for all. God bless you and yours❤❤
This sounds like a book that I would enjoy. Thank you for sharing.
i love your video’s. sometimes watch them over and over. Your family is a sweet religous and I love you all
Your friend
I don’t remember my Mother making to many things, my Daddy liked to make things out of scrap pieces of wood or even sticks. One of his favorite things to do was to make and give the young ladies of our small country church a small child size rocking chair when they were pregnant with their first baby. It was apparent that the chairs were homemade, but some have told me they still have these chairs even though their children are now grown. I often wonder what Daddy could have made if he had had more than the most basic of tools to work with. Chimneys around old abandoned home places always make me think and wonder about the families that once lived there. A lot of times there will only be a chimney left, no home.
Randy,
You have some Wonderful Stories of Your Raising too. I look for Your Comments Daily.
Randy and Kathleen….i look forward to Randy’s comments, too!! Such a wonderful way to start my day. Reading Blind Pig and reading Randy’s comments is like visiting old friends. Blessings to all.