Pam’s Collage:  Grandma’s Flower Garden Doily                                        Complete 6/28/2017   

1. Karey Solomon [bottom left]

2.  Sue Hanson [center]

3.  Thornwell Ladies [middle right]

4.  Riet Surtel-Smeulders [top left]

5.  Bonnie Geiger [top right]

6.  Chocolate Therapy [middle left]

7. Grace Lown [bottom right]

Flower # 3 - The Thornwell Ladies

Flower # 3 - The Thornwell Ladies [Right]

There is a special group of ladies I call the Thornwell Ladies.  They are ladies who grew up at Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, SC.  They have always stayed connected through the years with letters, phone calls and going back for Grand Rallies.  They make an effort to get together for good times and then they are there for the other times as well.  I have enjoyed meeting frequently with them to work on the Thornwell Alumni Association database.  We have spend many hours trying to locate alumni and working on putting the next Grand Rally together.  They have also listened tirelessly about my tatting projects.  One special piece was a scarf with tatted medallions around the edges.  It belonged to Professor Pinson and his wife.   I replicated the "Fessor Pinson Medallion" for each of these ladies.

Flower # 7 - Grace Lown

Flower # 7 - Grace Lown [Bottom Right]

Grace is my special friend.
We have been friends for over 40 years.
After I moved to Lexington and moved my membership from Congaree Presbyterian Church in Cayce to Lexington Presbyterian Church, I began meeting women in the church.  Because I worked 8 hour rotating shifts, I would visit the different circles.  I met Grace in the morning circle and drew her name at Christmas so for a whole year I was her "Secret Sister" and trying to do little things for her without her knowing who I was.  After it was revealed the next December, I had found out that Grace lived very close by and stayed at home to care for her husband.  I began visiting her at least once a month to just talk and do crafts.  In 1994 I was promoted to a nice day job and Grace felt she wouldn't see me any more.  She mentioned that she loved to play Scrabble. So, we began playing Scrabble once a week and have continued through thick and thin unless we are out of town or Grace is really, really sick.  When she was in Still Hopes we even had a Bible Study there.  When she was in Lexington Agape, we sat up the Scrabble board several times and played.

 

She has truly "graced" me through many years.

Flower #6 - Chocolate Therapy

Flower #6 - Chocolate Therapy [Middle Left]

             Chocolate Therapy was a name given many years ago to a group of folks that met and        are still meeting in 2017 at the Food Court at the Dutch Square Mall to talk and tat and                   eat chocolate of course.   This is a group of folks that basically know how to tat and just like to get together.  They help each other with projects and problems as well as behave as an auxiliary arm for many Palmetto Tatters projects.

There are some "faithfuls" that are almost always there and there are others like me that love to go but life often gets in the way.       

 These ladies has certainly helped and advised me through many projects.