Today was supposed to be the first Teadoddles Talks interview of the year. Between my internet being out for over a week & the second class I teach starting this week, it just wasn’t going to happen! It will have to be postponed until next month. Since today would have been my Memaw Teadoddles’ 92nd birthday, I thought I would share some of her makes. I’ll also tell you a little about where the name “Teadoddles” came from. Hope y’all enjoy!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission if you buy something through my link or ad. This does not change your cost it just helps keep this blog running. Thanks for your support! See Privacy Policy & Affiliate Deals page for more information.
The Origins of Teadoddles
Now, I never called my Memaw “Teadoddles”. That was what other family & friends called her. To me she was always Little Memaw. That’s because she was shorter {4′-11 1/2″}r than my other Memaw , whom we called Big Memaw.
This is a picture of my Memaw & me when I was about 2 or 3 years old. I posted this on Instagram the other day after my Dad texted it to me. I thought we were having coffee & pb&j, but now I see the ketchup & mayo on the table as well. We were eating something good together!
My Memaw had polio when she was younger, which made one of her legs shorter than the other. She also had to have two different sized shoes. Someone, I’m not sure who, started calling her “tea dolly”. This was because she was small, like a dolly. I’m not completely sure where the “tea” part comes in.
Anyway, that morphed into Teadoddles over the years. Some people see this a say “Tea – doodles”, which has a long “O” sound. It has one “O” & two “D’s” so it is pronounced with the short “O” sound. Here in the South, it sounds more like “Tea-dawddles”, just so y’all know! ; )
Teadoddles Makes
I have several things I’ve saved over the years that my memaw made. She was a crafty person and always making different things & even selling some of them. I’m sure there are many family members that still have some of her makes.
Sewn Projects
My memaw wasn’t able to teach me to sew when I became interested in it as a teenager. She did show me how to use her push pedal Singer, which is what I first used to sew with.
This is the oldest thing I have that she made – a black velvet & faux fur frog. : D
She made this for my dad & he gave it to my mom after they got married – 43 years ago. They gave it to me when I was a child & apparently I pulled off the eyes & other such things. It’s stuffed with sunflower seed shells, which are slowly disintegrating into dust. I’ve also had to stitch up a whole in the velvet. I keep this in a ziploc bag inside a box, to try to preserve it.
This is a stuffed cat my memaw made me, I’ve had since I can remember. I hope to make a pattern from it one day!
It has googly eyes & snap on kittens! : ) I lost one of the kittens over the years, but it’s mostly intact.
This is one of my favorite things I still have that she made me. I think it’s really cute & I love the little kittens!
Quilts
I know that my memaw made many quilts & some other family members may have one in better shape. This quilt was made for my dad & I kind of took it over! It was well loved, but not cared for properly, so it was full of holes & missing parts.
I had to cut it apart & sew the pieces that were still {almost} whole back together. I’m slowly patching & fixing things & eventually will have to add a new backing. This was a yarn tied quilt & it was spaced out more than it should have been. That’s why regular washing made it fall apart so easily.
When I add the new back, I plan on yarn tying as well, just more closely together. It will also be used sparingly & mostly for display.
This is a small quilt my memaw made for my son. At that point in time, she was confined to a wheel chair & only had the use of one hand.
Yarn Projects
I’ve been crocheting since I was 2 years old & that’s all because of my memaw! She would sit me down while she was crocheting & I would crochet a chain forever. Then we would have coffee together. : D
This is a crocheted panda bear she made & you can see it’s been well loved! Another memaw made item I hope to make a pattern for one day.
Memaw also made this little purse for me. It’s made from plastic canvas & yarn. This side has a pup with his tongue hanging out &, of course, googly eyes! He seems to be amused by the butterfly!
The other side is a little odd to me. A giant frog with googly eyes & tongue apparently leaping over a much smaller dog!
I don’t know if she was following a pattern or just making things up as she went. Everything she made, to me, seemed to have some sort of whimsy to it. I think that’s where I get my love of whimsy from!
I wish she could have stayed around a little longer. She would have loved the online crafting communities & meeting people from all over the world. I know she is with me whenever I create, fueling my passion for making!
Here she is, relaxing in a chair adorned with a handmade doily, wearing a shirt she probably made, her sewing machine in the background, & a smile upon her face.
This is how I see her whenever I think about her. Loving life, no matter the obstacles!
I hope y’all have a great weekend! : )
