going through Mom's 'stuff' I've found little notes, beginnings of Life Histories, portions of talks & letters, etc that are interesting snips of Mom's thoughts....here are some of them....
'It's only in our country that the garments have been separated from the spirit of the person.'
"Live today so the memory of it will be welcome in our thoughts."
Emma's story - taped at a talk given to the Rocklin Quilt Group, May 2, 1994
I'm really hapy that I could be here, that I was invited to visit your group. As Patty said, at the NCQC meeting, I'm so used to having my last name, you know if there's a little hesitation I know that they are trying to call my name. but this was interesting because she was hesitating on "Emma". The "Allebes" was OK, but the 'Emma", that's the first time that's happened.
But anyway, I'm really happy to be here and I usually start my presentation by letting you know how grateful I am for parents who supported me. I think that that's what a lot of us need always in whatever we are doing is a support system or group of some sort to encourage us.
My mother and father didn't come from, ah, I didn't come from a sewing background other than my grandparents were tailors and there had been tailors for several generations. So they decided that my mother would be an artist of music instead. So they devoted a lot of time and energy into her performing as a pianist and so she did crochet, but other than that she could never construct a quilt but she was a wonderful quilter.
We used to have quilting bees at our church and she would go and as a toddler I would along with her and I used to, as probably some of you did, I played under the quilt as the quilters quilted. But before I went to school I was quilting with the ladies. I was sitting up and quilting with my mother and her friends at the church. I am so grateful for their encouragement.
My father was raised on a farm and they are very practical people, but I don't know what it was but they seemed to sense that I needed to be different. I guess I probably, I don't know of many, but I think we could even trace back to the Asian people and even to the African people, all of them who for many generations have really done a lot for wearable art. When you think of the wonderful embroidery and the beautiful colors and I think here in American here in the USA we're probably the most conservative of all the nations when you think of the Scandanavian people and their beautiful embroidery and also the Euiropeans how wonderfull their vests and hats and things were as we look at the costumes of other countries. But here we seem to have gotten a little more simple in our dress until the last few years.
I've always had a real interest in ethnic costuming. I love fur and the Eskimos, that always intrigued me. Fur and leather, feathers from the Indians with their leather that's always been a fascination to me. And when I was in school, if we ever had an opportunity to do something on a different country when your assignment you get to pick a country or a people, it seemed like I was always doing a doll dressed in some wonderful costume to depict that country. I very rarely drew maps or something like that. I was always doing something more three dimensional.
I can remember when I was twleve years old, my first wearable art garment that I did for anyone else, any living person, was my sister. And she was two years younger than I and it seemed like even if it wasn't real practical, my mother and father didn't discourage me, they still encouraged me to do this thing that I wanted to do. And I can still see it in my mind, I can still see my sister on Christmas Day standing in the snow in front of our house wearing these red satin mittens and hat that I had made her for Christmas. Now I grew up in Utah, in the snow, but I just thought as a twelve year old there couldn't be anything more glorious than red satin, even if it was Utah. I don't know if she ever wore them in the snow or for warmth or what, but I still remember that picture and how I had hand quilted these mittens and little hat for her.
It seemed like I had something about red because when I was in college we had a Snow Queen Celebration in the Junior College that I went to. This was after the second World War, I was in college at that time and I had been in grade school before that. But, my father had worked as an accountant for one of the military bases, so he had been able to get at that time a red parachute, you know - like rip-stop. Do you remember seeing those? Well there's a lot of yardage in a parachute. And for some reason that parachute just was in our house for all those years, and that's a long time, it had to have been nine years since ??? that we had this parachute.
So I was nominated for the Snow Queen. I wanted something really different and beautiful and so I said to my father, "What are we going to do with that parachute?" And so I made just a gorgeous evening dress out of that parachute and it was tiered and really full and it had a really full petticoat under it and it was just really charming. And when I told this story once before, I just ened it like that and somebody raised their hand and said "Were you the Snow Queen?" Yeah, I was. But I can remember my father for months and months he would have to pull that evening dress out of the closet to show his friends when they'd come and say "Oh, look what Emma did." He was so proud of that parachute evening dress.
Sometimes you have other things that happen in your life that pertain to your creating, whatever it might be. If you're a painter, a musician, or it you write , or if you're a poet, whatever it might be. And I seem to have a real thing about shoes. I don't know how you feel about shoes, but I love shoes. And I have a real fun time with them. We were in a......(that's the end of what was transcribed!)
Emma Allebes
83998 Sunset Ave
Fair Oaks, CA, 95628
BIOGRAPHY
Emma Allebes has ben involved with the quilt and wearable art world since she was 11 years old when she made a quilted hat & gloves for her 9 year old sister as a Christmas gift.
Her college eduation was financed by Art & Home Ec Schoarships to Weber College & Brigham Young University.
Emma has won local, state, national and international awards for her quilts and wearable art. She has been invited top participate as a Fairfield Designer 3 times. Her quilts 'Worldwide Brotherhood" and "Women of All Nations Nurturing Peace" will be displayed at the 2002 Olympics Art Exhibit.
She has been a professsional dressmaker for many years as well as making and designing clothing for her 3 daughters and herself.
She has been judging quilts and wearable art for 40+ years and has completed the 2001 NCQC Judging Course. Emma teaches and presents Wearable Art Fashion Shows to guilds, quilt shops, churchs and womens organizations throughout California.
Our decision to move from our home at 4513 Thor Way in Sacramento was influenced by the health of Ted's father. Since Ted is an only child, he felt the resopnsibility to watch out for his parents. So we wanted to find a place where they could be near us. Ted would drive on all different roads when out on business for his company. He drove east on Sunset in Fair Oaks......
The topic I've been assinged for today is 'Develop your talents and creativity'.
A month or so ago a group of us were together and were sharing our thoughts about talents. One very special talent was shared by Paul Sharf. He volunteers at Kaiser hospital and some of his time is comforting those in the emergency ward. There are many different kinds of talents.
As members of the church, we are blessed with so many talented people that share their talents and creativity with us. What a pleasure it is to sit near Glen Sharp and hear him sing. Also Monica Ferrera, Deanne Ellsworth & Shelly Haak. This past week we received a package from Russ & Deanna Johnson. They found several books they thought we would enjoy in cabinets in church offices that they were helping sort out. One was about Norway and the conversion of John A. Widstoe's mother & father written by him. I finished it last night. She was a wonderful woman and part of her conversion was the sharing of talents and creativity by members of the church who befriended her.
Many of you know the talents of Ted, he has many in his family who are artists on both his mother and father's sides. He made our living as a commercial artist for 50 years and now teaches art classes 2 days a week.
Ted's father, a very fine artist, shared his talents in Holland helping the Jewish people. He was an engraver for the Holland Mint, engraving copper plates for paper money and stamps during World War II. The Germans didn't allow the Jews to have rations for food. Ted's Dad worked with Corrie Ten Boom, author of 'The Hiding Place', by altering ration stamps so the Jews would have food. He also made false ID papers so that Allied pilots that crashed in Holland could get back to England and America, all this by sharing his talents.
Several generations back on my mother's side, both grandparents were tailors of fine clothing. As an only child my mother was not groomed as a tailor but as a fine pianist. The talent of the sewing machine skipped a generation when at about 4 years old I was attracted to the treadle sewing machine in our hallway. Dad put a large block on the treadle so I could reach it, and I began sewing, never using a pattern, just making it up as I went along, which I still do most of the time.
As a Clothing & Textile major at Weber College (now Weber University) in Ogden. I became skilled in Tailoring. I was 18 when I finished my Freshman year and was asked by the school if I would make the Whip uniform for the girls service and marchng group. 117 in all. Purple long sleeve wool gabardine dresses with white vests. Dad said "you can't stay in this hallway all summer' so he wored the patio with electricity and that's where I spent most of that summer, making use of the talent I was born with.
One thing Ted & I feel to be very important to us is to share our talents, we have made costumes, and designed and painted scenery for many church and community productions.
A wonderful example of sharing talents is Aileen Kelley and her harps. She plays in hopspitals for babys to regulate heart beat, and awakens patients from comas and of course she - with Leslie (Williams) and Julie (Basilius) - performs often for us in the church.
Dear Golda (Mom's older sister) Dec 29, 1995
Ever since I was a little girl I have looked to you and Willard as the example for me of how to raise a good and loving family. The times I babysat for the kids are part of my fondest memories and as they grew up they became my friends.
I never considered you a half sister, but my sister. After Ted and I were married we always felt so welcome by you and Willard in yor home. I pray that when the time comes for me to need the tender attention from my children that you are receiving now, that they will meet the test as yours have. I do hope that you will come to Californai for some visits so that Ted & I can return some the hospitality to you that we have received from you all these years.
How effective can we be unless we love one another? To be a friend and to have a friend is one of the most important roles we will have.
My granddaughter, Madison, is on a mission in Louisville, Kentucky. We hear from her each week with interesting stories about her experiences. Perhaps she sits next to someone on a bus and ends up giving them the First Discussion. She takes advantage of every opportunity to teach the gospel. I've thought to myself, 'that-a-girl'. Then I think 'am I doing my part as I should?'
On Feb 9, 2007, my mother-in-law, Judy, passed away at age 97. I was at her bank the next week closing her checking account. There was quite a line up and few tellers. I think they probably were taking some lunch breaks. I was standing next to a very pleasant looking young man, I'd say about 20 years old. I thought of Madison. How would she approach this situation?
There was a young woman customer standing at a teller station and she was wearing high heel shoes about 5" high. I said to the young man 'Look at those shoes, I can't imagine that she doesn't fall over.' He said 'I've never tried that, but it doesn't look very safe.' Anyway we visited a bit, and he said 'why are you at the bank?"' I told him I was closing my mother-in-law's checking account as she had passed away. He said 'I know how you must feel, my mother died when I was 12 years old and it was very hard.'
Then as we visited he mentioned his Mom & Dad. I said "Oh, your Dad remarried?' He said 'Yes, he married my best friend's mother, so now he's my brother.' We were almost ready to be helped when I said to him 'you are such a nice young man, maybe we could get better acquainted. My husband and I enjoy having people to our home. If you write your name and phone # I could call and invite you and your famly over. So he did...He said he likes to be called....\
It's been about 2 weeks ago and I haven't called yet. Maybe I'll do it before the weekend is over. I tried but no answer. He was pretty smart and careful. The phone # was a business # and porbably closed on Saturrday. I'll try Monday.
It seems like almost every speaker begins their talk with...'When Ted Allebes called.....' Well if finally happened to me. He had several suggested topics and I chose the 11th Commandment.
'Thou Shalt Not Waste' - we all know there is no 11th commandment, but if there was one, waste could be considered.
At a workshop I took sometime ago I had the opportunity to learn Hawaiian quilting. The cutting technique is similar to that used when cutting paper snowflakes. You probably are thinking - what does that have to do with waste. I hope I'll be able to coordinate the two.
I remember attending a dinner many years ago. Afterwards a man I didn't know came up to me and said, 'I'll bet you're Scandivavian.' I said 'yes, I'm Norwegian, how did you know?' He said 'the way you finished your plate so clean.' I can't say it happend because of my Norwegian background but I was raised not to waste food. To eat what I took. We didn't waste anything. We saved the rubber bands on the door knob. Does that sound famliar to any of you?
Part of the problem with wasted food with children I think starts with too large of a plate.
Try:
1 - a small plate with a small serving
2 - progress to a salad plate with a larger serving
3 - finally, when able to manage it - a dinner plate
Do some of you know Ben Lofgren? He was giving a Sunday School lesson once in El Camino Ward. He gave his theory on this subject. He always told his children 'you don't have to finish your dinner if you don't want to, but you won't get breakfast until it's all gone.' We thought 'Hey, that's a good idea and we'll try it.' And you know, just one breakfast of cold spaghetti adn no more uneaten dinners.
Probably one of the hardest things a young couple has to do these days is save for a home Our first home was chicken arbor in North Ogden, Utah. Ted & I, our fathers and one really good friend made that arbor into our dream house. Lots of work and frugile buying made it happen.
When we bought our property here in Fair Oaks, it was really run down. But we had a vision of what it could be. I don't know if Connie Beal remembers this, but soon after we moved here Connie & Lloyd came to see us. I took Connie down the hallway and she tripped over the tear in the carpet. It was in pretty bad shape but again with a lot of owrk and careful buying we turned a lemon into lemonade.
And now the other half of the Hawaiian Quilt project. I just couldn't bear not doing something with that that had been cut from the same cloth. And so you see how so often that which we discard can often be a thing of beauty.
May Heavenly Father bless us for our good works, that we may attain those goals we have, that we may do so in righteousness I pray.
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