Thoughtful Thursday: How to Love Your House

Maybe you've heard people say "I love my house!" Did you ever wonder why? Our society places great value on decorating and remodeling and building equity in our home. People spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to make a home they can love.

I think what we are really looking for is comfort. Comfort is what we really fall in love with. When we enjoy comfort at home, time to relax in rooms that welcome us and work for us, we come to love the house because we love being at home. Comfort is an individual thing, but it is usually small things that bring home comfort.

• a pretty edge on a face cloth
• a favorite chair with a pillow for your back
• souvenir magnets on the fridge
• a fuzzy lap throw to snuggle under
• homemade cookies in a cookie jar
• a handmade picture frame with a photo of far-away family
• a pretty set of sheets that feel just right
• a hand-thrown flower pot your best friend made for you
• somewhere to stash your keys
• a favorite soup simmering on the stove
• a bath towel that is just the right size

This feeling of comfort is the point of the hope chest. When you take a bit of time to prepare ahead those items that you know will bring comfort, you'll fall in love with your house, whatever or wherever it is.

Thoughtful Thursday: Defining Hope

Anyone who thinks about a hope chest as much as I do necessarily thinks about the concept of hope. Hope is a feeling that something desired can be had or will happen. Hope is not a wish for something, but rather the rising anticipation of an upcoming event or situation. Hope is a vision more than simply a dream. It is ambition more than desire. It is belief. It is conscious. It means taking steps to assist the outcome. Hope is a synonym for faith.

Training Hands

     The hope chest: what image does this conjure in your mind? Maybe you think of a big wooden chest with kitchen linens, china, silverware and the like in it. Or maybe it's that big heavy box full of crocheted potholders and embroidered dishtowels your mom turns out by the dozen. That's what the hope chest is at a glance, a storage box for things you'll use later in your future home, but upon further inspection you'll find it's a lot more than that- it's a whole philosophy about being ready for a family and a home of your own. Here at the Mower house we call it the art of training your hands.

     My mom has been trying from about kindergarten on to help me develop certain skills and train my hands to perform them. I was born into 4-H, a youth program which has a lot of projects geared toward home economics. There are cooking, baking, sewing, crochet, embroidery, and scrapbooking projects- and I've done them all. It has taken a while to learn to do these things. When I was younger I was a little afraid of all the equipment, like the sewing machine, and the iron, and needles. Over time, though, I've gotten better and better and now have a veritable wardrobe of skills that will help me later in life. I know how to feed people. I can follow a pattern and sew things. Even the crafts projects have taught me some odds and ends about beautifying things (I think I could probably stencil every wall in the house if I wanted to.) I am becoming ready for future life and I have confidence because I have been training my hands all these years.

     So it turns out that the hope chest isn't just a box to store material goods for when you need them later in life. You need more than dishcloths and silverware to be ready to be on your own. You need to know certain skills as well. I think it is a lot better to go into married life with confidence than to go into it without a clue as to what you are doing. Training my hands now has helped develop that confidence and peace of mind, which will ultimately help me have a happy home.

 

Respectfully submitted by Miss Abigail

A Peek Inside: Aunt Bertha's Kitchen Set

Will there be items in her hope chest that Miss Abigail will never use? Probably.

I have a large and loving family. There were six aunts that lived close by as I grew up. These aunts were wonderful models of homemaking skills and I learned a lot from each of them. Three of the aunts are still living and are very elderly. Around the time of my birthday, a few years ago now, I picked up a package in the mail. It was from my Aunt Bertha. Inside the package were these wonderful hotpads and the embellished dishtowel, along with a note that told me how much she loved me and appreciated all of our shared experiences.

My Aunt Bertha is a very talented woman and I've never been able to use the gift as she intended that I should. I will perhaps one day, but in the meantime, I just like to get them out and look at them and remember my lovely aunt. There are a couple of things that I made for my own hope chest that I never used. I get as much pleasure out of their prettiness and the effort it took to make them as I would in using them. But even as I say that, I hope that Miss Abigail will use the things I am making. I'm making LOTS, just to ensure that she will have enough to use. There are enough that some could be gifted as my sweet aunt did, and some leftover for grandchildren. I'm sure that there will be things that Abigail will only bring out for special occasions and maybe one of two that she will just save to look at. But I hope she will use and reuse and wear out most of her hope chest.

One of my favorite activities, on a lazy afternoon, is to go to antique stores and poke around. I am always drawn to the linens. There are piles of wonderful hand crafted linens to sort through. I always wonder about why they were made and love to guess whether the crafter made them for a hope chest. I like to see signs of them being used. I think it sad when I come upon a perfect, unused pair of pillowcases or tablecloth or monogrammed napkins. There is such a lot of work involved to have the item remain unused and stored away in the dark of a chest or drawer.

Do any of you have items that you acquired for your home and yet have never used? Do you think it a shame, as I do? When do we reach the point of allowing ourselves to use our beautiful things? I really do try and hope you do as well.

BTW, the dishtowel is embellished with a simple fabric border along with the pretty peaches iron-on transfer. My aunt also used the ever-popular single-crochet diagonal pattern for the hot pads. Just google it (single-crochet diagonal hot pads) for lots of directions and tutorials.

A Peek Inside - Cross-Stitch Pillowcases

Filling a hope chest is a wonderful thing, especially when it is filled with gifts from those who love you! These become treasures that fill your life with beauty and sweet memories. These pretty pillowcases were a gift to Miss Abigail from her grandmother. Grandma Mower has many pillowcases in her linen closet, including some that are now considered vintage and even antique. It is such a treat to stay in her home and find which treasures grace the pillows on the bed. Many are embroidered and some have delicate thread crocheted edgings created by her great aunts, now gone. Grandma loves to speak of these pioneer women - to tell their stories. I was the happy recipient of several sets of pillowcases, embroidered by my mother-in-law, when I married my husband all those years ago (this post). These are mostly worn out now, but I surely hate to retire them because I've enjoyed using them so much. I didn't save these pillowcases from use. Maybe I should have, but I used them. For more than thirty years I've washed and folded them, felt loved and thought about the skill and generosity that went into their creation. Grandma told me that she now no longer enjoys embroidery, but she still likes to cross-stitch.  I'm sure Abigail will enjoy using these in her future home too, just as Grandma has enjoyed those which were gifted to her years ago and as much as I've enjoyed mine. This is what my hope chest legacy is really about. 

Color Strategy for Kitchen Linens

Crochet brightens up the edge of these pretty handtowels in the "Sunflowers" set.

My strategy for hope chest kitchen linens is a little different. We may wish to do something other than timeless or classic, and I think one can be a little wilder with her dishtowels than, say, a bed quilt. There are so many appealing paths to follow with fun kitchen themes and cheerful colors. So, for me, any color goes when it comes to a kitchen towel. These linens get so much use that they are likely worn out before you could ever change your mind or get tired of them. Miss Abigail and I have several themes and colors going on for her hope chest kitchen linens and even some sub-sets within sets. Many of these colors overlap and items could fit into several different sets. Some sets are started and some are merely planned. Most of our sets start with a piece of fabric for an apron. But some have begun because of a cute towel, like the sunflower towels shown above, or an appealing skein of yarn.

This was the first fabric I purchased for a kitchen set. Abigail and I have been working on things for this "Floral" set for quite some time. Green is my favorite color and I love florals. Abigail has always loved red and pink. Yellow is a strong color in this set also and there is just a bit of plummy purple as an accent. Okay, I have to admit that I picked this fabric because I liked it. Abigail is not strong on florals right now, but I'm counting on changing her mind one day.

Miss Abigail says her favorite color is blue (at the moment) so this next fabric answers that. Yellow, green and white expand the possibilities. The fabric is actually much brighter and more cheerful than this picture shows. Abigail has made a number of items to go into this set. We have a set of "daisy" printed hand towels that match this fabric, so daisies are a sub-set of this "Plaid" set.

Miss Abigail has grown up on a homestead, and I want her to take "Country Memories" with her when she leaves home. So, naturally I'm working on a denim and rusty red country theme set. Straw yellow and mossy green colors overlap both of the previous sets as well.

Miss Abigail has always liked pink too. Hmm, another floral. I sure hope she changes her mind about that. I guess, if she really hates it later, we can do a fabulous giveaway! I like the colors "Pink and Brown" together.

Finally, a really pretty aqua, turquoise and brown fabric. I love these "Kitchen Utensils!" Since Abigail loves to wear these colors, I knew she would like them in the hope chest.

We have a couple of other themed sets, as well - a red, white and black "ladybug" set, the "sunflowers" set (because I saw those cute sunflower hand towels!) and a "garden" set. And, of course we couldn't leave out all of the holidays... (sigh) My husband thinks we're running a hope chest factory! He says Abigail will need a hope chest U-Haul and heaves a big sigh of sympathy for her long-suffering future husband. I know it seems like I'm carried away by all of this kitchen stuff. But, in the end, whatever is excessive will be passed on to others as gifts. I have neices, and friends, and there are always grandchildren. No worries! Right!?!

The Color and Style Strategy

As I explained before, I expect that Miss Abigail's future household will be quite eclectic and jumbled in color and style. Early households invariably are. Almost everyone I know sets up housekeeping in a space in which color is already present, and most often, there is no opportunity to make changes. In the case of an apartment the color scheme is usually off white, beige or some variation of brown. Kind of boring! But, one can only hope for such a nice, neutral apartment, since in other cases, the colors might be even less appealing. We rented a duplex once with a hot pink candy striped bathroom. It felt like Mary Poppins! My sister, early on, lived in a small rented house with a multi-colored carpet which she called the "cow" carpet. I'll let you use your imagination. You could probably tell me other stories. Furniture is a second issue. My sweet mother-in-law generously provided a mossy green couch and a wild green and yellow floral recliner when I first married my husband thirty some years ago. We were very thankful to have them, but it is a good thing I didn't expect anything to match.

No one can possibly anticipate the colors of their first few homes. Even trying to use a favorite color scheme may not work, since clashing colors may already be present. I really think the solution to all this uncertainty resides in choosing a deliberately patchwork kind of style - non-decorating to begin with! If we use a wide variety of classic colors blended with neutrals, items should "match" each other pretty well. I love patchwork quilts and my favorite "style" is the all-over scrappy quilt. When fitted into an overall plan, all the colors end up blending just fine. You simply count on the neutral colors of the sashing and borders to bring it all together and make it whole.

So, my plan for the hope chest is for aged and comfortable, a sort of purposeful mis-match style that seems accommodating and is always less than elegant. If we go for the "dime-store decorating" style to begin with, whatever we make will match whatever comes along next. Abigail may have other ideas later, but this is my current working plan. For everything except kitchen things. I'll talk about that next.

The Color Question

“How do you choose colors or patterns for the hope chest?” “Won’t color preferences and fashions change over time?” The inability to answer these two questions might inhibit having a hope chest altogether, since such uncertainty constrains making choices. It may seem easier to wait.

I do understand the problem. Fashions change and certain colors and patterns can reflect certain time periods. When I began this project, Miss Abigail was still quite young and simply didn’t have an opinion about much. At this point in time, Abigail knows a bit more about what she likes when it comes to color and style, but she is still very changeable as to which color is her “favorite.” The following facts help me resolve this problem.

1. Because favorite colors change throughout your life, choosing the one particular color cannot be the primary consideration in creating a hope chest. Rather, many classic colors and traditional patterns will always be fashionable.

2. Our family tends not to be particularly fashionable anyway. I am certainly more practical than trendy and I admit that my own household reflects this. Our limited resources flow in directions other than fashion. I’m actually hoping to pass this value along to Abigail. So, if some items seem a little dated by the time she uses them, I'm hoping that it won't matter to her.

3. In my experience, most early households feature a pretty big mix of collected items and have a kind of characteristic mingling of different colors and thrift-store style. Some objects might be deliberately chosen, but just as many are gifted or scrounged from relatives. Early marriage certainly illustrates the adage that “beggars can’t be choosers.” I assume Abigail’s first household will be quite eclectic, just like all the others.

4. I don't intend for most of these items to last Abigail through her whole lifetime. I certainly hope the bulk of the kitchen linens will be used up and replaced after some time. I only want her to have beautiful things to use in those early years when resources like time and money are tight. Miss Abigail will have plenty of time to collect or create what she loves later, when she is more established and secure. I do recognize that silverware or patterned china are a little different. We're waiting on these items for now, and I will certainly urge Abigail to choose the classic and timeless.

So, in my mind, at least, the issue of color and pattern doesn’t have to be such a big problem. And a hot pad is just a hot pad, after all. One colorful quilt keeps you just as warm as another. Although you may make a different choice, I’m banking on the fact that Miss Abigail will enjoy using a beautiful, handmade hot pad, whether or not it matches her current favorite color scheme.

I actually do have a kind of organizational scheme for the hope chest, at least for those items that I’m making now. Miss Abigail may take things in a different direction as she comes to “own” the hope chest more, but for now I’m driving the train. Stay aboard, if you’re interested. The hope chest color strategy is coming up next.

No Time To Wait...

“There is no time to wait ... only time to prepare.”

I read this anonymous quote and think it applies perfectly to thoughts of a hope chest. Scriptures consistently teach us lessons concerning preparation. Joseph’s provision for Egypt literally saved the house of Israel. The book of Proverbs has many references to the time of preparation. Consider Proverbs 6:9-11. “How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest” And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, and your need like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6-8 teaches us to “Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provision in the harvest.”

Sometimes we neglect to prepare simply because we don’t recognize the necessity. In years of plenty, it may be hard to imagine a time of need. Those who lack nothing in their growing years can hardly see or understand what poverty may feel like. It is easy to imagine that good things will just continue to come, not fully realizing who will have to provide them. And what things are really necessary, after all? I think it is important for our children to think about these things, and to take a little time to prepare for and provide for their future.

Time is an interesting perception. As adults, we never seem to have enough. So many people tell me, “I don’t have time to sew.” (Or embroider, or cross-stitch, or even cook!) I recognize that people are busy. I understand that our lives are demanding. But that is just the point I’m pondering lately. There is always a natural time given for preparation. God has seen to this in creation. It seems to me that we need to identify that period of time and use it wisely to furnish for the time when that preparation will be needful. It is a certain fact that when the time of need has come, the time for preparation will have passed.

A young wife may learn, when the first Christmas arrives right on schedule, that there is no time to make the linens for the special holiday table she so wants to set. Because the budget is tight, she will have to settle for whatever she can find at the dollar store. A young mother will certainly discover that her child’s first birthday will quickly come, with no time to stitch that hand-made birthday banner she thought would make the occasion so special. “Well, I’ll make it for next year,” she will declare, and perhaps she will find the time.

If home and family joys are important to you, “There is no time to wait ...only time to prepare.”  A hope chest is certainly one way to deliberately consider the future and to take the time to provide for it.


Shared on  Prairie Flower Farm Wednesday Link-up: Building Our Homes Together With Jesus

Fancywork

I am intrigued by the term “fancywork.” Throughout history, and certainly since the cottage industry replaced the European guilds of the middle ages, women have had many sewing tasks. A woman’s hands were busy, first in making the fabric and then sewing it into clothing and household linen.

Of course, in England, until relatively recently, there was a class division of labor. This applied to sewing as well. Aristocratic women did not sew their own clothing. They employed servants to do this work, or commissioned their gowns from modistes or dressmakers. The wealthiest women could patronize a couturier or fashion designer. At most, these higher class women may have been involved in constructing or embellishing their underclothing. In America, this was less so. Even into the early 1900's, with the exception of the lucky some who maintained servants, most American women were sewing clothing for the family at home. Many members of the household were busy at this work.

Fancywork was the opposite of this routine household sewing. Fancywork describes that bit of extra embellishment that was added to garments, linen or other household goods. It might represent embroidery, needlepoint, crocheted or knitted trim and lace, netting, beadwork, or some other kind of needlework. It may include doilies, cushions, macrame, and other items made to adorn the parlor or bedroom.

I am intrigued by the term “fancywork” partly because of antique publications of patterns and projects that were produced from the mid to late 1800's and through the turn of the century. Such publications were directed at young ladies and women of the middle and upper-classes. These women, presumably had the time to devote to making and embellishing items that were, shall we say, more impractical or sentimental in nature. Lower-class women did not engage in fancywork, I assume, because they were too busy with other things, like employed work to feed themselves or their children. Hmmmm. There is an image that stands a bit on it’s modern head. After spending a couple of hours, early this morning, trying an antique pattern of crocheted lace, I guess I can presume that I am not a lower-class woman.

Of course, circumstances changed, even in the drawing rooms of the rich and privileged. In this new century, I am touched by examples of the fancywork of ordinary women found on ordinary things. Every time I visit my favorite antiques mall, I wonder at what I find. From embroidered household linens to embellished clothing, hats and even shoes. The internet is filled with marvelous modern examples of uncommonly beautiful fancywork. Women have always loved to be surrounded by beauty; to do fancywork. It keeps us from being “lower-class.” ;o)

The Hidden Hope Chest

Preparing a hope chest is all about skill. It is learning to be skillful at those things that will make a comfortable home. In our present society, few people seem to recognize the work that goes into making a home. It seems that even fewer embrace that work as something they would willingly do for others. Many see the various tasks of homemaking merely as chores, to be hurried through in the corners of their spare time. But I think people still long for a home that is something more than just sufficient, adequate or acceptable. I think if people were really honest, they would rather their home be snug, contented, relaxed, cozy or even, --well, homey.

So, if a hope chest is more than a collection of linens and tableware, how can I train Miss Abigail in the art of making a home? Well, first of all I have to make our home, her home, more than just sufficient so that she recognizes what a home is all about. She needs to have homemaking skills modeled for her. That task has always been mine. (Sigh) There is still so much room for my own improvement and I often fear that I am not that great of a model. But, I have a strong desire, a passion, actually, and, I think that one can identify some basic skills and then set out to learn them.

It is baffling to me that many of these traditional, home-building skills are simply left to chance, as if they can be easily learned later, if ever they might be needed. Many young women of my acquaintance seem to think that, when the time comes, they can just consult the high-end home magazines and watch the so-called home divas sprinkle glitter on birthday banners. As long as they sign up for the wedding registry at the Pottery Barn, they will enjoy the comforts of home. But they don’t know what to do for dinner beyond reaching inside the freezer case at the grocery store or telephoning for pizza delivery. Clothing is given away because of a stain or a ripped hem. I want to help Miss Abigail recognize basic skills, learn and practice them.

I also want to help Miss Abigail develop attitudes that will enable her to be a willing homemaker. Somehow, I have to help guide and train her heart. There is no one-size fits all circumstances way to make and keep a home, but keeping house is part of that long tradition that recognizes the important needs of people to be well-fed, well-clothed, sheltered comfortably, and even to be nurtured. Someone needs to accept that task and it needs to be a deliberate choice. I accept that we don’t always have a choice about the amount of time we devote to it, but, I do believe that the desires of our heart are manifest in the fruit of our hands.

Our Heavenly Father takes these needs very seriously and much scripture is devoted to images and types of our Father as the provider of these homely needs. One of my favorite images in scripture is of a little bird who finds the perfect home in the house of God.

“How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.” (Psalm 84:1-4)

This kind of homey comfort, such a refuge where a mother might lay her young, does not happen with slap-dash effort on the part of the householder. Beside capable hands, a willing heart is a most critical component of the hope chest.

So, some of what you see in this blog will be about learning and modeling skills. I hope you won’t mind a little of this, in addition to embroidery patterns and sewing projects. I think of it as the hidden hope chest.

Everyday Beauty

Once you fall in love with the idea of making a home, you find infinite pleasure in making it suitable, comfortable and even beautiful.  But, too often we put away our beautiful things because, well, they are too beautiful. “This is too nice to use for just everyday,” we say. We’ll save it for the holidays or when guests come to visit, and content ourselves with the plain and practical for everyday.  But our home is the space that encircles both our body and our spirit. It ought to be beautiful. No matter where we live, even in a temporary situation, a home is something we can create with the currency of beauty.

Why should you use a dishrag when you can easily use a dishcloth? Why should you use a dust rag when you can easily use a dust cloth? Truly, it is just as easy to use a towel that has, in some way, been made beautiful as it is to use a plain one, or one that is worn out or ugly. Of course, my home is more than those physical objects that surround me, but I find that my happiness is greater when I see, use, and enjoy everyday things that are beautiful. My everyday attitude is much improved.

Lest you get the wrong impression, I’ve used my share of rags, plastic cups and worn out blankets. But, I’m becoming wiser to my own happiness. It doesn’t take much to add a little beauty to everyday things. It does take a deliberate choice to actually use them.

If you own a pair of plain (white or printed) pillowcases, I challenge you to pull them out and use the following tutorial to add some simple, everyday beauty to your home.

Materials: Besides the pillowcases, you need a package of rick-rack trim, 6-ply cotton embroidery thread, two small embellishments, and a needle.

Measure the rick-rack trim, cut and pin it around the hem of the pillowcase.

Measure a length of thread three times the width of the pillowcase and cut. Use all 6 plys and thread the needle. Knot the thread.

Fold a bit under the end of the trim and bring the needle up in the corner. Make a tacking stitch. Do this on both the top and bottom edge.

Bring the needle up at the inside edge of the trim.

Take a small stitch, within the inside edge of the rick-rack trim. Take another stitch on the inside edge diagonal to your other stitch. Stitch, back and forth, within the inside edges of the rick-rack trim all the way across. The thread lays across the trim, tacking it securely to the pillowcase.

Work these small stitches in each wave across the length of the trim. Make the stitch smooth and snug, but don’t pull too tightly or the fabric will pucker.

When you come to the end of the trim, take another small tacking stitch on the top edge to secure the end and make it neat.

Tack down the bottom edge as well, and tie off the thread securely.

Sew on the embellishment. A ribbon rose, a button, or an applique would also make a cute decoration.

You are finished. Now use them. You’ll feel like a queen!

A Hope Chest Philosophy

A longing for home is one of the deepest, most fundamental desires of the human soul. For as long as humans have sought shelter, we have also sought to make that shelter more comfortable and even beautiful. In spite of modern rhetoric regarding the role of women, and the pressure exerted by our society to offer our daughters the opportunity to be whatever they might dream of being, hope for a happy, comfortable home is a value that should not be discarded as old-fashioned.

Creating a home that fulfills such a deep, emotional need takes conscious thought and deliberate effort. In the midst of everyday pressures and modern influence, such desire and effort might be postponed or even discarded in favor of other choices. Sadly, if there is a lack of time and a lack of positive commitment to homemaking tasks, there may also be a parallel lack in the emotional comfort of a home. Many, many people simply make do with much less than would be comfortable, let alone pleasant or delightful.

The hope chest represents that deliberate choice to prepare, even ahead of time, a comforting home. It is a physical act that reflects a desire to provide for the future. But, preparing for the future is also a traditional value that has too often been discarded by an immature attitude that believes all good things will come to us as needed. Surely, the wedding guests will provide gifts! Surely, whatever is lacking can be found at the department store, in Grandma’s basement or even the thrift store. This may, indeed, be the case for some young women, but a hope chest is more than the physical items that are stored inside. Beyond the collection of recipes and cookware is the mastery of their use. Behind the careful embroidery on the pillowcases is the recognition that beauty adds cheer and satisfaction to our life. From the woven potholders and knitted dishcloths to the crocheted lace and patchwork quilts, a hope chest simply reveals hands that are trained to do things. And, behind the preparing and collecting is the satisfaction of having what you desire, instead of making do with what is available.

We don’t always know what our future holds. But some kind of home will be part of it. You can make it what you want it to be; what you hope it will be. That is the purpose of a hope chest.

A Hope Chest Gift

This is a younger Abigail on Christmas morning with an extra special hope chest gift from her brother. In the coming years, I know absolutely that she will come to treasure the gift more and more.

I'm so pleased that she has an actual place to collect things. I always wanted a cedar chest. In my community, a cedar chest was the traditional gift for girls who graduated from high school, but my parents just couldn't afford one for me. One of the most tender conversations I ever had with my father was on the night of my high school graduation. He came to me and tried explain why I shouldn't expect to receive a cedar chest. Of course I really had only hoped. I actually understood the situation without his explanation, but I have a sweet memory of my father's wish to give me what I wanted, even if it could not be done. And so, as soon as Abigail was reasonably old enough to start learning about a hope chest, I started looking for one. I understand the position my parents were in, cedar chests are really expensive!

Our son Cameron took a woodworking class in college and needed a project. Cameron knew that I wanted a hope chest for Abigail and he offered to make it for her. Of course I was thrilled. My only requirement was that it be made from pine. He took some real hits in the class from his instructor and others who were sure that I wanted cedar in there somewhere and a nicer wood like oak or something. But I knew what I wanted and Abigail wasn't old enough to have an opinion.

So why did I want pine? Because I plan on helping Abigail fill her hope chest completely. I know it will be heavy. When she moves from apartment to apartment in those early married years, I can promise that Abigail's future husband will not want to lift and carry an oak chest filled to the brim with linens and other hope chest paraphernalia! Pine is the lightest wood. I know it is soft and gets dinged and battered more easily, but I like pine, and I think it is sturdy enough. Poor Cameron had to keep explaining to his teacher that he really wasn't just cheap!

I also didn't want cedar in the chest. Cedar isn't actually a great idea for use in a hope chest. It does work to repel bugs in wool fiber, but it also yellows and actually deteriorates fabric over time and it can be lethal to photographs. The scent is very strong. We can add cedar panels in the bottom if we ever want to have cedar, or use loose cedar in sachets. I wanted to have the option of NOT having the negative effects of cedar. Pine is a wood with resins that repel bugs also, it is just not as strong as cedar.

I think Cameron made a wonderful chest. He followed my instructions to a T. It is big enough, but not too big. He put in a nice hinge that holds the lid open. He left it unfinished because I asked him to. This hope chest was as much a gift for me as it was for Abigail and I am so thankful that I have such a thoughtful, talented son.