Autographs & Finding a Signature Style

I found the autograph book when I was sorting through a collection of old photographs. There is an invitation on the title page:

      “To keep my friends

            Is my delight

      So in this book

            I pray you’ll write.”

And write, they did! Class of 1937 read the inscription, with notations from those living in the coastal, dairy town all dated 1936. Some even added a class photo.

The faded blue, pink, yellow and cream pages are adorned with cursive notes from family, friends, pals, and classmates.

Two or three friends reference “shorthand class” and “home ec”. Several classmates attempted poetry.

Many ended with humorous sign-offs; the most popular from the era is “Yours ‘til Mare Island has Colts”. Others included: “Yours till cat fish have kittens”, “Yours till the ocean wears rubber pants to keep its bottom dry”, “Yours till powder puffs”.

Buck printed his message and name. George did the same but wrote the Mare Island sign-off in cursive. The rest of the messages were written in cursive as were their unique signatures.

It appears that others wished to sign but there were no additional blank pages. In that case, those friends just signed their first name, all on the same page.

The autograph book is a sweet keepsake. It has been a real treat to view my husband’s grandparents’ handwriting (that we’ve never seen), and that of great aunts & great uncles, as well. We don’t know of a relative named “Harriett” but loved reading that the two girlfriends “tied a quilt & ate candy together.” The overall theme of the messages is one of friendship, love and remembrance.

"When the Golden Sun is setting and your mind from care is free; When of others you are thinking, please won't you sometime think of me." Alice E., July 7, 1936

I am grateful for the ability to read and write - with thanks always to my parents and grandparents for setting the example and providing the resources and encouragement. The love of cursive and letter writing goes back to elementary school.

With several friends and loved ones passing these past couple of years, it has been nostalgic to read through letters, postcards, journals, recipe books and captioned photos to connect and remember.

Their impact makes me think back to a bygone era when everyone wrote in beautiful cursive. So distinct is the slant, loops or flourishes that all it takes is turning over a black-and-white photo to find out who is in the photo and recognize who wrote the caption. Those thoughtful inscriptions from our ancestors ensure that the captioned memories would not be lost to time.

As I continue to write short stories that give unlabeled quilts a voice, and work on completing my first fabric collection, my focus is on creating a signature style that ties the pieces all together. The goal is that my signature style will resonate with all of us – making the work recognizable as mine when you read it or see it.

In the coming weeks, I will be introducing a new website, name, logo and newsletter. I will be sharing more about my short stories and fabric collection – both still in progress and continuing to honor our precious quilts. I appreciate the opportunity to share my journey with you and invite you to share your creative journey here, too.

Thank you for stopping by.

XOXOX