Date Collected
11-30-2018
Place item was collected
Layton, UT
Informant
Michelle Fitzgerald
Point of Discovery/Informant Bio
Michelle Fitzgerald is my mother. She was born and raised in Kaysville, Utah, as a member of the LDS church. She attended and graduated BYU, where she met my dad. She is a stay-at-home mom, and enjoys crafts of all kinds.
Context
"My mother-in-law is from Austria. She came to the United States in the 60s. She came over educated herself, and began working as a nurse. Gradually her siblings and mother also came to the states. When they left Austria they weren’t able to bring a whole lot, a lot was gone after the war. But her mother brought some pattern to create knitted doilies. While she was never able to complete them herself my mother-in-law held onto the pattern. Then one year for Christmas she created one for each of her married children and had them framed. They are kept in a place of honor."
Text
[A round white doily framed against a black mat. The central motif resembles an 8-pointed star.]
[Typed note affixed to the back of the frame. It reads:
STERN or Star
Wrought by Giselle M Fitzgerald
The original pattern was brought from Austria by Angela F Smoech. She always wanted to knit these patterns but alas time ran out. I hope when you look at this doily you will fondly remember us both.]
Texture
This was gifted at the family home, with no one else in the family present, instead of at the yearly Christmas/New Year's gathering everyone attends. Presumably the rest of the set was gifted in the same way, because while they like to give group/set gifts (matching ornaments, blankets, etc.) they place importance on giving them as individually as possible. This started as a way to keep any of their six kids from feeling like an afterthought, and continues with their grandchildren. Michelle was very demonstrative when receiving it, because she also enjoys textile crafts. It hangs alongside some architectural drawings in pencil her husband did in college, most of them based on Austrian cities and buildings.
Course
ENGL 2210
Semester and year
Fall 2018
Theme
G8: Textiles
EAD Number
1.2.3.2
Recommended Citation
Fitzgerald, Brittany, "STERN, or Star" (2018). USU Student Folklore Fieldwork. Paper 280.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/student_folklore_all/280