The Flow Blue China

Several years ago, hubby and I were browsing through an antique show when he spotted a display featuring some china.  Wandering over he pointed to one of the plates and recalled that his mother had some dishes like that.  The plate had a white background with a deep, cobalt blue design that looked like it had bled into the plate.  The whole effect was a muted but bold design that was very pleasing.

He went on to relate that the dishes had belonged to his grandmother, who had left them to his mother.  They were her prized possessions and he swore they only got to eat on them when the visiting preacher came for dinner.  The rest of the time they were stored safely away from her three rambunctious boys. 

The next visit to my mother-in-law I asked to see her china.  With delight she showed them to me, explaining that they were called "flow blue" in reference to the bleeding of the deep blue color.  Her mother, the daughter of Swiss immigrants, had married another young Swiss and set up housekeeping.  Times were hard and they were struggling to make ends meet on their hilly farm.  With hard work and a large garden she managed to see that they had plenty, but she yearned for a few of the finer things.

She did her best with hand crocheted doilies and tablecloths, but she really wanted some nice dishes for company.  All the dishes she looked at just cost too much to even consider.  Then she discovered that you could get pretty china in laundry detergent.  For years she bought the detergent and collected the pretty blue dishes.  Finally, she had enough for her family and company.  She treasured her lovely dishes and like her daughter, only brought them out on very special occasions. 

Neither woman treasured the dishes because they could brag of a  famous brand name or because they cost a huge amount.  They treasured them for the touch of grace they added to their homes and the memories that they associated with them.  With love they served their family and friends on the best they could provide. 

When my mother-in-law died we found a little notebook that she had kept.  In it she had written down items that she wanted to go to specific members of the family.  Mostly they were items that held special meaning to her and she thought would be special to that person.  With tears in my eyes, I saw that she had wanted me to have her treasured flow blue china. 

Now it is displayed proudly, safely away from my rambunctious grandsons, but still a treasured memory of two gracious ladies.  Neither of these women probably ever realized that their soap box dishes have now become one of the prized collectibles of our generation.  However, in spite of the china's greatly increased worth, it is the memories of these two women and their struggle to provide a touch of grace for their families, that is it's true value.