A Tribute
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About Chottie
Chottie Alderson was born on September 4, 1924 in Bay City,
Michigan. She passed away at her home in Banning, California, from
heart failure on February 28, 2004.
Her given name was Charlotte Lillian Hess but she always disliked
being called Charlotte and earned the nickname of Lut-Lut early in
her childhood because of the noise her bicycle made when the spokes
hit the playing cards she cloth-pinned to the wheels. (Her
California vanity license plate had Lut-Lut on it and the plate now
belongs to her granddaughter Dana)
Lut-Lut became Chottie although no one seems to know just when or
who started to call her that. Not only was she Chottie, but she
often failed to respond to Mrs. Alderson because she always
preferred just plain Chottie!
Chottie loved all forms of handwork and stitchery from an early
age but admitted that she could never make any progress in learning
to tat. Tatting remained her impossible dream. Chottie often told
stories of how her mother handled boredom during bad weather in
Michigan. When Chottie and her younger sister, Nan, complained about
having "nothing to do" when the rain, snow or cold weather kept them
indoors, their mother would offer them a choice of activities.
"Would you like to learn how to embroider or how to scrub floors?"
or "Would you like to learn how to scrub floors or how to knit?"
Needless to say, they only needed one lesson in scrubbing floors!
Both Chottie and Nan became accomplished needlewomen! Now, just how
good they became at floor scrubbing is not a subject suitable for
these pages!
Chottie graduated from Central High in Bay City and attended
Michigan State College as a pre-med major. She often organized
knitting and stitching activities in her dorm. The teaching "bug"
bit early.
Chottie always loved to study the Southwestern Indians. She spent
parts of several summers traveling the Southwest as a teenager with
her father in the late 30s and early 40s. Chottie's father was a
doctor and gave free medical treatment on the reservations to anyone
who asked. (this was LONG before malpractice insurance!) As a result
of this, they were welcomed into the homes and hogans of many
people. They met early leaders in white and Indian communities. They
were often "paid" by families in food or other items. Chottie's
children have a drum, silver conchos, and two squash blossom
necklaces that have been handed down from these adventures.
The story of the necklaces is that "Doc" performed a tracheotomy
on a small boy and then transported him over 100 miles to the
nearest hospital in his Packard. The boy was held in Chottie's lap
so she could keep the trach clear and the family members filled the
back seat. The boy had tonsillitis that had closed off his throat so
he could not breath. "Doc" and Chottie had saved his life. The
family gave them each a beautiful squash blossom necklace. One was
all in silver and the other silver with turquoise. Doc delivered
babies and set broken bones. He also took many pictures. He took so
long to set up his pictures with meter settings and such that
Chottie finished many knitting projects during these trips!
Chottie's passion for the Indian cultures of the Southwest stayed
with her all her life. She designed her Pueblo Sampler after
extensive research. She and Bill spent many vacations touring Indian
Country. She spent many weeks over the years learning Navaho weaving
in New Mexico. Her magnificent Kachina collection was handed down to
her grand daughter Alicia. (remember the Alicia's Lace stitch?) .
Chottie originally wanted to become a doctor like her father, but
she, like many of her generation had to change her plans. WWII
intervened and Chottie went to work for an Airline. She also dated a
good looking fellow named Bill Alderson and while Bill was stationed
in Italy they became engaged! Chottie was so excited when she got
engaged that she drove home running through every red light and
stopping at every green one. The friendly policeman who followed her
home stopped her, explained what she had done and asked her to be
more careful in the future!
When Bill was discharged from the Army Air Corps they married on
February 12, 1946. Chottie and Bill celebrated their 58th wedding
anniversary shortly before her death in February 2004.
While Bill attended Michigan State College, Chottie stitched with
the other G.I. Bill wives in the tar papered married housing "slum".
She also managed to produce a son, Charles Thomas Alderson, on March
17, 1947 and a daughter, Ashley Nan Alderson on August 19, 1951.
The 50s found Chottie raising kids, keeping house and running Boy
Scout Packs, and Girl Scout Troops, and Councils! She was also
active in Women's Clubs and other civic organizations. Chottie's
Girl Scout Troop reached 48 girls at one time and she lead the Troop
in planning and carrying out a Luau for nearly 200 folks in her
backyard for the Brownie Fly-up Ceremony. A whole pig was roasted in
a pit in Chottie's backyard and everyone received a lay handmade by
the Girl Scouts. Entertainment included hulas by the girls and skits
and music. All organized by Chottie. She gave Bill the Golden Paddle
award for all his help. (For helping Chottie when she was up the
creek without a paddle!)
Bill worked as a Boy Scout executive for 18 years and Chottie
made charts, (remember, this was BEFORE PowerPoint!) typed
newsletters, entertained Boy Scout big-wigs and little-wigs. She
also packed up the kids and the dog and lived summers at Boy Scout
Camps! Yes, she lived in tents and itty-bitty cabins with no running
water but plenty of spiders and scorpions! Several years Chottie
held the position of Camp Cook when Bill was unable to find someone
for the job. Chottie cooked one summer in a tent! The stove finally
burned through the wooden floor on the last day of camp! Perfect
timing!
The 60s found Chottie working for Kelly Wallace at the
Needlepoint Shop in Sherman Oaks. She painted needlepoint canvases
for other designers at first then began designing and painting her
own canvases. She also taught classes at the shop. In the mid 60s
Chottie developed a technique for making a plaid design on
needlepoint canvas that was reversible. This was first published in
1965 as Chottie's Plaid Stitch. This technique was originally used
to copy actual Scottish Tartans but Chottie and her students soon
began to experiment with all kinds of fun and fantastic plaids.
In 1970 Chottie joined an Embroiderer's Guild tour of Sweden,
Norway, and Denmark. She saved her change in a jar for a year to
have spending money for this trip. No coin was safe in the house
during that year! It was scooped up and deposited in the jar.
Chottie never tired of telling folks what she learned on this trip.
She brought back enough Danish cross stitch designs and kits to
solidify her daughter, Ley's, addiction to cross stitch forever.
Ley made so many of the designs Chottie brought back that she had
a one woman show of her work in the display cases in the entry of
the Library at the University of Redlands.
In the early 70s Chottie was hired by Valley Junior College in
San Bernardino. She took special joy out of the fact that she would
be a college teacher when she had dropped out of college to get
married! She eventually received her California teaching credential
even though she never received a college degree! Chottie was so
nervous about having enough students in her first class at Valley
that she asked her daughter to come and register for the class and
bring 2 of her college buddies. (Ley was attending the University of
Redlands at the time) She even offered to pay the registration fee
of $5 for each of them! When Ley and her buddies arrived at the
classroom there was standing room only! During the class break (it
was a 3 hours class) students were to go to the gym and officially
register. Chottie sent Ley to the gym to sign Chottie's name for
students. You see, there were so many students that the class was
officially full and students needed the teacher's signature to be
added. Chottie needed 20 students for the class to be a GO and she
ended up with over 70! Even though Ley and her friends weren't
needed to fill the class, they were hooked and ended up taking it
anyway! This was in addition to their full time classes at the U of
R!
Rest in peace, Chottie, and prepare the way for those
who love you...
