Couer d'Alene woman's potholder collection is filled with history, joy

COEUR d'ALENE — Watching Ginger Wright go through her collection of at least 500 potholders is as much fun as watching little ones open presents Christmas morning.

"Look at this one, isn't it fun?" she said while going through storage tubs in her basement Friday afternoon. 

She picked up an intricately textured and colorfully crocheted flower potholder.

"It's just wild," she said. "I just love this one. Every time I go through these, I see something different."

The potholders are swapped out depending on the time of year. The orange, yellow and green go up around Halloween, the pastel floral pieces adorn her home in the spring.

And every Christmas, out come the red, white and green, the poinsettias, the Christmas trees and the delicately ornate pieces in the style of her Swedish heritage.

"Every season, for every reason," she said with a smile.

A retired public school and adult education teacher, Wright, 83, has collected potholders since she was 10. She only made a couple, but some were made by her grandmother and mother. Some date back to the 1920s. Some were picked up at thrift stores. A few were gifts from friends who know Wright's love of cooking and collecting.

The first potholder Wright was given was made by her grandmother as she was lying in bed.

"She passed away a month after she made that yellow one for me," Wright said.

The potholders come in an extensive variety. Teddy bears, dresses, lanterns, strawberries, flowers, baskets, baskets of flowers. Stitched, knitted, embroidered, crocheted, painted, filled with cork-stuffed bottlecaps, woven through with ribbon.

The styles, colors, creativity and craftsmanship vary depending on the era, almost as though these little Americana kitchen cloths are historical markers.

"They tell the story about what kinds of material, thread, what patterns were used in the century, the '20s, '30s, '40s," Wright said. "Potholders are indicative of a time in history, something that was not readily available in stores. Women would sit around and make potholders because they needed something to protect their hands from the hot pans. They were made before they were sold."

Wright's mother, born in 1907, made aprons with a clever twist.

"Before too many potholders began to be made, she made aprons and she would do a double pocket, and she'd use the edge of the double apron to pull the pan off the stove," Wright said. "It wasn't too long before she started making potholders herself."

Although she doesn't believe her treasure trove of potholders breaks any records, every piece is special to Wright.

"It's a collection like no other," she said.

    Ginger Wright holds one of the festively crafted potholders in her Christmas collection. Overall, the retired Coeur d'Alene teacher has at least 500 potholders. "Every season, for every reason," she said.
  

    Ginger Wright demonstrates how some potholders are made to hold hot pot handles Friday afternoon in her festively decorated dining room.
  

    A handmade vintage potholder depicting girls with swinging skirts is one of the many unique items in Ginger Wright's potholder collection.

    A crocheted potholder with grapes made of cork-stuffed bottlecaps is one of the many creative pieces in Ginger Wright's extensive potholder collection.