Museum Stop

Did everyone have a happyThanksgiving? Ours was wonderful, spent with one of our daughters and her family. I didn't even have to do any of the cooking! We're very lucky that our daughter married a wonderful cook. We spent a couple of days there and then headed back to have Thanksgiving here with more of the family.

We took a slightly different route on the way home this time than usual because of an e-mail that I got from Isdihara. A few weeks ago she sent an message letting me know about a museum asking for tatters to do demonstrations in Holton, Kansas. I'm not exactly sure where she heard about it (it was in the Topeka Capital – Journal, a long way from the east coast). I told her I didn't think we'd make it being it's about three hours from home but I was glad of the information. But the timing was right: on the way home from Nebraska we were able to stop in. This time of year they're usually closed except by appointment but they're having open houses Saturdays through the 17th of December for a few hours celebrating "A Lacy Christmas." We just happened to leave Nebraska on Saturday morning and were able to stop in about an hour before they closed.

This is the Roebke Memorial Museum, a block or so from downtown Holton, Kansas. Holton is a picturesque town, with quite a few old buildings and tree-lined streets. The original part of Boebke House itself was built in 1876 and added on as the family grew in numbers and prosperity. The displays are in each room are furnished in Victorian era style and changed periodically with items donated mostly from local people.

We were met as we walked in by Margaret Ute (pronounced 'Oot'), a lovely lady who gave us a personal tour of the house. Here Margaret is standing next to a Christmas tree decorated with crocheted ornaments done by one lady.

Following the theme "A Lacy Christmas" there was a lot of lace everywhere, as well as other textile exhibits. In case you are wondering around on your own there are easily read description plaques with information about the exhibits.

Check out this player piano! Okay, this picture mostly shows the tatting display, but the piano itself is beautiful! And it really works. And it looks very fine with that cloth with all that tatting on it :) Margaret told me that when they found this cloth in the attic it was all brown. She soaked it several times and the stains started coming out. There were also some places where the tatting had come apart (maybe age-weakened thread?) and were repaired by Margaret's mother.

I'm not sure you can read this, but there is a short explanation about the life-style of the Victorian age. It also talks about some of the items in the room, including the tatting.

Isn't this blouse gorgeous? Can you imagine tatting this then carefully stitching it to the material? This would take an amazing amount of patience. But with such a beautiful result.

This is a child's petticoat decorated with tatting.

I wish I had taken a better picture of these tatting shuttles. The one on the left was found in the house and the one on the right belonged to Margaret's mother.

There were three ladies doing demonstrations there that Saturday, one spinning, one weaving and one hand quilting. I will share more about that next week, along with a few more pictures of the beautiful items on display.

I highly recommend this museum if you are ever in the area.

This morning for Tatting Tea Tuesday I enjoyed a cup of Cinnamon Apple Spice tea while looking over pictures from Thanksgiving - a nice way to spend the morning.

If you would be interested in hearing what a Victorian era song sounds like go here.

Happy Thanksgiving

The year has turned its circle,

The seasons come and go.

The harvest is all gathered in

And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,

The fields, their yellow grain.

So open wide the doorway-

Thanksgiving comes again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Old UFO found

While looking for something else (I can't remember what) I found some tatting I started several years ago. Okay, it looks like I started and pretty much finished, too, except for tying off the last ends and clipping all the tails I left. They're obviously edgings and at least five years old - I have no idea what I made them for. They are not very long, about 9 inches when blocked like this, and 3 1/4 inches wide. I'm sure it's DMC size 30 ecru as I used to do a lot of tatting in it and is one of my patterns. I used to make a lot of cloth runners with tatting at the ends but they were usually at least 12 inches wide but I suppose they could be for that. Maybe for two small wall hangings?

I'm not sure what they were for originally but I'm sure I can figure out something to do with them. A UFO (UnFinished Object) that is actually finished - how cool is that?

While surfing the web the other day I found a darling little purse idea. Over at MeiJo's Joy she has a tutorial for making the cutest little pop-open purse. It really caught my eye because of the shape of the pieces the purse is made of - they're shuttle-shaped! And she did such a cute job of decorating it. I keep thinking it would be so cute to hold shuttles.

Today for Tatting Tea Tuesday I enjoyed a cup (or two) of Apple Spice tea, very yummy. And I actually got a little tatting in!

'Be who you are and say what you feel...

Because those that matter... don't mind...

And those that mind... don't matter.'

Glad I don't live in Oklahoma

You've probably heard by now that Oklahoma had a 5.6 earthquake Saturday night. Did you know they had a 4.7 Saturday morning? And a 4.0 Sunday morning? Then they had another 4.7 last night. They've also had about 25 smaller ones, probably aftershocks, in between. I didn't feel the first ones, but last night at work I heard the last one. It made the metal stairs beside my office rock and knock against my (inside) window. I thought someone was trying to be funny and scare me as the stairs are behind me right outside my office (inside the factory). I didn't see anyone and just thought "funny, ha ha" until a few minutes later I was being asked if I felt the earthquake.

I wasn't thinking of earthquakes at the time but stormy weather. We were having heavy rain and thunder but Oklahoma was having it worse, including tornadoes, hail and flooding.

Yep, that's right. They were having tornadoes and earthquakes the same night.

I'm glad I don't live in Oklahoma right now! I haven't heard of people being hurt in all this so I hope everyone in Oklahoma is okay.

This morning for Tatting Tea Tuesday I'm having a cup of

coffee :-) This time change is a pain. Okay, so we fall back and gain an hour. Someone tell my internal clock that it's now 7:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM!

Today I'm sharing this handkerchief that my mother gave me. It is from her aunt, though I don't know that my great-aunt tatted it. The hen and chicks edging was made first then sewn on, easily seen as several picots have come loose from the edge. The outside picots were curled a bit, as usually happens, so I pinned them out, though I didn't take the time to iron the hanky itself.

I'm thinking of how best to display this and several other tatted pieces I have from other family members. Maybe a shadow box?

"There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control. " Leo F. Buscaglia

Autumn is here

We had a hard frost this week. One morning we went outside and the yards and sidewalks were covered in leaves that had fallen, a golden blanket instead of shadows under the trees. I wish I could have captured it all: the bright blue sky, the crispness in the air, the colors all around. What a treasure this would be, to take out and enjoy during the cold days of winter or the hot days of summer. But, alas, this it not something you can bottle, or even capture completely in a picture. Like love and butterflies it is best enjoyed in the moment, without expectation, savoring whatever time it shares with you.

We didn't expect to have pretty tree colors this fall due to the extremely hot and dry weather we experienced this summer, but I have been pleasantly surprised by as much color as we've had. Many trees are past the pretty stage by now, and sadly I haven't taken the time to capture much with my camera. Some days I hardly notice what's going on outside until we step out to go to work, which doesn't leave much time to enjoy it.

I have gotten enough into enjoying the season to tat a few of theses leaves in autumn colors. They are Maple Leaf Motif from the February 1975 Workbasket magazine, with changes by Tammy Rodgers. One is made with Lizbeth #169 Autumn Apple Pie and #670 Victorian Red, both in size 40; the other is in Victorian Red only, still in size 40. I'm planning on making one more in Autumn Apple Pie only, too. I think they will make a nice set.

On the way home from work the other day I was able to watch the sunset, which doesn't happen that often as I usually work second shift. The sky was amazing. I finally stopped and took this picture with my phone, though I really, really wished I had my camera. The temperatures and winds way up high must have been perfect for making contrails, they were all over, going every which way and staying visible for quite some time. I can't ever remember seeing to many at one time. The sunset was awesome. By the time I got home is was getting too dark and I would have had to drive a bit to get a good view. But it was great while it lasted.

"Autumn is a second spring, where every leaf's a flower"

Albert Camus