Observations of a librarian and quiltmaker who values the connections between and among people and organizations.
Monday, June 29, 2020
Weekly update: estate sale treasures, churn dashes, and OMG complete and upcoming
This was a week of virtual conventions. I confess that I let most of the hours of programming pass me by -- Rotary, American Library Association -- just too much to keep track of. I did manage to participate in two ALA committee meetings. I tuned into the message from the outgoing and incoming presidents of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, as well as the AAUW-IL year-end wrap up. Meanwhile, Facebook had an Alpha Gam Stay at Home Convention. It was great fun to connect with so many sisters. I haven't been to an Alpha Gamma Delta convention since 2004 since it usually overlaps with ALA.
I needed five more tomato cages. I went to three stores and found none.
There were two estate sales in town on Friday and I got EIGHT tomato cages for $1 at one of them -- and for $88 more I got a sturdy maple side table,
never-opened percale sheets,
(Package boasts of 190-count -- what a contrast to today's ultra high-count sheets. Remember when percale sheets cost more than muslin sheets?)
batik placemats (4) and napkins (8) with the Singapore label still attached,
two screen-print runners (actually uncut napkins),
and 42 hankies.
Some of the hankies still had labels. Did the "handkerchief of the month" really ship just one hankie at a time?
# # # # # # # # # #
In the studio:
My June One Monthly Goal was to set the blocks for Shelter in Place. I did that. I pieced the back and delivered it all to the long-arm quilter.
I've begun blocks for the wedding quilt. They're 15" and I plan to make 25. With sashing and borders, 88"-90" square. The bride asked for deep blue, emerald green, and gray. Of course I'm interpreting that liberally and scrappily.
Both the Stashbusters and HeartStrings groups are having block drives in memory of our friend Marianne. Here are 9" churn dashes ("anything goes") for the SB project.
Linking up with
OMG June Finish
Design Wall Monday
Monday Making
Oh Scrap!
Friday, June 26, 2020
Friday finish: A Star is Born
The recipient of A Star is Born will make her debut on July 13, according to her aunt. It's nice to have the quilt ready in advance.
The squares are 7.5" unfinished. (I started with 8.5" but that made the quilt too big. I auditioned 6.5" but those were too small.)
The two squares that appear to blend (upper left) have more contrast when seen up close.
3-7/8 yards in all.
Linking up with
Finished or Not Friday
Whoop Whoop
UPDATE: Apologies to those who have left comments -- the email notification for comments got turned off so I didn't see them. Thank you all for reading the post (and all my posts!) and for taking time to write.
Remembering Marianne
Chronic physical and health challenges limited her mobility but she overcame them in order to make dozens of quilts from her "stash the size of Montana," as she characterized it.
A year ago today I was able to spend the better part of a day with Marianne at her house (along with fellow quilting friends Grace and Barbara). We got to see her sewing room and the legendary stash.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The Daily Brooch, part 7 (the finale)
June 14: another
one from the archives with the 2002 estate sale price tag still attached ($12
if you are interested). Looks like it's from 1960s when Spanish colonial decor
was in style. I cannot decipher the mark on the back. Maybe it's Middle Eastern, or Indian.
June 15: When I
found this pair of scatter pins I debated about displaying them for #thedailybrooch
. When does 1950’s costume jewelry cross the line of cultural appropriation?
Would the reaction be the same if the ladies weren’t Thai but African or Native
American? I looked up the definition of cultural appropriation: “a particular
power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a
culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant
group.” (https://www.theweek.co.uk/cultural-appropriation)
This discussion
guide from PBS is helpful. https://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/filer_public/whatihear/9-Cultural_Approp-Viewing_Guide.pdf
…………So, back to
the scatter pins. I don’t remember seeing my mother wear them and I don’t
recall that I have. (The pins remind me of head vases which I think are kind of
creepy.) Lo and behold, though these aren’t marked they are certainly
identified – a Google images search came up with vintage jewelry, Etsy, EBay
and Pinterest links. And so I learned that they are Selro/Selini by designer
Paul Selenger. https://www.jewelspast.com/selro-selini-jewellery/
“There are basically three different figural faces that are found in
Selro/Selini jewellery: An Asian woman face (Often called ‘Thai Girl’), an old
Asian man face and an African face. These faces can be found in numerous
colours and textures (i.e. pearlized), plus are often over painted and
embellished with elaborate headdresses that are part of the metal
settings.”…………I am now better-informed and I hope that you are, too. (And the
ladies are going back into the archives (which is a plastic shoebox that I keep
in the linen cupboard).)
June 16: Good advice any day! Reproduced from a 1978 poster by
John Massey for ALA. I only know that because the artist credit is on the back
of a notecard with the same design.
June 17: Jonquils
in bone china by Healacraft. The third and last of this subset of the
collection.
When I rediscovered the bone china brooches I
also took the miscellaneous bone china floral pieces out of the drawer.
(Antiques dealers call these "smalls." A friend calls them
"dustables.") The one I remember from childhood is the wheelbarrow.
Others were most likely estate/rummage sale acquisitions that, in turn, did not
sell at the Blaines' estate sale in 2002. (The price tag under the rabbit at
the far right says $5.) The flowers and leaves chip easily and one of these
bouquets has an entire flower broken off. Miraculously, the flowers in the
wheelbarrow are intact.
June 18: When
I was home for semester break my freshman year in college my mother said that
Corinne Albers (“Mrs. Albers” to me then) wanted to know when I’d be initiated
into Alpha Gamma Delta. The message was relayed and I forgot about it – until a
couple of days before initiation (which was March 13, 1971) when the package
arrived. Corinne wrote for herself and for Lorraine, saying that the enclosed
pin had belonged to her aunt Joy Mills who was an Alpha Gamma Delta at Nebraska
Wesleyan. It was such a thoughtful and unexpected gift! I wore the pin on
occasion but eventually it was stored with other Alpha Gam trinkets. Two years
ago Fran Becque wrote this blog post https://www.franbecque.com/help-needed-solve-jewelry-mystery/ and I realized mine is a “tie bar pin."
June 19: No
great story.....it was sparkly and I liked it so I bought it. (At the local
jewelry store, about 10 years ago.) I look forward to the time when we again
have going-out occasions to wear pieces like this.
June 20: A
historical piece from my husband’s side. It’s a 19th century stick pin, about
2-1/2” long. (The protective tip is long gone.) The initials are JVM for Julia
Vosmus Mitchell. She was Stevens’ great-great-grandmother. She lived to age 95
(1822-1917) and was Grandma Mitchell to the Woods children (S’s mother and
siblings). Julia was born in Danville, Androscoggin County, Maine, where her
father Humphrey Vosmus was the postmaster. (Danville is just south of Auburn
where we lived in the 1980’s. We didn’t know then that Humphrey and his wife
(Julia’s mother) Eunice are buried in Pine St. Cemetery in Auburn.) Julia’s
husband Asa graduated from Bowdoin in 1841; Stevens didn’t know that when he
chose to go there.
I don’t know why
the Library of Congress picked up Julia’s obituary, but it did. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84023253/1917-05-23/ed-1/seq-4/
Here are Julia and Asa. (Interesting that the daguerrotypes are hard to make out but the scan reproduces the pictures clearly.)
June 21: A circle pin worn on a Peter Pan collar was a style from earlier years
by the time I got this in the 1970's. It was an Alpha Gam convention favor (1972? 1977?) In 1965 or 1966 I dressed up for my 8th grade photo (which
meant I remembered when it was photo day) and wore a circle pin on my turquoise
dress. That particular pin is long gone.
Peter Pan collars were named for the style worn by actress Maud Adams who played Peter Pan on stage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan_collar
June 22: When
Stevens wanted to get not-a-diamond for my engagement ring he asked his friend
David. At the time David was buying gemstones from a dealer in Calcutta who
sent a sapphire and five pearls. Stevens gave me the sapphire and the pearls
for my birthday. We took them to Newton’s Jewelers in Joplin to have them set –
the sapphire as a ring and the pearls as this brooch and a pair of earrings in
a matching setting. Shortly thereafter the sapphire cracked. David contacted the
dealer who sent a replacement (how did the transactions occur so quickly
before the Internet and global cell phone plans?). There was a moment
of panic the day that Stevens picked up the sapphire from David. He thought he’d lost the new stone in downtown Pittsburg. I found out
when David called and told me he had it. When S returned I said casually,
“David called and said he has the sapphire.”) This sapphire is intact, though
about 20 years ago the prongs on the ring gave out so we had it reset.
June 23: Joie
Auray (“I shall have joy”). Museum of Fine Arts. A Christmas gift from Stevens.
(He asked what I wanted. I circled items in the MFA catalog from which he could
choose. He bought ALL of them.)
The MFA acquired
the brooch in 1963 for $1000. “Curatorial research shows that the original
brooch may have come from England, France or the Netherlands. It was probably
used to fasten a dress at the neckline. Small ring brooches like this, made of
gold, silver, tin, and copper alloys, are known from the 12th to the 1th
century. The original brooch was made to be worn on either side since the pin
rotates and there are inscriptions on both sides. On the front: Joie Auray (I
shall have joy). On the reverse: “ce ara eut” which may mean “this will have,”
but the meaning is unclear.”
Thank you for
your affirming comments for this series. I’ve shared a brooch a day since April
13. It was fun to go into the archives (plastic shoeboxes in the linen
cupboard). There was a little pressure (especially to be sure I had a different
shirt/top each day). Research revealed things I hadn’t known.
JOIE AURAY! I
shall have joy! And may you, too, have joy.
THE END.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Weekly update: solstice, a flurry of pink, and inspiration
I was at the lakefront to take pictures of the solstice sunrise at 5:13 a.m. on Saturday.
This is Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie, WI.
Pink skies, pink fabric: I am working on a baby quilt. I got the design idea from a FB post (though I didn't note the source). The name will be "A Star is Born."
Conveniently, pink is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for June so I'll add this post to the link up.
More pink!
We have two hardy roses that come back year after year. The red rambler rose is in the back garden. The pink rosebush used to be a floribunda but one year my husband overzealously pruned it below the graft. The bush survived but ever since the prolific blossoms are "just plain" rugosa roses. (I have planted fancy Knockout roses twice and neither thrived.)
I took some books to the local used book store and stopped to shop. I found three new-to-me quilt books.
AQS had a $5 clearance sale and I indulged.
Do I need more ideas?
Why not?!
Linking up with
RSC So Scrappy
Oh Scrap!
Design Wall Monday
P.S. Happy Father's Day! (1957. I'm on the left and my sister's on the right. I remember Dad's camera bag.)
RSC So Scrappy
Oh Scrap!
Design Wall Monday
P.S. Happy Father's Day! (1957. I'm on the left and my sister's on the right. I remember Dad's camera bag.)
Labels:
Design Wall Monday,
Monday Making,
Oh Scrap!,
RSC 2020,
Weekly Update
Friday, June 19, 2020
Friday finish!
Waffle Stamps is finished!
The stamps are 1.5" squares mostly from mask-making scraps. The blocks are 5.5" unfinished.
The back uses old (bottom right, 36" wide vintage), medium-old (the bright butterflies from about 20 years ago and the Hoffman print right above it), and new (the big piece in the upper left, bought last year).
68 x 70, 10 yards in all.
Linking up with
Whoop Whoop Friday
Finished or Not Friday
The Daily Brooch, part 6
(Time got away from me! I'll catch up ten days' worth with this post.)
A winged book
from ALA.
June 5
This was in the
dress-up/costume box when my sister and I were little. We traded it between us
a couple of times. I laid claim at age 9 or so and have had it since. In high
school I wore it at the neckline of a blouse with a lacy jabot (late 60s
Victorian revival). Another brooch that I will keep because I have had it
nearly forever.
June 6
Daisy by Trifari
or Monet (not marked, though), purchased at an antiques mall some years ago. If
this year were going as planned I might well be wearing this daisy today because
I would be at the Illinois P.E.O. convention. Instead I will be in a Zoom
meeting of the committee I’m going to chair this year.
Note the detailing on the petals on the reverse.
June 7
The newest is a
flaming heart made out of felt. From Las Colchas, the quilt shop in downtown
San Antonio that the Magpies visited when we went to QuiltCon. Hard to believe
that was just three and a half months ago.
I always admired
the brooch my mother referred to as "a Cairngorm." Hers was about
2-1/2" across and had a big brown/gold stone in an intricately-patterned
sterling setting. She brought this Cairngorm back from one of their trips to
Scotland. The setting is not as finely-worked as hers (rhodium-plated, I
think). I confess that I didn't know what Cairngorm referred to -- Wikipedia
explains that it "is a variety of smoky quartz found in the Cairngorm
Mountains of Scotland. It usually has a smoky yellow-brown colour." (I
wonder who gave Mother's brooch to her. I think my sister has it now.)
June 9
Trillium in bone
china. One of my mother’s, most likely from an estate sale. The trillium in our
garden have finished blooming.
June 10
Another one from
the archives: a late 1990's craft fair collage (the buttons, etc., are glued to
a heart-shaped wooden base).
June 11
AAUW branch past
president's pin in pewter. "Designed by Napa County (CA) Branch Past
President Gladys Johnson, this pin has been available since 1970. Branches on
the pin form the letters AAUW and the leaves symbolize each past president as
vital to the life of the branch," says the Napa Branch website. I served
as branch president for five terms (Lewiston/Auburn, Fargo, and three terms for
Waukegan Area) and as state president (North Dakota) -- but received this
particular pin just once, last year.
June 12
when I was on
ALA Council several male councilors who liked to wear bow ties decided that
Council II would be Bow Tie Day. One of the women sported a pin made out of bow
tie pasta. I wore a 3” bow tie block that I made out of necktie silk fabric.
June 13
Dogwood in bone
china. Marked Royal Adderley. Mother called all the bone china trinkets
Coalport, generically, but that was just one of the potteries that produced
them.
But Coalport
has its own museum.
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