Stitch and Bitch

Life stressors continue but nothing like an afternoon out with a chum to brighten the day!  Shirley and I went out for a Stitch and Bitch and gift exchange.  Lottie couldn’t attend so we may have to do it again some time so we can get our gifts to her!  We missed you Lottie!

Since my birthday is coming up, Shirley gave me my gift first.

A beautiful pattern for 1912 outfits (love the purple one!) and a button hook.  Now I need some American Duchess button shoes….

Then we did the Christmas gifts…

Shirley gave me some fun sewing machine fabric…I don’t know yet what I will make but it sure will be fun what ever it is!  She also gave me a house wife’s sewing kit and some cool light up crochet hooks.

I happened to bring a crochet project to the Stitch and Bitch so I tried one of the hooks out.  I really liked it!  I especially liked the shape of it.  My hand didn’t tire out so quick.  I liked the light too and it will be especially useful in my somewhat dark living room.

I gave Shirley an 1890’s catalogue.  It is in very sad shape but the pictures inside are still very clear.  I gave her some Dorset buttons that I made and a few retro cards and post cards.  I also gave her a thimble but somehow managed to chop that out of the photograph.

Neither of us are rolling in cash but I must say, we did a pretty good job of getting some really cool gifts.  So much easier to get gifts for like minded friends!  You’re next Lottie!

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Little Library time

The Costume Museum is setting up a display of some its books for the public to flip through.  We have set up the display like a library so folks can sit down and flip through the selected books.  It didn’t take long to create the selection so once done, we sat down to flip through some of the books ourselves.  I found one on crochet that seemed to be from around the turn of the century (though I couldn’t find an actual date on it.)

I found a couple of patterns I’d like to try and this blog seems like a good place to save it.  I often think of my blog as a kind of “cloud” for saving photographs and ideas in the event of a computer crash.

so here goes…a lace with a matching insertion.

I haven’t tried this yet but I anticipate some struggle to comprehend vague instructions.  Sigh….

 

Remember that shopping score last week?

As you recall I got a good score last week.

Pictures were part of that score. One was a stereoscope card. The picture is of a group of people frightened by a ghost.

The “ghost” was done with a double exposure.

I also got a carte de visite of a mom with two young children. Someone asked if thought it was a post mortem picture (child on the right) but I don’t think so.

The photo was taken in Northfield MN and judging by her elaborate hair style, it could be from the 1870s.

Doors Open 2018: Ross House

Neither Lottie nor Shirley have seen Ross house and it had been some time since I had last seen it, so we decided to make that our second stop on our Doors Open outing. 

This little house was fairly grand in its day and was the first post office in the area.

There were a few people from a group that is interested in the early Selkirk Settlers.

Here are some of my favorite things in this little house.

There was a lovely lilac tree in bloom (my all time favorite flower) so I decided to take a picture of Lottie and Shirley and play with my photo app.

It’s like I am Van Gogh!

At this point we were hot and hungry.  Our big plans for a picnic on the grounds disintegrated in favor of eating in my air conditioned car!  This proved a good move as it gave us the strength in see one more venue.  7 Oaks House.

We have been to this house a few times. The little porch is nice.

If only I could draw…(wink wink…)

I liked the door bell.  You pull down on the lever…

…and the bell on the other side rings.

Just inside the door is this holder with this nice parasol/umbrella with the metallic handle.

I had been chatting with a friend on Facebook and we were talking about our favorite dish patterns. We both had to look up photos of each others favorite. When I walked into the room of the house, there was the pattern my friend had mentioned! I hope she gets to the house to see it for herself!

Next post will be about how I spent my Sunday for Doors Open.

Turn the page: next edition

The next pair of photos in the carte de visit album I bought a few weeks ago feature a fellow on one side and two ladies on the other.

The gentleman is rocking a “hipster” look!

This photograph was taken in Wilmington Delaware by a photographer known to have been working in the 1860’s.  The square corners on the card suggest this date is possible.

The ladies and their dresses are, of course, more interesting.

Just look at the hair style of the lady to the right!

The dating of the card is a bit of a mystery.  The sleeves on the dresses say 60’s to me.  But where are the hoops in their skirts?

Same photographer as these photos.  A family? And is the same girl as an earlier post?

What do you think?

 

Merry Christmas!

Another sweater for babies I don’t have

I had some wool left over from my last project and so I made another sweater.  I guess it will go into a hope chest for grand babies I may one day have.

There is a bit of wool left over.  I guess I will knit it up into a square and add it to a pile of other squares I have made that may one day become a crazy quilt afghan.

In sewing news, I finally cut out my tulip skirt that will go with my Edwardian shirtwaist. I hate cutting out.

I procrastinated so much, I may not have the skirt done on time to wear at the end of the month.  I was hoping to use this past long weekend to cut and at least sew all the long seams and all I managed to do was cut out and start another knitting project that I don’t need.

I’m a bit frustrated with myself.  I didn’t do as much on my skirt as I wanted and I started another knitting project when I have dozens of unfinished projects behind my couch and in my basement!  If only I didn’t have to work.  There would be so much more time to do projects.  Wouldn’t that be sweet to be able to make a list of all the projects I haven’t finished and all the projects I want to start and do nothing but work through that list!