Christmas Entertaining in 1905

As Christmas gets closer, you may be wishing for a little touch of old-fashioned comfort and joy.  So here is one from my all-time favorite party book, Bright Ideas for Entertaining by Mrs.… Continue reading

Textile Toys

I like to use old toys for Christmas decorations. The red horse was handed down to me when I was a baby, from a neighbor of my grandmother’s.  My mother restuffed it and… Continue reading

Helen of Troy and the Trojan Cloak

In my last post, I talked about the beautiful Helen of Troy and her incredible weaving skills.  Homer may have just intended to show her as a proper woman, industriously weaving, but his… Continue reading

Helen of Troy: World-Renowned Weaver – and, I hear, kinda pretty!

Along with a group of followers of the Dancing Professor, I’m reading the Iliad.  (Is there a collective noun for a group of blog followers?  A gaggle of followers?  A chatter?  A press?)… Continue reading

Christmas Cheer

It’s a little too warm to really feel like Christmas, but I am starting to decorate a little. One of my favorite decorations is this vintage fabric.  I don’t normally decorate with gold,… Continue reading

Textiles of Comfort and Joy

At this time of the year, we especially think of mitigating the suffering of others.  The comfort and community we craftspeople feel, just from making something, is beautifully expressed here on Quilting Piece… Continue reading

Weekly Photo Challenge – Thankful

I have always had terrible eyesight, so I am tremendously thankful for anything that helps me see.  Now with the help of a digital camera and a photo-editing program, I can see things… Continue reading

Ribbon and Lace Angels

I have always been the family’s go-to recipient for things they no longer wanted, but deemed too good to throw out.  As a result, I have bags of sewing notions and boxes of… Continue reading

Color Party, 1905-style

Working on the color blocks quilt reminded me of my favorite idea from that wonderful one-dollar bargain book, Bright Ideas for Entertaining, by Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott, 1905. Obviously these people were not… Continue reading

Color Play Blocks

A few weeks ago I saw a great slide show of the Canberra Quilters’ Exhibition here on Bert’s blog.  There were so many inspirational quilts but one in particular, “A Rainbow of Jewels”… Continue reading