A Visit to the Czech Museum in Temple, TX

OLD PATTERN

CROCHETED LACE

LACE NIGHTGOWN FROM 1890

KITCHEN PANTRY

DOCTOR'S OFFICE

PART OF AN EMBROIDERED OUTFIT

LACE SLEEVE

MIRROR AT ENTRANCE OF MUSEUM

LACE FROM EARLY 1900s

I went with a group of lacers to the Czech Museum in Temple, TX on Saturday. Sandy, the director of the museum, agreed to open the museum just for us. They are usually just open on weekdays. It was a very interesting and enjoyable few hours. Besides the lace and Czech clothing, there were several room setups. There was a post office, a doctor's office and kitchen as they looked in the early 20th century. Here are some photos. If you want to see my whole album of photos, I have posted them on Facebook. Just search for my name on Facebook: deanna cohen. Sorry, but I still can't figure out how to link to it.

The TIAS Project is Complete

I've been working on Jane Eborall's TIAS (tat it and see) project. We were given 11 lessons, one at a time with several days in between. We did not know what we were tatting but kept guessing all the way through. This was so much fun and I learned so much. I am a beginning tatter, so this is not perfect. I did tat about 30 years ago but just the simple ring and chain, nothing fancy or complicated. Can't wait for the next one. Thank you Jane for all the fun and help along the way. I love my rooster and will be trying it again to see if I can get it perfect on the next go around.

Luscious Colors of Thread

I did an order from Handy Hands for some of my tatting and bobbin lace friends. Loved opening the box with all those luscious colors of thread. Wish I could keep them all. Most of the bright colors are mine. I ordered 2 books as well that I'm anxious to get into. A book with lots of leaves and Impeccable Tatting that was recommended to me. There's so much to learn.

I've been working on Jane Eborall's TIAS (tat it and see) and Wednesday is the last day so I will post the completed piece then. Jane posts a little bit each day and has us guessing almost till the end as to what it will turn out to be. It appears to be a rooster and it has been lots of fun. I also learned so much in the process.

Old and Weak

Grandma's threads and crochet work

Grandma knitting on circular needles in 1940

The title is not about me but about threads left to me by my grandmother. I tried using some of the red thread last week for tatting. It appeared to be strong enough but when I went to close the ring, it broke in two. Another bit of tatting to add to my 'bits and pieces collection'. I have used some of the other threads for embroidery. I love to look at the old labels and wooden spools and I can picture my grandmother sitting and doing her crochet or knitting.

Organizing and Repurposing

I bought this little rack at the thriftstore quite a long time ago and have been using it to hold rolls of stabilizer, interfacings, etc. It was just taking up too much room and I'm storing that stuff elsewhere now. I hated to get rid of this little rack so it's been sitting around waiting for my mind to come up with an idea. I glued a piece of foam board to one side and now it holds all the stuff I use on a daily basis for various projects. I love having all that stuff in one place rather than in several different containers. I think this will work out well, especially since I can move all this stuff to another room very easily.

A Bobbin Lace Treat

I am posting this with the permission of my wonderful bobbin lace teacher, Karen Hickman. She took a free form lace class with Betty McDonald at the Salado Lace Camp last year. She started out with a picture of a rooster and created this masterpiece right over that picture. The top picture, with Karen, is the rooster before it was framed and the bottom one is framed with a navy blue background and a gray mat. The picture really doesn't do the piece justice. It is so much more beautiful in person. Click on the pictures for a close-up.

Visited a New Quilt Shop

My friend Anita and I took a ride out to a new Quilt Shop in Lakeway, Tx which is just outside of Austin. The Cotton Cupboard http://www.thecottoncupboard.com/ has some beautiful cotton fabrics and a longarm machine where you can learn and then rent time on the machine to quilt your own quilt. I bought some organic cotton for a project I'm planning. On the way home we stopped at 'World Market' where I found 2 bargains---a cute little bag for some future knitting, crochet or tatting project and a beautiful little fan for those 'tropical moments'. It was a very enjoyable day.

Frozen Rainbarrel

We rarely have to worry about freezing weather in Austin, TX. However, we have had several days now where the temperature was in the teens overnight and in the morning. I didn't think about my rainbarrel, completely full of water collected from roof runoff. Just went out to check it and it is frozen solid. The temperature should be above freezing in a few hours so I'm hoping the barrel will not crack.

Wishing You all a Year of Stitching Fun

My only New Year's Resolution is just not to buy anything that I don't need for immediate use. I have been trying to clean out my stash of stuff. It is fun to find things I forgot I had but what's the point of having all this stuff if I can't find it when I need it. It's just too much stuff in a very small space. Wishing you all a good year. I appreciate all the wonderful comments that have been made by some of you this past year. It's nice to know that people are interested in what I'm doing.