London Day 1

No Time to Blink!

 My trip to the UK was utterly fantabulous. A person may be inclined to say, two weeks would be plenty of time...but in all actuality, literally, I barely had time to blink. Seriously...sleep??? what is that? There were several nights of just 3-4 hours of sleep, if that much! I went a week early, before class in Bath, to spend some time in London with Dear friends~ our townhouse was just a block behind me here~ half way between the V&A Museum and Harrods. Good grief! A person could spend a week in Harrods alone and not see everything, and I am really not joking a bit here. Harrods encompasses an entire block, is 5 or 6 floors high, and each one of them jam packed with the finest of everything ~ from a 15GBP tin of loose leaf tea, to a 99,000GBP handbag...all in one spot. I loved Harrods, absolutely.

 Of coarse Harrods is directly at the entrance to the Knightsbridge tube stop...so we walked by it and the above store, Al~Hamidiah, anytime coming back to the house from the tube...or Harrods.... I left the pictures large today so you can click on them to really see whats in this window! YES! That is a tower of freshly baked baklava. The most amazing baklava I have ever tasted. The store clerks here were so friendly, every time I would walk by,  one would zoom out with a tray asking me to have a sample. I cant find it anyplace online~ so if anyone knows of a website for them, let me know! They are from Damascus in Syria~ the. most. fabulous. baklava. E.V.E.R.  I brought a kilo home with me and it was gone within 2 days, not kidding.

 Everywhere in London & vicinity had the most beautiful window boxes~

   After landing at Heathrow at noon.twenty, getting thru customs and out to the house, it was nearly 3pm I guess. After a trip to Harrods, a friend & I were off to see Westminster Abbey, just a short tube stop away. It was too late in the day for a tour, but I got to lay my eyes on it, and magnificent just doesn't describe it.  It was magical~, and yes, Big Ben could be heard in the background chiming away!

  The 'London Eye' can be seen behind the square

 Behind Westminster Abbey is Big Ben~ he is having restoration works done~ the scaffolding can be seen at the base. I was so lucky  to hear the beautiful chimes ringing out~ I took this pic on 15 Aug~ the chimes were paused at noon on Monday, 21 August, for the next four years, until 2021 when the conservation work is sched to be completed.

 There are no words to describe seeing something in person, that one has held in their hearts for so long

 By the time we reached the Tower of London it was nearly 8pm. I would have liked to see the Crown Jewels...but being so popular, one need get there first thing in the morning...so this is on my list for next time in London!

 Just beyond the Tower of London, on the Thames,  is the magnificent Tower Bridge. As beautiful as it is in the daytime, its even more spectacular at night.

 Walking across it made me feel small and insignificant, but at the same time, to me, its big arches resembled a big, wide open mouth, and the suspension cables two long, outstretched arms. It reminded me of a Grandmother welcoming me home

  We arrived back at Harrods late, which is a spectacle in itself to see it all lit up at night. London truly never sleeps, and I can totally understand why~ there's just too much to do to want to sleep!

Back Home

What a Trip!

  I had an absolutely fabulous time teaching at the Bath Textile Summer School this year and cant wait to share my trip with everyone. I am back home and busy as ever, totally worn OUT...or 'poop tucker'd '  as daughter would say. On top of that, I am getting sick, but for me, that was the plan~ didn't care how sick I got when I got home...just as long as I was well when I was in England (and France!).  I got home late Saturday night, and the children started school on Monday~ so not even any time to unpack.

   I was greeted with hugs and 'I miss yous' when I came home, which was nice..I think they really did miss me.  I wasnt in the door a minute before Pip presented me with this box, jumping up and down saying open it open it!!

  Am so proud of her~ she made me a whole box full of little food creatures~ stitched them all herself, and this is a BIG accomplishment for her. She spends most of her time during 'Mommy Scouts' trying desperately just to thread her needle.  She wanted them to smell good too, so inside the apple, she put cinnamon in with the stuffing.....but my favorite (the thought, not so much the smell)....inside the lemon, she put Lemon Pepper seasoning out of the spice rack! LOL.  These are going in my special Mommy Box for sure.

And even more surprising, husband missed me too~ Sunday morning when I woke up, there was a new path from the gallery to my new workshop waiting for me complete with lights and pretty flowers~ how cool is that?  Wonder what he will make for me when I am gone to teach at Bath Textile Summer School in 2019????

Diamond K Folk Art Unavailable Aug 14-28

Teaching at Bath Textile Summer School 

   I am off to the UK soon to teach my 17th c Beadwork workshop at the Bath Textile Summer School  at the Holburne Museum , pictured above.  Super excited to meet my students and see England. I am taking my camera and hope to share some of my travels with ya'll when I return.  

I have had several questions about this years ltd edition Ornament~ it is still coming! I do apologize that it is late coming out this year. I have been focusing on classes and building the new workshop, so am a bit behind (as usual it seems).  

on eBay this week!

One of a Kind 17th c Blackwork Slide Top Spool Sewing Box

 So yesterday I shared with you the original embroidery pattern I adapted for my box~  I really love it, it just spoke to me. The minute I saw it, I had a vision of it painted to look like blackwork embroidery. Now days, if one says blackwork, people think of cross stitch and patterns made by back stitches on even weave cloth....17th c blackwork is nothing like that. Above is photo of a coif~ the majority of the shading is done with Fil Turk...or speckling stitch, and all in one color. (the above just happens to be done in red, so I guess, technically its redwork)

 All of the things I make are hand made~ and by hand made, I mean....I actually make it, with my hands. and then, I paint it, with my hands! Its not some cheezy deal on there!  I planed the wood to thickness, cut it, and actually made the box~ yes, I did! Do I follow plans? No. I just thought it up, and make it as I go....it looks the same construction as the last box I made, but is slightly different size because, well, like I said, I make it as I go, so everything fits perfect!  I hand draw the design, after I have designed it, onto the piece, then I paint it, and then varnish over several days. After All that varnish dries, then I finish the inside with a hand made Italian marbled paper....why Italian? Cause its hand made of coarse, and its pretty, and I love it!

 There are 6 coats of black on this piece, to get the deep dark hues and depth that I wanted.

To finish, all is overpainted in real silver ink! I love love love silver~ the black and silver embroidered jackets are some of my all time favorite,  and its high time I put some silver on something. Dont know why I waited so long, because its really beautiful~ its very subtle~ you really dont notice it until you move the box just the right way, and then the light just shines off the silver...and it wont tarnish because its under layers of varnish!

 Inside is a pretty coordinating blue grey peacock pattern marbled paper

Absolutely it is one of a kind~ if you would like to see large pictures where you can really zoom in, it is on offer this week on eBay~ you can see it here , or click on the link to the right in the sidebar to my eBay specials~ (I also have a spool palette on this week if you dont need a whole box!)

17th c Inspirations

Thomas Trevilian & the Folger Shakespeare Digital Library

 Instead of a Museum Monday post today of something from my collection, I thought I would share  a wonderful online resource that is a great study source and  the inspiration for my latest slide top spool box. Thomas Trevilian was born around 1548, his book the Trevelyon Miscellany was published in 1608,. and another work in 1616, so he was at least alive until then. The Tevelyon Miscellany is an absolutely beautiful manuscript ~ to quote the World Cat,  " The third part of the manuscript contains edifying and cautionary verses, with illustrations, on the Twelve Degrees of the World, the Five Alls, the Ten Commandments, the Nine Worthies, the Nine Muses, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Virtues, the Seven Liberal Sciences, and the Twelve Apostles; as well as figures important to Protestant history, the six Gunpowder Plot traitors; Pagan, Jewish and Christian heroes; additional parables, proverbs, and lists of virtues and vices accompanied by scriptural and secular verses"

My favorite part of his work is the embroidery patterns. Within you will find hand drawn patterns for caps and borders, as well as all over repeating patterns for cushions and clothing. They are in infinite source of inspiration, and one can literally spend hours upon hours studying them. So where can you see this amazing work? You need not get out of your chair, thanks to the generosity of the Folger Shakespeare Library~  they not only have Thomas' works, but a myriad of other early and rare books you would probably never have the opportunity to see otherwise, all  happily contained in a large searchable database you can find here . (this link will open the Thomas Trevilian search results for you)

The above page is a pattern that spoke to me, and that inspired the slide top spool box that I finished up today and hope to have on eBay tomorrow.  I am really excited to share it~ so many of my favorite things, all wrapped up in one beautiful box! Until then tho, do have fun~ grab a cup of tea and go check out the Library link obove

Museum Monday

c1750 Baby Bonnet

 This summer's (rather sporadic) Museum Monday is a charming baby bonnet from the mid 18th c, 745.2013.63.  It is a deaccession from the Met's costume collection, and I am honored to be its keeper. One sees so many white baby caps...if you are 'into' early baby clothes, usually all one can see stretching endlessly in front of them is a sea of whites~ white gowns, nappys, caps, bonnets, breeches, petticoats~ everything is white....so it seems....but in truth, early childrens and infant's clothing was quite colorful.  This blue and salmon color combination was a favorite in the 18th C.

 Bonnet is made of an outside layer of thin tissue silk or lustring, and lined inside in a thick napped wool. The construction is somewhat unique, being made up of 5 tapered segments. I have seen a handful of segmented baby bonnets, none of which have a definitive date attached with them. The Met estimated this one's date to be between 1750-60. (I have yet to find reference to a segmented baby bonnet in early fashion plates, tho I have found womens day caps with somewhat similar segmentation in an 1805 fashion plate).  Hand made silk fly braid trim covers the seams of each segment.

 The center crown ends in a large loupe of fly braid ~ not quite making a full pom, but still a nice finish that trembles about then the cap is moved. 

  Fly fringe is made by knotting strands of filament silk, cutting the ends to make little tufts, and then working the tufts of knotted silk into a braid or woven tape trim. There are salmon colored tufts and white & navy blue stripe tufts to coordinate perfectly with the blue and salmon colored silks of the cap.

 The face edge is trimmed in box pleated loosely woven silk gauze

Inside the cap is lined with wool. The nap has been brushed up and left slightly long making for a super buttery soft cushion for baby's head. The same segmented construction is on the inside lining, as the outside. Face and neck edges are bound in skye blue silk to finish. 

Summer Greetings

From Yellowstone National Park

  I hope you all are having a wonderful summer(or winter!). I have been so busy this summer~ we just returned from a trip to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, so thought I would share some pictures with ya'll. It takes us 2 days to drive to the Park from here in southern Colorado. While husband and children think its 'boring', I find it quite enjoyable. Looking over the plains to the east as far as the eye can see its easy for me to understand why my Grandma Tressa didn't like visiting Washington from Kansas...(.there were too many trees for her and she felt too closed in.) I think its beautiful.

  We always spend our first night in Thermopolis, Wy. Its a really neat little place, they have the world's largest mineral hot spring in town, and just outside of town, we stayed at the Fountain of Youth R.V. Park. (above) You can see the hot mineral springs here~ all natural~ in the early 1900s, they were actually drilling for oil right behind where I took the picture from, and hit this hot thermal spring~ the water comes out of the spring 130 degrees f, and flows at a rate to completely replace all the water in the 3 large cooling pools  every 11 hours.  Not only did husband and children enjoy all afternoon, but they had to have one more hot dip in the morning before we left.

 Also in Thermopolis is the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. Its a little gem of a place~ they have one of the largest assembled dinosaur fossils in the US, and if you want to dig around and find an actual fossil, you can go on a day dig~ its all on their website. This little cutie was my favorite of all the fossils there... a bird called Phamphorhynchus sp. , 150 million years old from the late Jurassic period...if you look closely at the beak, just look at all those teeth!!!!  Something tells me it probably didnt eat nuts......

  Walking amongst the assembled fossils really makes one feel small and very insignificant

  Yellowstone is beautiful any time of year, but early spring is wonderful because everyone has their babies out frolicking. Baby buffalo are referred to as 'red dogs' because they are so red.  (There was still snow in the upper elevations while we were there). I love the buffalo, they are my favorite part of visiting the park.

  Second favorite, is Old Faithful Inn.  No...not Old Faithful Geyser, but the Inn itself.  I love it and if they ever had a winter program to be the closed in Innkeeper, IM THERE! 

   Just aside the Inn is Hamilton's Store~ my absolute favorite building, because the front and porch is composed entirely out of natural knotts and burls. 

  We stayed in Madison campground, and mama elk had their new little babies out aside the river. Elk babies have spots just like deer do~ soooooo cute.

 Every day we got to see some Buffalo~ they roam peacefully around the park....but just before we got there, we heard on the radio, some idiot extraordinaire tried to pet one on the boardwalk and got head butted and sent to hospital. Rangers said their havent been any gorings yet this year, but its still early and there are always a few, so REALLY...HONEST~ the animals in Yellowstone are wild creatures~ its not a zoo...they are not tame pets!!!!  

 Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone...spectacular, no picture could ever reproduce being there

  This is above Tower Fall, getting up into the Lamar Valley...hello...Beautiful! Wish you were here!

 Old Faithful Geyser~ just as Grande as ever

 Coming home thru Grand Tetons National Park.  If you have never been to Yellowstone, I highly recommend!