The rest of the story....

Continuing on with our adventures during February, we made a wonderful trip to Savannah GA. We took a day  and drove straight through from Myrtle Beach to Savannah making a couple of short stops along the way. It was a really interesting drive and if ever I have the chance to visit the south again we will definitely make time to explore Charleston. 

Our accommodations at the Oglethorpe Inn & Suites were lovely. 

We later learned that the hotel takes its name from the man who

 founded Savannah, General James Oglethorpe, back in 1733! 

We booked a tour of historic Savannah which included the

Victorian section as well. What a wealth of history the city has 

to offer as we were soon overwhelmed. The wrought iron work 

on the homes and building impressed me so much. If we ever 

get to return I will make an effort to photograph as much of it

 as possible. 

                                                                      Unfortunately the weather was cold and wet the day of the tour and we couldn't get photos through the plastic panels of  the trolley. Here is one of the horse-drawn carriages that would have been lovely in the summer.

That night we dined at the Boar's Head Grill & Tavern                                                   

down on the river front. Bob was so taken by the name 

that he insisted that we give it a try. I was more                              

interested in going to the restaurant where legend has it 

a pirate died in one of the upstairs rooms. He won and 

the decor did not let us down! The restaurant was in 

what was once one of the cotton warehouses 

constructed in 1780. So much history, lots of old brick 

and exposed beams; it was delightful as was the food. It was here that I tasted 'Chocolate Bread Pudding'.

Below is a view from the river's edge of one of these 

warehouse buildings. Note the wrought iron balconies so typical of Savannah.

The next day I met with a guild member for lunch and before I knew it, it was time to prepare for the trunk show I was giving for the ladies of the Waving Girls Chapter of SAGA. they received me warmly and I hope to see many of them in Atlanta in Oct. They are a wonderful, hardworking group of ladies who continuously make garments for the Wee Care Program along with many other work for charity.     

Our time in Savannah was so short and there was so much to see. I simply can not wait to go back once again. But holidays always have to come to an end eventually and now we are back home once again.

It is so wonderful to hear the birds singing even before the sun rises in the mornings. The sun is shining today and the air is so much like spring, it simply can not be far off! 

So, keep stitching........

Thank goodness for Pearle Cotton!

Back home at last, after five weeks away, it is all starting to feel like a dream.

If any of you wondered where I was or why I was not responding, we were in Myrtle Beach for Feb 1 to Feb 29. We took an extra day traveling south to stop in Richmond, VA which I wrote about in the past post.

We had a wonderful side trip to Georgetown, SC one day with friends. The first shop we spotted on the main street was a little children's wear store whose windows were filled with traditional smocked garments for little girls and boys. The shop is Doodlebugs and the garments they show online do not do their stock justice! Well Sharon and I just had to go in and were still there when our husbands had finished exploring up and down the street.

They had all the traditional garments you never seen worn here in Canada and the sweetest little heirloom dresses trimmed with real French Val laces and darling embroidery. 

When we tore ourselves away, we walked along the waterfront boardwalk and saw a lot of very fine boats before stopping for the most delicious lunch at a place by the name of River Room Restaurant.

On the main street there is a Rice Museum. Yes, rice. At one point, just prior to the Civil War, the southern states exported more rice than any other country in the world. It seems indigo was another cash crop that flourished at the time as well. the Indigo plant was used to make blue dye.

From Georgetown we traveled a bit further down the highway to a State Park to visit a deconstructed rice plantation known as Hampton Plantation. This home was occupied up until recently and by deconstructed they meant that the house was not decorated or furnished to any period but rather the walls and floors had been laid open in places so you could see the structure of the building and how it was constructed. Even for me it was interesting to try and imagine living is such a home.

Now it is not in my nature to sit and leave my hands idle for long and so while we were away, I sat most evenings and smocked. Thank goodness for the Pearle cotton I purchased back in Richmond! The embroidery floss I had brought with me was the right colour but it just didn't do my fabric justice. This is for a sample of the pattern "Poppy", from 'A Garden of Smocking Designs', a little coat dress based on a square yoke design.

Here you see one side of the front skirt smocked in embroidery floss and the left side in the Pearle cotton. I am not sure if you can see the difference on the computer in the clarity of the stitching on this print. The floss tends to look a bit muddy while the Pearle cotton because of the rope-like twist catches the light better and seems to stand up to be seen. I am really looking forward to making time to get this little dress assembled and photographed for you.

I purchased the fabric, a quilting cotton, several years ago at a friend's shop and have held onto it not knowing just how to use it. (Have you ever done that before?) When Kathleen Copeland Nyberg asked me to take over her line of patterns, I knew at once I had a match for the pattern and fabric. You can see all the patterns remaining in Kathleen's line if you go to my web site as soon as we can get the new one posted!!

Well, that is all for today. Keep stitching.......

 

Sun, sea and cool weather!

The sun is shining and the sea is a perfect blue-grey but the air is cool. Every morning the sun comes up and colours the sky and sea with the palest pink and it does the same when it set at night. Last evening, after dark, the waves were touched with quicksilver as they reflected the moon. Every day people on the beach are wearing coats as there is a cool breeze off the ocean. We're here in Myrtle Beach for a wee holiday! Although it was mild at home and we had but a skiff of snow, we took off for South Carolina in hopes of finding warmer temperatures and golf courses for my husband to try.

 

I've heard back from another friend who has sewn up the "Infant Wardrobe I" pattern. Debbie tried something different and used fleece for the jacket and teamed it with a light weight wool with a matching fleck of mint green for the pants. Now the ingenious thing Debbie did to save time was to pair the suit with a 'Onsie'. But the clever part comes with fusing a bow tie of the pant fabric to the neckline of the 'Onesie'!! I'm just so sorry that her grandson grew so quickly and the suit was too small by the time she was able to complete the outfit. Unfortunately the pants look like they are tiger striped in this photo but if you could enlarge it to full size that effect would disappear.

 On the way down we stopped off in Richmond, VA to visit the most beautiful  shop, Chadwick Heirlooms. The main floor is a wonderful antique shop filled with fine furniture, china and paintings. But upstairs, oh, my an oasis for the heirloom sewer, fine fabrics, delicate French laces and Swiss embroideries. Pat assured me that smocking was alive and well in her part of the world and I am so glad to hear it!

As many of you know George Webb, the grandson of Grace Knott, has announced he is retiring later this year. That means that Grace L. Knott Smocking Supplies Ltd. as we know it will be closing. I just want to let you know that I am not retiring or closing! I will be carrying on with my line of patterns, Amberlane & Amberpetites. You can now order patterns with your Visa or MasterCard - just one of the updates we've made! Erika, my technical assistant, is busy building a new web site even while we are away and we have lots of plans for new and exciting things - patterns and more. When we get it done, or nearly done we will be posting a notice here and I do invite you to visit the site now and often. 

So, until next time, Keep stitching.....

Happy 2012!

My goodness where has the time gone? 

It is a new year already and winter has finally arrived! A dusting of snow fell on Christmas Day in the late afternoon and a couple of days later this was the scene outside my front door at bedtime. It made me think of one of those Christmas cards with the crystal sprinkles. The next morning the snow had just about doubled in depth but was soon melting away again.

Just before New Years we attended a matinee with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I wasn't sure what to expect as someone told they were a 'heavy metal band' not my normal taste in music. 

I just knew that I loved their version of the "Carol of the Bells". The performance was at the Air Canada Centre (home of the Maple Leafs hockey team) in downtown Toronto  and our seats were on floor level, just to the right of centre ice if we were attending a Leafs' hockey game, row 21 - pretty close to the stage! 

This photo is our pre-show view of the stage and some of the stage set that was suspended from the ceiling. The blue 'gear' which looked like jaws of an alien ship (at the bottom of the photo) rose to the ceiling to fit into the big 'V's'. At a couple of points in the show the big "Y" was lowered and the tail angled down to the stage so the band or singers could hop on board to sing and dance above us!

As with all bands today there were lasers and pyrotechnics and lots of loud, great music. What I loved was that their string section while performing in Toronto was from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra! The TSO performing with the TSO. Can  you tell I loved the whole show?  

We decided to make a night of it and stayed at "Victoria's Mansion", a guest house at 68 Gloucester St. I lived in a house right across the street when I first went to Toronto to go to Ryerson. How the neighbourhood has changed! I didn't recognize my old street - everything has been fixed up and it has become quite a desirable area. And good old Maple Leaf Gardens that I walked past every day to go to class is now a grocery store and sports facility owned by Ryerson!! 

We found a really trendy looking restaurant just a block from the Mansion called The Brown Stone Bistro & Bar, another reclaimed older building with exposed brick walls and huge windows looking out onto the street. It was packed with people so it looked like a good bet for dinner and we were definitely not disappointed.

This was our room - the brick arch had been taken into the room from what would have been an upper level balcony. There was even a tiny frig, kettle, microwave and dishes for a quick breakfast or late night snack. The room rates were really good for downtown TO and we parked in their lot overnight for $10.00!! We were just two blocks north of Wellesley subway station and about 15 minutes walk from Yorkville and all the wonderful shops and restaurants.

I want to go back for my birthday to walk the old neigbourhood, Bloor Street, the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Textile Museum, The Bata Shoe Museum  and and The ROM - if my feet will take it.....

So until next time keep stitching!!!

Festive issue has arrived!

Last week the Festive issue of A Needle Pulling Thread arrived in the mail. It is full of wonderful projects and vibrant colour photos of each. If you go to the web site you can see a preview of this issue and ordering information if you don't already have a subscription.  You can order single issues as well or if you look in your local book store you may find it there. Many fabric/quilting/needlework stores carry it as well.

There is a wonderful close-up of the Christmas balls on the web site in the preview. The graphs for each of the balls and directions for assembling each are included so you can have apparent seam-free decorations. Even the instructions for the ribbon trims have been included.

Also this week a wonderful couple of photos arrived from Kathy S. She made the little boy's suit from the pattern Infant Wardrobe I for a friend's grandson and monogrammed the breast pocket. What a lucky little guy and what a sweet child he is!!

It is so rewarding to see photos like these.

Another friend sent a photo of her grandson, Josh, wearing his Baby Boy's Smocked Bonnet. This actual bonnet is from the first version of the pattern. The current bonnet comes a bit lower over the ears. The bonnet would actually go together quite well with the suit for a cool-weather christening! Josh is now about three months old and growing so fast like all little boys!

I've been working on samples for the next semester's classes at Triangle Sewing Centre for Jan., Feb. and Mar. which will be posted to the web site as soon as possible.  One of the new classes is for a "Kobo Kote/Kindle Kase" which can easily be enlarged for an iPad pouch, a Sony Reader or other techno gadget cover. We won't let on but they actually employ a bit of smocking.  I've called it fabric manipulation as it doesn't involve conventional smocking. Have you figured it out yet?

So until next time do keep stitching........