I think I may be done with this piece.
Judith had hoped that I would use every scarf. What you see above is my son being not quite able to show the whole piece. A baby is to be wrapped in it. The baby is teeny. The scarves are silky and slippery. I’m having nightmares of the baby sliding out if this covering on onto the floor or perhaps shooting out of a tight hug and ending up across the room.
The center strip that I had calligraphed is longer than all of the other scarves so I have had to do some creative piecing with some of the other scarves.
Judith’s baby was born on Passover so she felt that it was important o include some text from the Haggadah. I thought that given Judith’s history the phrases “ from sadness to joy, from grief to holiday from great darkness to great light “ seemed particularly appropriate.
Judith had hoped that I could include and elephant, because her mother loved and collected elephants. She also wanted to include her baby’s name and birth date. I figured out how to turn the baby’s name and birthdate into an elephant.
I was pretty pleased with myself for figuring out how to do that.
Judith also wanted to include the key Haggadah text In every generation one is obligated to see themselves as if they were individually redeemed from Egypt.
I am looking forward to Judith seeing this in real life.
My day was rounded out with a bit of mending.
I’m guessing this cloth is from late teens or early 1920’s. It isn’t the world’s most elegant mending job but it will keep the cloth in useable form. It’s kind of therapeutic rebuilding cloth from thread. 
I have downloaded some issues of Home Needlework Magazine from 1916. Directions for just these sorts of tablecloths appeared in every issue. If you wanted you could send away for either a paper pattern to copy onto your own linen or linen pre printed with the embroidery motif.
Home Needlework Magazine was put out monthly and seems to have been sponsored mainly by the silk mills of Florence, Massachusetts that produced silk and cotton floss for crochet and embroidery. If you love the history of handwork, it worth reading an issue or two of the magazine. If you are obsessed , like I am it’s easy enough to download a few years worth of issues.
Sarah, Once a year my Grandmother and I would "Inspect" all the linens in her huge Armoire.. It is one of those Late Victorian/Edwardian pieces of furniture which come into a Top, a base, a cupboard and a set of drawers for moving. Inside the cupboard part are 4 full width open drawers for stacking linens on. My "Anna House" always put things in their right place; bedspreads and massive tablecloths on the very top; out of the way, 'spare linens' on the 3rd shelf, sheets and pillowcases on the 2nd, and everyday tablecloths and such on the bottom. Inspection meant unfolding everything in use and checking for wear and tear; so I could mend it for her. Good job that I enjoyed darning by hand; or embroidering another motif over a small hole! Some of the sheets are handwoven linen, about 30 inches wide and 3 widths hand sewn together to make a double bed sheet; they are dated and 'initialled' 1848, which is correct for the wedding of that group of ancestors. I still use them occassionally in truly hot and humid summer nights; much niceer than poly-cotton or even pure cotton. And I love the feel of the coarser weave too. Then there are Pillowcases that she made from Flour Sacks 1939-1945; she'd crochet a deep border around the opening to gussy them up. Down in the drawers I have her best Comforter; Eider Duck Down filled; she had made in 1937-8 for their 25th wedding anniversary/my aunts wedding when she knew they would be doing a lot of entertaining. AND THE PRIZE; now her ancestors came from the Isle of Skye; western coast of Scotland, moved to Inverness on the east coast back in her grandfather's day. One of the things they brought was a wool blanket that had been handwoven; again narrow strips sewn together. It's natural with a red windowpane check. Anna used it for years as an under-blanket till I found the story of it's origins. I count myself lucky to have treasures like these handed down to me; one advantage of being the last of my generation; and having no cousins or other relatives; I got everything from everyone!.
ReplyDeleteAs for making School lunches; my son, by HS, arranged his schedule so he usually had 3 classes each day; 8-30 -- 1-30, came home, drank 2 pints of milk, ate 1/2 a loaf of bread, and had an hours nap! There was always fixings for lunch in the fridge, DD liked things like Wholewheat with Marmite, cheese, tomato and cucumber as sandwiches. Marmite; love it or hate it!
Goodnight, and BTW I was THRILLED by my recent order from FabricMart; and my bundle had so many exciting surprises in it while what I ordered is going to make my wardrobe have a new WOW factor.
Liz, up in Thunder Bay, where the Lilacs are only just coming into bloom.