Happy Easter Fiber friends! I hope you had your Easter baskets and chocolate
bunnies ready for a special end-of-March celebration. Spring is finally here and
everybody in my neighborhood is also excited about the solar eclipse on April 8th .
We are not in the direct path but close enough to have an exciting experience!
All the neighbors had a big get-together during the last eclipse in 2017 and since
the next one is not for another 20 years, I better take full advantage of this one!
We have already purchased official vision scientific safe eclipse viewers to protect
our eyes while enjoying the event.
April will be a very exciting month for me; after Easter celebrations and the
eclipse, I am flying to Maine to visit my brother for a few days. He usually drives
all over the country and comes South to see me quite often, he just purchased a
new house and wants me to help decorate – or so he says.
We always have a lot of fun together, starting with spending the day in Boston. I
love to see the James River, the harbor and the big ships, along with visiting some
old friends before driving north to his new home. I am ready for lobster rolls!
March gave me some extra time to work on new designs and ideas for my
upcoming demos and teaching dates. I am happy to report that the Events page
for the 2024 season is now posted, so please move on over to the Events tab
when you finish the Musings and check those dates. Come and say hello or
participate in one of my JC Campbell workshops. I just received the contracts for
this summer’s Hairpin Lace and next winter’s Crochet Design Secrets Workshops.
I am excited to be teaching there again, it is such a special experience to be in the
historic and peaceful environment in Hayesville, NC for a few days. You can see
their catalog of classes and register for classes as well. Go to:
www.campbellfolkschool.org or call them at: 828-837-2775 if you have any
questions.
Of course, I am also very excited about our events at the Folk Art Center on the
Blue Ridge Parkway. It is always a great opportunity to interact with our visitors to
the National Park, who stop to look around the Folk Art Center. We also welcome
several new members who have just juried into the Guild and are ready to
demonstrate their individual craft and talents. We have an excellent mentor program to assist the applicants through the process. For more information about
membership or the demo schedules, please go to: www.craftguild.org or call:
828-298-7928
I had my usual requests for estimates on restorations in March; some of them
very different from the usual tablecloths and bedspreads. I always respond with
as much detail as possible because I love to see the many vintage treasures that
are out there and still very much appreciated.
There was everything from a lace and ivory fan (Michael’s framing department
does a wonderful job) to a priest’s Alb (garment worn to say mass) with what was
believed to be a very wide filet crochet border, which is worked from a chart.
But to the Brother’s disappointment, the lace attached to the garment was
machine made. The same was true in the case of a baby quilt top which has
alternate strips of (supposed) filet lace and fine linen. The lace is in very good
shape, but the fabric is in tatters from the many washings. The machine-made
lace was produced to withstand wear and tear. So, everything must be
deconstructed and then put back together again.
If you ever wondered if your lace treasure is machine or handmade, I posted an
article some time last year, but it is worth repeating.
https://dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Identifying-
Handmade-Lace-and-Machine-
Lace.pdf#:~:text=Most%20contemporary%20machine%2Dmade%20lace,sides%20twi
sted%2C%20two%20crossed).
I am ready to enjoy my spring; the snow should be gone when I get to Maine and
it will be exciting to come home to my demo sessions the end of April!
I wish you spring warmth and time outdoors to work and play in the sunshine
again.
Remember: We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we
stop playing.
Let’s play!
“I do what I love and I love what I do”
New in the Studio:
