Rita

November truly was a month of giving thanks; several good things happened in the last couple of weeks, and I am truly grateful. Some needed home improvement projects were finally completed, a bit of necessary dental work proved to be less troublesome than anticipated, and a very dear friend earned her PhD—so there were many reasons to celebrate and give thanks!
The beautiful medallion and stars tablecloth to which I added three additional rows on each end of the existing length (featured in last month’s images) finally made it home in time for a large Thanksgiving reunion.

Happy Fall! The leaf lookers arrived in early October, and we had a wonderful time with happy visitors at the Folk Art Center as well as at our annual Fall Craft Show in downtown Asheville, which was cancelled last year due to Hurricane Helene.
I had a great demo session at the Folk Art Center in early October with a big number of visitors, since the Blue Ridge Parkway is now open from Cherokee to Mt. Mitchell. The galleries and exhibits were buzzing, and time flew by as I greeted visitors from overseas, Canada, and locals alike. I concentrated on demonstrating thread lace and

September was a happy and exciting month for us in Western North Carolina; the Blue Ridge Parkway is now open from Asheville west to Mt. Pisgah and north to Mount Mitchell. This made the Folk Art Center easier to access in time for our annual Heritage Weekend and the annual World Whimmy Diddle Championship. Last year this took place just one week before Hurricane Helene hit, and September 28 has since become a day of remembrance.

My birthday month was full of fun and celebrations and even included several things from my bucket list. I have travelled all over the world, so my list is not about where to go but what is left to do. I accomplished one or two of these items in August, which was rewarding, and I am proud of myself!
National Granny Square Day
The first week in August a message on the internet informed me that August 15 is now National Granny Square Day. Since my next demo was coming up August 14–17 at the Folk Art Center, I prepared for the occasion

A very hot July found me mostly indoors enjoying a 5-day demo session at the Folk Art Center and our annual Summer Craft Fair at the Harrah’s Cherokee Convention Center in downtown Asheville. My booth in the atrium by the front entrance was the perfect spot to greet visitors and share Guild insights—including membership, our permanent collection, and exhibit spaces—whenever someone told me it was their first visit.

My “Homage to Heritage Lace” canvases (see May Musings) were still in the Focus Gallery, so I created a small 10” square canvas to display among ladies’ wraps worked in heritage techniques.

My June was fairly calm compared to the previous month and I enjoyed a little more personal time since restoration work had slowed down after I finished restoring a beautiful estate-size, machine-made tablecloth of most likely French origin. As usual in machine-made pieces, the solid sections were in beautiful shape, but the connectors—subject to heavy handling and washing—were frayed and broken in large areas. Machine stitches are very hard to duplicate, but with a small needle and heavy yet fine quilting thread, I was able to recreate the tiny blanket stitches and return the cloth to its original beauty.