Rita

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.

A cool and wet May was the perfect backdrop for my family trip to Ohio. My sister flew down from PA and we did a little visiting around Asheville as usual and of course I had to take her to the Folk Art Center to see the exhibit in the Focus Gallery. Soon we were on the road heading towards Ohio—traffic jams and detours between here and Cincinnati were stressful well before Memorial Day traffic, but we made the best of it.

With our spouses gone, we visited some of our old hangouts, restaurants and shopping spots. Our sister used to manage Town and Country Mall in Kettering, outside of Dayton, and of course we had to shop there. We still love Trader Joe’s and the popcorn shop next door. After Pam passed away, the town honored her by naming the road behind the mall after her. That entire area has grown to include a First Watch Restaurant and another bank