Welcome to summer! The intense heat is keeping me inside as much as possible except for some early morning time on the shady porch, before I head for my cool studio.
I was very blessed to have two special restorations in June. The first one was a banquet size linen and lace tablecloth that needed work on the machine-made filet crochet inserts between the linen sections. Duplicating machine-made lace can be very tricky, but the filet like stitching made it possible to reconnect the stitches as intended. I also repaired several areas in the linen fabric squares, which feature beautiful machine embroidery. I don’t usually get excited about machine-made lace but the use of this particular filet lace in connection with the embroidered linen squares is truly unusual and impressive.
The owner called it The Martha Washington Tablecloth.
My second restoration was a beautiful 80-year-old wedding veil, which is now back in its original condition. I reattached and restored the lace trim that surrounds the veil and the train, as well as a large, beaded lace insert at the very end of the train. The veil will be worn by the granddaughter of the original bride at her wedding this fall. It was such a joy to bring that treasure back to life!
Before the heatwave started in early June, I made one of my many early morning fun trips to Biltmore Estate. I know and use some of the many backroads on the estate and this time I watched a mother bear and her 3 cubs cross leisurely in front of my car. The sheep were in the barn and the horses in the shade as the sun moved higher on the horizon.
The current Dale Chihuly exhibition is bringing lots of visitors to the estate, and it is such a sweet reminder of our last visit to Las Vegas. We walked from our hotel to the Bellagio to see the glass blown Chihuly ceiling. It is in the lobby as you enter from the hot and noisy strip. It took my breath away and I was getting dizzy from having my head bent backwards to take it all in. There is not a single place to sit and the lounge in the lobby had a 2 hour wait! So I just laid down on the floor for a minute and let people walk around me. After all, it’s Vegas!
These days I often walk the winery and enjoy the Homage to Wines chandelier, it’s red, rose’, gold and bubbly in honor of all the wines being made and sold at the Biltmore Winery. Our Southern Highland Craft Guild has several glass blowing artists who frequently demonstrate and are represented in our galleries. Be sure to check out biltmore.com for information on the Chihuly exhibit, there are some great images of his work as well.
Several of you have inquired about my SAFF teaching schedule this year, which is not included in my Events Page. Earlier this year I made the decision to retire from teaching at SAFF to lighten the load of my fall schedule.
I am looking forward to several demo dates and special events at the Folk Art Center, the next one is coming up July 11 through the 14th. The following week is our Guild Summer Show at the Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville. It’s a great opportunity for me to catch up with friends and fellow artists by volunteering for lunch relief and at the Educational Outreach booth.
I am also looking forward to the very first week in August when I will be teaching a hairpin lace workshop at JC Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. There are still spaces available. For details and to register, go to www.folkschool.org or call: 828-837-2775. This is a standard weekend class with a Friday afternoon check-in and a Sunday after lunch check -out. It’s a perfect getaway to learn a new technique and have a relaxing time away from home.
My musical summer fun begins this Saturday at the Brevard Summer Music Festival with Wynton Marsalis, conducted by Keith Lockhart. Keith is the conductor of the Boston Pops; ever since he was a student in Brevard, he spends the summers with us. There are several symphonies and operas on the agenda; I am so looking forward to The Three Penny Opera, which I haven’t seen since I was in high school in Germany. The music, however, stayed with me all this time.
It will be a busy but happy month with a lot of special occasions to look forward to. I always love to take time to work on some of my own special designs to have plenty of inventory for my July demo.
Here is wishing you a happy and relaxing Independence month!
“I do what I love and I love what I do.”
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