The September and October record heat is finally producing a beautiful array of fall colors. The heat caused the colors to be 10–12 days past their usual arrival. The Blue Ridge Mountains and our Smoky Mountain National Park are all decked out to celebrate fall.
The middle of October we celebrated our annual Fall Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands at Harrah’s Cherokee Center downtown Asheville. I did my usual lunch relief for some of our participating artists winging it without a helper. We have a small army of volunteers who enjoy booth sitting and other opportunities to be involved, and they are much appreciated. We noticed an increase of international visitors, and our overall numbers at the summer and fall shows as well as at the Folk Art Center on the Parkway are almost back to before COVID and Hurricane Helene times. WNC Strong is coming back!
This increase was very noticeable during my late October lace demonstration at the Folk Art Center. The Blue Ridge Parkway is open to Mt. Mitchell now, and frosty mornings brought customers to my warm hats and long fingerless gloves. We had around 1,000 visitors on each of the four days I was demonstrating in the lobby, and time just flew by because there were so many interesting conversations going on.
The Business Administration of our local Community College does a great job offering classes and workshops for new business owners and experienced entrepreneurs to stay current with marketing strategies and tried-and-true advice from successful leaders. One topic that gave me food for thought last month was the promotion of brevity when describing your business, either in an elevator speech or a blog report such as this one. I am all for getting to the point, but sometimes we need to elaborate just a little bit. Describing all branches of my business takes a long minute, and I am always interrupted by questions. My Musings intend to be just the place to be a little more informative for those of you who are interested in the restoration topics. I often receive kudos for detailed and entertaining information, no complaints so far. (Just let me know!)
After digesting the brevity suggestions (there seem to be instructions on YouTube…) I get to the point even quicker when I demonstrate and talk about heritage lace techniques. Then I often get detailed questions, which proves the point of creating more interest and giving needed information. But I will try to use some of the brevity suggestions in my Musings from now on!
Family Heirlooms and Unfinished Treasures
October brought some interesting restoration work. After a few phone conversations, a customer came from two hours east of Asheville to bring me two bedspreads her grandmother started but did not complete before she passed away. The first one is a Dutch Windmill design that needed all the (knotted) ends and connections pulled in and secured. It was also missing about four feet of fringe along one side. We had a large bag of assorted bedspread cotton available, and I found the #10 cotton to finish the windmill spread.
The second spread is a variation of popcorn diamonds, and one side was not finished. There were several complete diamonds, which I connected to finish one row. It still needed one more row of diamonds to be complete. So, I went searching for a good match for her 1940s JP Coats Knit-Cro-Sheen. It is dangerous to try and match colors online, especially with a shade that has been described as beige, ecru, oatmeal, natural, and several other close possibilities. Michaels to the rescue! I found an almost perfect match there, a Coats Fashion #3 in bridal white, which was the best possible match. I am now working on the last row of 16 diamonds and two corners. There are also several small unfinished pieces left which will be turned into meaningful family gifts, like a scarf and a Christmas tree skirt worked from some of the grandmother’s errant pieces.
The weather went from record heat to freezing mornings and cool days, so perfect for Thanksgiving! I have pumpkin bread in the oven, and the house smells like fall. It’s also time to think about the holidays and maybe create some fiber gifts for loved ones or give the gift of one of my Udemy classes, so the recipient can create their very own designs.
For now, November is the month of giving thanks, and I am grateful for each one of my fiber friends!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast and all your loved ones. Almost time for the holidays. Enjoy!
“I do what I love and I love what I do.”
– Rita de Maintenon
