September went fast and fall is here! The leaves are starting to turn and the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smoky Mountain National Park are all decked out in red and gold tipped foliage already.
Unfortunately, there were very few pleasure trips for me these last four weeks since the transmission decided to act up on my vintage 2001 Dodge Stratus. It started out as a rental when I fell in love with it about 18 years ago and it never failed me until now. I guess she decided that after almost 200,000 miles it was time to retire. But not just yet.
Her transmission was flushed and the fluids replaced; the search for a module, which lasted an entire month, was not so successful. She drives, but any shifting produces a noticeable jolt. There is no danger for me to go short distances; the worst-case scenario would be for me to stay stuck in low gear and drive home at 20 mph! The last several days I have remotely visited every dealer’s used car section in search of my dream car, a low mileage used Honda CRV. Of course, that is a popular car and everybody wants one, but there is one out there just for me. I hope to have good news next month; meanwhile I keep looking and have my feelers out.
Despite the vehicle challenge, I spent 4 days at the Folk-Art Center demonstrating heritage lace and it was lots of fun as usual. Visitors are back to shop; many started their Christmas shopping early due to the forecast of possible low inventories for the holidays. We just appreciate our customers’ support for local artists.
The continued need to wear masks generated good sales of my Irish lace black and ecru masks with both floral and heart accents. I use an unbleached, trimmed #4 coffee filter on the inside of my masks, which is supposed to provide the same protection as the N95 material and changing out the filter eliminates constant hand washing of the cotton mask. It works very well.
My webmaster Paula and I were really pleased to announce the opening of my boutique website during the first week of September. Please take a look at the array of my designer originals at this site: www.heirloomtreasuresboutique.com
It features my lady’s collection, a bridal collection, a collection of collars dedicated to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a baby section and my Christening gown collection. The taking of all the images and the addition of audio information was a labor of love that took many weeks but I am pleased with the way it presents my work and my love of creating original designs with heritage lace techniques.
My most favorite highlight of last month was the completion of my Irish lace tablecloth restoration for a special customer in Texas. The process took just over 2 months and the outcome was perfect. It is now back to its original condition and graces the beautiful dining table in my customer’s home. He was extremely pleased with the outcome; after several attempts of having different people work on the cloth, he found me and I was able to save it. There were some damaging efforts of repair I had to undo, the worst among them was the use of glue and store-bought trim. To undo that damage added extra time to my estimate but the results are stunning. This was my most involved and extensive restoration project so far.
It was a pleasure to do the work on the cloth, I could feel the energy of the original group of ladies that created this one-of-a-kind beauty.
October brings the continued search for the perfect car and another weekend of demonstrating at the Folk-Art Center at the heights of the leaf-looker season during the middle of the month. We will be really busy, because the Western North Carolina mountains are a favorite destination for leaf lookers.
One of the highlights of my year is coming up the end of October, our annual Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) at the AG Center by the airport in Asheville. After having to cancel due to Covid this last year, we are ready to get together and enjoy 4 days of workshops and a multitude of interesting vendors. General information is at: www.saffsite.org
My workshops are listed on this site under the Events tab, be sure to register now to reserve your place. Email me if you have any questions about any of the classes or events.
Enjoy your fall and remember that Christmas is less than 3 months away. So get a head start on your gift projects: scarves in lace techniques, berets and fingerless gloves make great gifts as well as designing some personalized masks in colors of your favorite team or to match your winter coat. Masks will be with us for a while, we might as well make them attractive and special!
For inspirations you might want to check my new boutique website: www.heirloomtreasuresboutique.com
Have a great fall and a spooky Halloween!
“I do what I love and I love what I do.”