Happy Husband on new harley

Hooking workshop here mid June

We had a wonderful 3 days, and Trish brought a world of lovely wool as always. If you are in San Antonio sometime, be sure to visit her shop Country Gatherings there. The little lions were colored like a small lion painting from 28 years back, in my granddaughter's nursery then! Wish I had room to show all the wonderful rugs and ruggers from that week! If interested, watch for a primitive ram I hooked in 1987, a friend is offering it for sale and I have said I will post that here for her. E

Wax doll head, with a new body this week

Sometimes I think my own body is worn out too! This large Alice in Wonderland style doll head is wax over papier mache and dates about 1865. Jackie made nice wooden hands and feet like she probably had. The cloth body I have made is stuffed with polyfil and has two rocks to add weight, and a strong dowel up the center for a spine. Her new undergarments are made from pillow cases with old knit lace edging. Alice is 34 inches tall now. I love the big ones, but where in the world am I going to put them all??! I am getting to be the old woman in a shoe! Edyth

Saturday Night not so Live

Dear Friends,
We have survived the day. Now I am inside cooling off and relaxing. We have been working at refurbishing a smaller house we have lately bought, and putting its yard to rights. Plenty of assistance from several family members. New tile is going in the little house, I love the red orange color, terra cotta is my thing. Fortunately a nephew does tile work well. Grinding out the old tile was the pits! I had rather watch all this on HGTV from the safety of my living room couch.
We sold a big 6 ft wide welsh dresser out of our antique mall booth today, it was a huge challenge to get it out of our crowded 9 by 9 booth in the height of Sat afternoon traffic, and another shelf moved in from storage and then all rearranged! Feels so good to have all that over! I promised not to take another large piece like that to the mall to sell.
I have sat a while with my dolls this evening, they must all be in place and quiet for the coming week, children to be seen and not heard, as I am having a group of ladies in to hook rugs for 3 days. It is a hot time of year to work on wool rugs in your lap! We will need lots of iced tea and inspiration to keep up the creative excitement. Penny will make a lovely Italian Cream cake and Beth wil make her special pound cake.
Have a wonderful week, the start of real summer here means peaches and blackberies and melons and sweet corn and more at the farmers market. First tomatoes from our own garden are in the Kitchen tonight. Best, Edyth

Waylayed by Pirates!

I was diverted from the heads by the little ship which came to the top when we moved stuff around in the garage.
We lost several portraits in the fire, and several
more were greatly damaged and sent for restoration. After the heartbreaking
results of that effort, I just never could send the little ship painting.
Neither could I throw it away. So last week I painted over the dim outlines
through the darkened painting. It was treated with an ozone machine after the fire, which controled the odor fairly well. It was not only the varnish that had
bubbled and darkened, but the paint film itself. Cooked. So here is my
result, not anything like it was, but I have to think of it as a different
thing and go forward. The frame which Jack has now painted black was gold
leaf of course. Jack's cat Cleo is quite the art critic. Thanks for the links on milliner's heads from several of you, I will post results here by and by. Best, E

Milliner's heads anyone?

I love the early paper mache milliner's heads. I have two like that that are well shaped reproductions, and I want to repaint them in a starker more correct way. Does anyone have a good photo of an old one to share with me? All help appreciated, Best, E

a rug workshop here!

Trish Travis of Country Gatherings, organised a group to come from San Antonio to Fredericksburg for 3 consecutive days and hook all together at my house. We had a rich good time of it, packing as much as possible into our time together and some lovely rugs were well started by the time the 10 of them went home on the final day. Color is a high joy for me! My Daughter Beth made one of her lovely pound cakes and Penny made a memorable Italian Cream cake, so we did not lack for refreshment! Edyth