Wannabe

When we were little girls playing dress-up we dreamed of being a fairy princess...

And when the time for going to school arrived we wanted to be pretty and smart...

High school was next, shifting the wish list to include athletic, popular, well dressed...

As we matured popularity turned to marriageable, loving and devoted...

Looking back on life now the slate has been wiped clean. There are only a few things that remain important... healthy, dedicated, humble and most of all, I wannabe me...

Artwork by Nene Thomas

Bountiful

More often than not each of us captures a moment from a season that lingers with us... carried on to the next one, sometimes through the years.

As the subtle hints of Autumn begin to appear, it is the bounty of the harvest that will remain with me throughout the coming months into the harshness of Winter and the freshness of Spring.

For you see every time I open a jar of cherry jam to spread upon my toast, peaches to partake of for dessert or sweet garden tomatoes smothering a pasta dish... the aromas of Summer shall return, igniting my memory and my taste buds...

Madelaine dreaming of cooler days and mosquito free evenings.

The Flounce

Usually hidden beneath one's skirts the flounce has descended through time.
Often consisting of lace or broderie anglaise (eyelet) it was a strip attached to the bottom edge of the petticoat, nightdress or an infant gown.


During the Romantic Era it was incorporated into the gown itself; enveloping the sleeve or with sometimes as many as a dozen layers cascading around the hemline swishing across the floor.


Even when a widow was required by mourning etiquette to dress entirely in black, she had a flounce of black crape that encircled her underskirts to fulfill such a requirement.
Flounces have fallen in and out of favour throughout fashion history. Many have been salvaged to be used in vintage decorating and doll making.
I wonder if the Puritan women that first came to this continent and were forbidden to wear lace at the throat had a flounce secretly sewn to their petticoats out of view from persecution... maybe even in red to match their scarlet letter...

Kaleidoscope of Green

Stalks of corn deep in hue reaching up to the clouds in the clear, blue sky...


The variegated shades of ivy reminiscent of a castle wall...


Brilliant chartreuse in a flower box highlighting the pink blossoms that surround it. Contrasting against the old window completing the vignette...

The season of Summer relinquishing her beauty for us to behold...

Wedded Bliss

Tucked away on a rejuvenated downtown main street lies a hidden gem. Dubbed the 'Honeymoon Capital' Niagara Falls Ontario is a most appropriate spot for a Wedding Museum.


Having been treated to our own personal tour by its knowledgeable curator David Tetrault, I was intrigued to discover a collection of gowns and dresses chronologically displayed (from the mid 1800's to present day) for our viewing pleasure.


Each creation and accessory is artistically placed, enhancing the costumes that once draped the velvet-skinned shoulders, revealed the delicate waist and covered the trembling heartbeat of a young bride...

Harmony With Nature

Since the beginning of creation we have relied on Nature to yield her gifts of fibers to weave into cloth.


From biblical times or of primitive peoples the process is exactly the same. With the exception of the handling of clay on the potter's wheel little has changed over the centuries.

'The growing of flax and the long stages it took to become thread,
Nature entered intimately into textiles from the past.' *

Wool harvested from sheep, fibres from alpacas, even goats and camels yielded forth the necessities... to live in direct cooperation with nature.

Barks, berries and flowers provided the palette for colour. With the discovery of Indigo, blue and white made their way into early cloth and garments.


Perhaps it is this connection that stirs our passion for collecting and caretaking of textiles from the past...

* Homespun Blue by Martha Sterns 1940.
Homespun wool blankets from my personal collection

Gossamer Threads

Artistically arranged by loving hands and an imaginative spirit pieces of lace lie sorted and awaiting tags for an upcoming show.


Each one a reflection of its creator the light, delicate threads are as fine as a spider's web.



Some were cherished for years, tucked away to stir a memory or hidden beneath one's outer garments.


Others were utilitarian, woven for bedding, toweling and household use. Often initialed by the maker they were stacked in wardrobes, cupboards and dressers.


Each one a wonderment of their construction soon to be treasured by someone else.


* Gifted silhouette by Karen Otto (A`Musements)

* Tape and netted lace

* Bobbin and netted lace

* Cotton chemise crochet trim

* Homespun linen and pillowslips late 1800's

* Close-up of Man's waistcoat silk velvet 1840's. Entirely handsewn.