Wethersfield, CT Antique Show

Isn't this a charming entrance to the show? This late November show is in an historic area SW of Hartford called Wethersfield. A great place to visit historic houses if you are here in the summer.

I'm just posting  a few of my favorite booths at this very pretty show. Here is Steve Cirillo, The Paisley Pineapple Antique. Nice cupboard, no?

Another favorite, Jan and John Maggs, www.jmaggs.com That little joint stool could sure go home with me.

This great booth belongs to Carol Wojtkun www.carolsearlyamericanantiques.com  Amongst all the great stuff, I admire the way she made a group of all the same variety stone fruit in her compote, just as if you just came home from the market.

I don't know if I'd pick the highboy or the QA mirror, too many nice choices. This is the booth of Brian Bartizek, South Windham CT.

Isn't this just the best? I love the way they even decorate the ladies for the show. Makes a necessity a pleasure.

Wish I had time to picture everyone at the show, it was all great. If you can next November, come and enjoy.

CHS Needlework Exhibit Part 2

Here's the rest of the enchanting needlework exhibit at the Connecticut Historical Society. Above is a charming sampler by Lydia Church. What a needleworker she was! I love the black border, and the naive figures.

Look at her parasol!

And look at these flowers, just sweet little bundles of thread.

Here's another favorite. It was made by Frederic William Tuttle, a man's name if you will notice. It also says, " made in the 45th year of our nation's independence".

Here are 2 remarkable embroidered pictorial scenes. I like the lady blowing the flute to the cows in the lake. Do they like music?

This is another embroidered picture. It shows the three stages of life, the baby in the cradle, the woman embroidering, and the coffin. I wish you could have seen all the delicate stitches, and I love the harmony of the colors.

 I will finish with these magnificent bed hangings. Look at the detail of the parrot. Just breath taking. Boy, I could take these right home!

Anyhow, I recommend you find the time to check out this great exhibit at the Connecticut Historical Society, www.chs.org

CHS Needlework Exhibit Part #1

What a treat! For a birthday present Cy and I went to the Connecticut Historical Society's new needlework exhibit. It's about the amazing needlework done by CT women in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Those of you who know me know I JUST LOVE early needlework, especially 17th and 18th century embroidery. I have a bit in my house, I try to have some for sale on my website. Just love it!
The image above it in the entry of the show, a dramatic bed rug from the mid 18th C. CT. I have seen a few bed rugs, and they've all been hooked, kind of like hooked rugs. This one was embroidered, with darning and couching stitches, and probably others I don't know the name of.

 

Another unbelievable bed rug, again embroidered.

 On the detail pic you can see the darning stitches in the brown background. Above the large central flower was a name and date, about 1768 if I remember right.

Here's the third bed rug, this one is hooked with what looked like wool thread through a wool back.

A great calamanco in just mint condition. I wish you could see how crispy it still was. Yes, I peeked, the back was butternut linsey.

Just look at the detail!

One of few known 18th C. petticoats embroidered in crewel. Made here in CT! By a very persistent lady I'd say.

Here is a detail. So fine and delicate, the wood threads look like spiderweb. And its amazing the colors are still so strong.

I will finish today's edition with this man's wallet, John Storrs, 1754, in fact. It's quite rare to see a landscape on a wallet. Usually they are geometric designs, and rarely crewel flowers, so really really rarely landscapes.

I'll post the rest tomorrow.

If you are in Connecticut any time between now and March 26, 2011, I highly recommend this exhibit. Check out www.chs.org for more info, and there's a great book with pictures of all the exhibits you can buy also.

Dogs, moss and more, just a perfect day.

We've had such an outstanding week of weather here in CT, we've really enjoyed our time outdoors. Don't these dogs look happy. Just imagine the waggy tails!

Here's our excuse, Cy is cutting up firewood. We found this old dead tree at the back of our property, and hopefully we'll get 2 cords of wood out of it, hickory we think. So the dogs and I are "helping", well really running around, and trying to help haul wood back up the hill.

 

Look at the pretty creek with the mossy ledge.

And of course after all that work you just have to jump in the water.

Look what Lucy found!

Oh, its a home for Leprechans, all carpeted in velvet moss!

Moss heaven

Ever since I've moved to CT, I've just fallen in love with the terrain out here. The damper climate allows all kinds of mosses and lichens to grow, something I never saw much of in Minnesota. Here are a few pics from my garden. Look at the pillow of bright green moss on this old granite step, and look at the gray lichens on the step above.

Here's a view of the end of the stone wall. Look at the pillows of moss growing right on the rocks. I've been reading up, and apparently moss has little or no roots, and gets most of its water and nutrition from the air and rain.

Look at the moss and lichens on my ancient twisty apple tree. Under here is where I want to have a real moss garden, like in Japan. OK, no goofy statues and stuff, just a soft carpet of various shades of soft cushiony moss. I've been "grooming" the area, raking off leaves and stuff, which prevents the moss from getting air and water. Now I go out every nice day and hand pull out some grass. Maybe someday I can walk barefoot on my beautiful moss garden.

Here's my new favorite book:

Native Mosses Ferns and Grasses by William Cullina of the New England Wildflower Society