The Grass is Riz

That old song goes something like The Grass is Riz - I wonder where all the flowers is?  Well, this month I worked on doing all the monotonous long and short stitches to finish the grass.  I did it number one because I just wanted to get it out of the way.  It paid off in an interesting way though.  This month was really stressful for me.  But each night I would sit and work on that monotonous grass and just feel the stress falling off of me.  Anyone know what stitch it is that makes the pounds fall off?

I also did one of the little bunnies, two of the raspberries, the little blueberry bush on the right and got a start on the small tree to the right.  I played around with the idea of changing the colors on the peacock/chicken to the left of the stag.  You might think I'm closing in on being done.  Alas - not so!  When I finish the bottom portion I have to go back up and stitch the urns with their flowers and then finish some of the frustrating cross stitch I just could not bring myself to do back in the winter.

Anyway, I think I got a lot done this week and have moved on to the new project in my rotation - Opus Magnusson.  I will be stitching that one for the rest of my life!

Thanks for your comments on my blogging question; I'll update you if I hear anything more.  Hope you enjoyed! 

Interesting Conundrum

I was just over at Stitchin' Sweet Sue's blog, reading her most recent post on blogging etiquette.  I have to admit that while I have posted about other people's blogs, I don't think I've lifted any of their pictures - and I am pretty sure that I have always linked back to their site or blog.   Sue's issue was that she prefers to be asked.  I admit, I really hadn't thought of it, and will attempt to do so in the future - or at least tell people when I have linked to their site or blog.  But, that's not what I'm writing about here.


One of the comments she received was from a woman who designs stitching and she made it pretty clear that she was really mad that people had stitched her design and changed it.  She was not specific about whether they changed the actual design or just the colors, but it was crystal clear that she wasn't happy about it.  I have to admit, I'm a little stumped.  I mean, someone apparently gave her credit for the design, but this lady is unhappy that it was changed.

Well, this is something that I do frequently - you all know that, because I've posted pictures here and also mentioned the changes.  Sometimes it's just a few elements, sometimes it's the whole colorway.  But I have always said that the design is by so-and-so.

This commenter indicated that she was going to look into copyright law - implying that if there was a way that she could legally prevent anyone from doing her design other than the way she designed it, she was going to do it.  I think she may be confusing patent and copyright laws.  I'm no lawyer, but I think you file a patent and no one can copy your idea - a copyright is on the way you've printed something.  But an idea, even if patented, can be built upon and a new patent can be filed.  For instance, Bill invents the wheel and goes running to show all the other cavemen who are sitting around the fire.  He rolls it around and around and is having all kinds of fun with it.  All the other cavemen are impressed.  But Ted is sitting there thinking.  The next morning he gets up and goes out and carves two wheels.  That night, when all the other cavemen are sitting around the campfire, in comes Ted.  He's copied Bill's wheel.  He's made two of them.  But he's also shoved an axle in between them and has put a basket on top.  While Bill invented the wheel, Ted has invented the cart.  Bob's nonplussed, but he can see that Ted has improved on his idea.  Together they join forces and open Bill & Ted's Excellent Cart and Wheel Shop.   The lawyer who invented patent rights came to the campfire the next night . . . .

Anyway, this all got me to wondering - what do you all think about that?  Update on The Chase coming soon - have a great weekend!

Mid-June Accomplishments

The cycling method I'm using for most of my projects is - complete the next phase, or work on the project for a week - whichever comes first.  So, beginning of June I picked up and completed the AotH block for this month.  Then picked up and completed the two Lizzie Kate Christmas Rules for this month.  That only took about two days for anyone who is looking for a "quick" project to do for a Christmas gift or house decoration.  Then, this past Sunday I picked up The Chase.  I've been working on that like nobody's business and will have progress to show at the end of this week. 

My report today covers the progress so far on Christmas Rules.

Left is overall what I've done and the room I've got left to work with.  Right is a closer view of the work I've done so far.

I have two more Xmas Rules charts to go plus the bonus chart that I'm going to add to the bottom - Jingle all the Way.

I have been doing a lot of work for my clients too.  I put together two needlepoint pillows and am working on repairing a crochet tablecloth.  Also I am make a quilted wallhanging.  The wallhanging is from the Keepsake Quilting catalog - an oriental-style called Milady's Mural.  It is fussy work and I have to run out today to get more supplies to go on.    Here's a link to the image of the quilt.  The fan blocks are 6 and a half inches square.

In the meantime, I've been slogging away at a quilt of my own.  It too will be a wallhanging.  It is called Juliet's Ribbons and is a Civil War reproduction designed by Carol Hopkins.

Juliet Opie Hopkins, a nurse, sold her property in 3-states in order to help the soldiers during the war.  The remainder of her wealth was lost during the war years and she lived in poverty afterward.  She was buried at Arlington.  I liked this quilt immediately when I saw it at the shop and bought the kit - not something I usually do.  I regretted it when I started the cutting.  Turned out the shop did not have all the called for fabrics and made very bad choices for their replacements.  So, during the winter months when we had quite a lot of snow on the ground, I was running around purchasing the replacements because I did not want to repeat any of the fabrics I already had (as the original had been done).  I began, following the directions and it turns out the way they're written, you make one-block-at-a-time.  And I started thinking, oh, my God, this is going to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r!  This past weekend I figured a way to speed it up and knocked out three blocks in an hour.

I need 35 of the blocks before I can start putting them together - so far I have 11 - so I'm about a third of the way done.  I'll be lucky if I get this thing finished by Christmas, but I'll be really happy with it in the end.  I was at a yardsale a couple of weekends ago and picked up about 25 Fons & Porter mags for $5.  They were mostly recent issues too!  I've picked out two quick patterns there.  Then I have another called Lincoln's Watch.  It too is a Civil War reproduction.  That will be made into a king-size bed quilt, but it's easy, easy, easy to do!  Maybe next year.  All for now - hope you enjoyed!

Vintage Embroidery

Almost a year ago to the day I posted about a sewing basket I'd picked up at an antiques store.  Showed you pics of the various things that I found in the basket, but held back some.  Well, the wheels of God grind slowly, but slowly grind they all - and so here are the items I held back on . . .

Bed Spread Pattern - Enlarge and Zoom In

Sample!

Oh, so 50's!

And more!

I just had no idea when I found these in that tin, what I was going to do with them.  To me, vintage stuff is very dear, even if I have no use for it.  So, I put them away.  Now that I know I can actually do embroidery (thanks to my work on The Chase sampler) I have to find them.  Although I don't know that I'll do a whole bed spread (gasp!) that pattern might look nice on pillowcases that are just for show or something.  Hope you enjoyed!

Junes AotH

I've now reached the halfway point of the Anniversaries of the Heart series.  Here's Junes segment -

 

Ann is my oldest friend; I've known her since we met in 7th grade at Luther Jackson.  Her birthday is in June (I have to remember to call her and give birthday salutations!).  Her initials - A - C - B - W - are up on the top left and right.  You may have to go to the bigger version of the picture; they're stitched in a very light portion of Sweet Petunia.  My ancestor for this month is Rebekah Alspach Kershner.  She was a craftswoman a lot like me - not a good looker, but well accomplished.  

She made a coverlet that came down through my mother's side of the family that although it was not very well cared for, by the time I got it, it was still in excellent shape.  It is now in the hands of the Winterthur Museum.  

Rebekah Alspach Kershner about 1865

This will sound awful, but over the last 40 or so years, whenever I have looked at this photo, I have been reminded of the Ruth Buzzi character Gladys Ormphby on Laugh-In; the old woman on the bench that beat the old man with her purse.  

Rebekah was born in Berks (now Schuylkill) County in Pennsylvania on June 3rd, 1802 to 27 year old George and Anna Rosina.  She was three  when her grandfather, Jacob (a veteran of the Revolution), and his brother, Michael,  picked up their families and migrated out to Ohio.  Rebekah's father, George, was 27 when they migrated.  They are among the first pioneers of Fairfield County.  Jacob and Michael purchased a sawmill on the Hocking River called Rock Mill.  Turns out now that it is the oldest in the state.  The one standing now is not the original one that Jacob and Michael owned and operated.  Rebekah's father and uncles, as well as probably working in the mill from time to time, were also farmers.  The family were probably financially comfortable.

When Rebekah was about 13 years old, she made a coverlet - beautiful in red, white and blue, on an 8-shaft loom.  And she was able to afford commercially made wool; probably imported.  The coverlet shows that the blue came from two different dye lots that were not used to make part of the pattern - a dead giveaway to commercial wool.  Rebekah probably made the coverlet to place in her dower chest, a Pennsylvania-German tradition.  After my mother's death in 1996, I took this coverlet up to Winterthur and met with Linda Eaton the Director, of Museum Collections and Senior Textiles Curator.  It was Linda who told me about how old the coverlet was and how it was probably made.  Why Winterthur in Delaware when Rebekah was essentially from Ohio?  Well, my father was from Delaware so I have connection that way.  And Rebekah's husband has a connection to the museum itself.

Daniel Kershner (also spelled Kerschner) was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1802.  It's hard to tell if he or his father, Jeremias, went to Ohio first; Jeremias migrated in 1822 and died in Fairfield County in 1826.  Jeremias was brother of Conrad Kershner whose farmhouse rooms are part of the Winterthur Museum.  Daniel was 24 years old when his father died and that was the same  year her married Rebekah.  He could have come to settle his father's estate in Ohio and met Rebekah, or the family could have come enmasse in 1822.  At any rate, Daniel was a very successful farmer.  in 1860 his personal wealth was valued at about 50 million dollars in today's money!  Don't get excited, none of that made it's way down to me.

Here is a photo of the coverlet at the foot of a bed that is on display in the Kershner Parlor at Winterthur.  Isn't it awesome?!  I am just tickled pink that it is somewhere that it is well taken care of (i.e., NOT stored in a plastic dry cleaner bag - ahem!) and that it is appreciated.  Currently Winterthur has a special tour - Distinctive Collections of Southeastern Pennsylvania - where you can see the Kershner rooms and the coverlet.  I'm going to ask my husband if we can go up one of these weekends before the tour ends on June 30.  The loom in the picture may have been the type Rebekah would have used to create the coverlet - I'll have to check on that.  Photo by Linda Eaton, 2011.

Back to Rebekah - family tradition has her as a herbal healer, medicine woman.  She may have even been a mid-wife.  Looks the capable sort, doesn't she?  They would have been married in Pennsylvania-German (Deutsch) tradition, in the Lutheran church.  Their marriage occurred in October of 1826 - Jerimias had passed away the previous January.  Perhaps the wedding took place in October after the harvest was in.  They made their home, after Rebekah and Daniel (my great, great, great grandparents) had eight children.  Between 1830 and 1850 they moved to Circleville in Pickaway County.  The name was spelled Kershner/Kerschner, but it was pronounced CASH-ner.  It was written phonetically in the 1850 census and I haven't found them yet in 1840. Rebekah died in 1871 and Daniel nine years later.

Oops!  Forgot to mention that I made a few color changes on this one!  Let's see - for Crescent Cinnamon Toast, I had substituted Weeks Hibiscus.  When I ran out of that I used Gentle Art Sweet Petunia which matches the lighter shades on Hibiscus.  And, for Crescent Jakey Brown, I used Weeks Cinnabar.   Hope you enjoyed!