Powered By Blogger

Monday, November 20, 2017

Turkey and Stuffing....




Happy Thanksgiving! I have an affinity for stitch-and-stuff fabric items like these turkeys and pumpkin. The turkeys are vintage Cranston Fabrics panels, and I purchased these on eBay. Since our daughter's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, I decided she needed to have some stuffed decor to go with the feast she prepares.



And since I can't let things go to waste, I cut out the small turkey illustration that was on the panel and appliqued it to the center of this Checkerboard Dresden block. I had made one as a sample to try out the instructions, and it just happened to be in fall colors. So it became a table mat to go with the other sewn items.



Once I start a stitch-and-sew project, I usually sew a few others that have been waiting their turn. That's how this little blonde girl  and her companion bunny got finished at last. There are still a bear and a swan awaiting their stuffing. So I had an assembly line of projects all happening at once. The doll is posing with the Ghastlie figure shown in a previous post. All in the family!



And these two kitties got sewn- one is awaiting stuffing. Sometimes I find these projects on our "free table" at quilt guild. So I know I'm not alone in my affinity for them. It's fun to get them done all together. And now I'll look for their new homes.


Thursday, November 9, 2017

Day Trip to Downton Abbey... Part Two




Here is Part Two of highlights from the "Dressing Downton" exhibit at St. Augustine's Lightner Museum. What does one wear when being presented to the King and Queen of England during the Debutante Season in the early 1920s? Something lavishly beaded, lacy, and formal. And, according the the strict dress code, a headdress with three white Prince-of-Wales feathers attached to tulle veiling was required. The gray velvet dress on the right was worn by the Countess of Grantham, Lady Cora in Season 4.



This beaded silk dress was also one worn to Lady Rose's debutante ball in London.



Lady Mary Crawley wore this stunning dress of black net over light-color silk in the first season, circa 1913. The dress is embroidered with silver starbursts. This creation ranked near the top of my favorites, though it was not easy to choose favorites, the fashions were all so beautiful.



"Below stairs", the servants were garbed in black cotton dresses topped with decorative white ruffled aprons. Lady's Maid Anna Smith was often seen in this kind of garment in the early seasons of the show. Her job was to dress the Crawley daughters, choose their jewelry, and arrange their hair.



Lady Cora Crawley wore this fitted coat with black frogging and a large silk-trimmed hat during Season 1, circa 1913.



The museum had a nursery vignette set up with this lovely carved cradle and lace canopy, from their collection.



Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess, wore this purple day dress with a silk bolero and close-fitting hat in Season 1. The color was one permitted for those who were in "half-mourning" after a proper period of time had passed following a loss. The Crawleys had lost a family member in the Titanic disaster. Notice the clusters of grapes or wisteria on the lamp behind the dress. Another of my favorite pieces from the museum's collection.



Does it look as if I'm stalking the Crawley sisters? They were certainly fun to hang out with for the day. It does seem as if this exhibit is the final one in the tour which began at The Biltmore in Asheville, NC.



We worked up a hunger at the exhibit, so enjoyed this lovely salmon dish at La Pentola Restaurant nearby.



The Lightner is housed in the former Alcazar Hotel which was built by industrialist, founder of Standard Oil, and railroad magnate Henry Flagler in 1888. It houses Chicago publisher Otto Lightner's extensive collections of Victorian era decorative arts, and has a lovely collection of Tiffany glass. This is a stained glass image of St. Augustine.



One tidbit of note about the old Hotel Alcazar is that in the late 1800s, in addition to a casino and bowling alley, it also had the world's largest indoor swimming pool. You're looking at it here. Currently a restaurant and wedding venue, this was once a huge swimming pool where meets were held. Hotel guests could look down upon the pool from the mezzanine and upper level balconies. Learn more here, and see some photos of the watery phenomenon.

I may have just talked myself into watching the Downton Abbey series again!





Thursday, November 2, 2017

Day Trip to Downton Abbey, sort of...




Are you a fan of the PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey? The several seasons of the drama spanned the years from 1912 to 1926 in Great Britain. It told the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servant staff as they lived through epic historic events and social change. If you are a fan, the beautiful and memorable fashions of the era surely caught your eye. I had the opportunity recently to visit the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine where the "Dressing Downton" exhibit is on display until January. I may need to return for a second visit. It was wonderful! This dress was worn by the character Lady Rose MacClare, a Crawley relative in Season 4, era early 1920s.




Other than the clothing and the rugs, which were loaned for this exhibit, everything in the room settings is taken from the Lightner Museum collection. The docent explained that it took weeks to get things out of storage, cleaned, and arranged for this display. All the furnishings were safely on the third floor and ready for the exhibit when St. Augustine experienced flooding during September's Hurricane Irma. Every room setting was so thoughtfully put together, that each one was a large part of the enjoyment of my visit. This is Lady Mary Crawley's dress from Season 1, era 1913.




Lady Mary wore this dress in Season 2, era 1917-1920. It's pink silk with a black net overlay, stitched with sequins and beads.



One of the Crawley daughters, Lady Sybil became a nurse to support the World War I effort. This nurse's uniform represents the era 1918 during Season 2. It's shorter and less full than fashionable because of the shortage of cotton during the war.




The masculine wool breeches and tailored coat for women reflected the need for women to do "men's work" during and after the war. Lady Edith Crawley learned to drive a car and she rode a bike around the estate farm.





Finally, I was able to join the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley; the Countess, Lady Cora Crawley; and the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley for an evening at the theater. I'll show some more of these wonderful fashions in an upcoming blog post. And I'll tell you a bit more about the museum, which is remarkable all on its own. Meantime, if you are near St. Augustine, Florida in the coming months, do try to see this exhibit!