Folks from Near and Far

Yesterday, three women from the Netherlands came to the shop.  After talking for a few minutes and telling them how much I had enjoyed my three visits to their homeland, I figured they would probably be a good topic for the blog - how much I relish meeting new people from such interesting places.  But as the day wore on, the story changed.

A friend from town who is learning to quilt came by for a bit of advice, some new fabric, and eventually, a cup of tea.  While chatting as we drank our tea, we were joined by a young woman who came in to check out the shop.  She told us she was from the midwest but now lived in Denver.  When my friend, Ellen, asked where in the midwest, we were all surprised to hear that she was from the same small town where Ellen had grown up, that Ellen's family had patronized Kate's family gas station, they had both attended the same parish, and that their relatives had been friends growing up.  Kate joined us for tea and told us she is considering a future move to Georgetown.  I, for one, think she would make a fine addition to our town!

Bighorn Sheep Festival

Courtesy of the Colorado Department of Wildlife

This Saturday is Georgetown's Bighorn Sheep Festival and it is no wonder that the sheep like to come down from the mountains and head toward town with all of the activities planned for the day.  Of course, there is also the fact that it's mating season and stepping out to town for a date is a time-honored tradition in so many cultures.  To learn more about Georgetown's herd and the schedule of activities for the day, click here: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Viewing/Pages/Viewing.aspx  Better yet, come to town and see them in person.  Though I have a variety of wool at The Quilted Purl, none of it comes from the Bighorn Sheep.  However, you could celebrate the day by knitting!

To Market, To Market to Buy a Fat Quarter (or more like several hundred!)

Last week I went to Houston, Texas to attend my first trade show, Quilt Market, and had a  blast.  Thanks to the kind generosity and gracious hospitality of my cousin Rosemary and her husband Tom, I stayed in a beautiful home, had delicious meals, and didn't have to drive a single mile.  All that, a chance to catch up with relatives (including my sister-in-law who is opening a shop in NH this spring), and a quilting bonanza to boot!  Those of you who quilt will recognize quilting maven, Eleanor Burns, in the picture above. She is just as upbeat and personable in "real life" as she is on the screen.  What a treat to meet with so many quilting people introducing new techniques, new products, and new fabrics.  And then, like the nursery rhyme says, "Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!"

Tied to My Great Grandmother's Apron Strings

I wear an apron often and have done so for years.  Time was, and this goes back hundreds (thousands?) of years, when most women wore one most of the time.  What a useful part of a wardrobe the apron is.  Not only does it protect the clothing underneath, it also provides a towel that is right at hand, and even a potholder in a pinch.  As a child and teenager, the aprons I wore were my mother's.  I remember that she would sew some every year for the "apron table" at our church bazaar and then buy one made by someone else from the same table.  There must be an economics lesson in there somewhere!

In 1968, my future husband gave me a hope chest - a beautiful cherry chest in which to store the linens I was beginning to collect for our life together.  When my grandmother, Memere, learned I had a hope chest she took me upstairs and opened her own hope chest.  Inside her cedar lined chest were linens that she had saved over the years, including an apron made by my great-grandmother, which she presented to me, the eldest grand-daughter.  It has been in my hope chest for the past 43 years and will be until my grand-daughter, Ruby, has a hope chest to put it in for her future.  It is made of a very thin organza, frilly, hand embroidered, and practically speaking, totally useless.  To me, it is priceless and one of my most precious possessions.

There are aprons for sale at The Quilted Purl.  Yesterday, a woman came in and as she was leaving, noticed the aprons.  She paused and then told me how her mother is now in an assisted living facility where they recently had a tea for the women residents.  The feature of the tea was a woman who came with an apron collection and told the story of each one.  The residents had been invited to bring their own aprons to the tea and had the opportunity to then share their own apron stories.

My thanks to this customer for making me remember my apron story.  How about you?  Something to share?

It's a Small World After All

On November 1, The Quilted Purl will have been opened for five months.  As I have mentioned in past posts, one of the most interesting and rewarding aspects for me has been meeting the folks who come through the shop door and up the stairs.  In the past five months, I have met people from each of the continents shown above, except Antarctica.  Just yesterday two women from South Africa stopped by and bought a few fat quarters to bring home, and I also had the chance to chat with women from Florida, Alabama, British Columbia, and Germany.  The language of knitting and quilting is certainly international.  If there are any knitters or quilters on Antarctica, come on by - I'd love to meet you!

As much fun as it is to meet new folks, I was also able to meet with old friends.  A former teammate came by with her mother on Tuesday, to see the shop and visit over a cup of tea, giving me the gift of a very pleasant  afternoon.  Then today, a high school friend and his wife stopped by on the road from Massachusetts to California.  What a treat it was to reminesce about our hometown, high school days, and old friends.

On June 1, 2011, I never dreamed such interesting people would come into my life.  What a blessing!

Going Out for Breakfast with the Family

Whole grain cereal, fruit, a cup of tea, and some whole grain bread.  That's my idea of a great breakfast and I have all the makings for it right at home.  So, breakfast would not be my choice for a meal out.  The rest of my family, however, loves to go to one of the many nearby restaurants for a "real" breakfast.  As I stepped out of my front door yesterday, I saw another family out for breakfast.  It must have been something of a progressive affair as they had already dined on all the vestiges of my summer petunias, moved next door for the main course, and then across the street to conclude breakfast with the "family!"

Crisp Fall Day

 
         My brother, an excellent writer and prolific blogger, has gently reminded me that I have not posted for quite a few days.  His blog at A Concord Pastor Comments, is my favorite!

         Were I to choose three "weather" words that delight me, they would have to be "crisp fall day," and we in Georgetown have recently been blessed with a few of them.  The other morning as I walked to the shop, the sun was shining brightly, the breeze teased with the idea of becoming a wind, and there was the thinnest layer of ice on the recently formed rain puddles.  It was too beautiful a morning to let go, so I grabbed my camera and snapped the picture above.  Good thing I did since by five o'clock that afternoon, the temp had dropped, the sun was gone, and our first snow flurries since June made a brief appearance.
        Since that spectacular morning, the weather has continued to remind us we live in the Rocky Mountains and it is October.  The winds blew so fiercely Wednesday morning that when I arrived at the shop, the sign was hanging on by one broken carabineer  and swinging wildly.  Which brings me to today.  Taking advantage of today's bright sunshine, I moved a chair outside the shop door and spent a pleasant afternoon finishing the binding of a wall hanging and knitting a hat.  Meanwhile, ten miles to the west it was opening day at Loveland Ski Area!