Quilts! Not Just Tops!

I'm so excited to have two of my tops returned to me from my Colorado quilter, Alycia.

I mailed them off to her in May, knowing I would be in Denver during June.

We met up last week!  Now, I have two lovely quilted tops turned into Quilts!

This one was from Bonnie Hunter's free list of quilts.

Alycia did stars!  Just perfect for this starry quilt!

The other top was my Bonnie's 2015 mystery.  I think it's no longer free pattern, but

I love doing this one--used up lots of my stash reds and golds.

This one was quilted with circles!  Love it!

Binding is sewn on--next comes hand stitching.

Hmmm, wonder if the blond headed daughter would like this one--

it is quite large and would fit her bed nicely.

Father's Day

Father's Day in the United States

Father's Day in the United States is on the third Sunday of June. It celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make for their children's lives. Its origins may lie in a memorial service held for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907.

Father's Day is a day for fathers and father-like figures.

©iStockphoto.com/aldomurillo

What Do People Do?

Father's Day is an occasion to mark and celebrate the contribution that your own father has made to your life. Many people send or give cards or gifts to their fathers. Common Father's Day gifts include sports items or clothing, electronic gadgets, outdoor cooking supplies and tools for household maintenance.

Father's Day is a relatively modern holiday so different families have a range of traditions. These can range from a simple phone call or greetings card to large parties honoring all of the 'father' figures in a particular extended family. Father figures can include fathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and even other male relatives. In the days and weeks before Father's Day, many schools and Sunday schools help their pupils to prepare a handmade card or small gift for their fathers.

Public Life

Father's Day is not a federal holiday. Organizations, businesses and stores are open or closed, just as they are on any other Sunday in the year. Public transit systems run to their normal Sunday schedules. Restaurants may be busier than usual, as some people take their fathers out for a treat.

Background and symbols

There are a range of events, which may have inspired the idea of Father's Day. One of these was the start of the Mother's Day tradition in the first decade of the 20th century. Another was a memorial service held in 1908 for a large group of men, many of them fathers, who were killed in a mining accident in Monongah, West Virginia in December 1907.

A woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was an influential figure in the establishment of Father's Day. Her father raised six children by himself after the death of their mother. This was uncommon at that time, as many widowers placed their children in the care of others or quickly married again.

Sonora was inspired by the work of Anna Jarvis, who had pushed for Mother's Day celebrations. Sonora felt that her father deserved recognition for what he had done. The first time Father's Day was held in June was in 1910. Father's Day was officially recognized as a holiday in 1972 by President Nixon.

Fall Cometh!

Elizabeth Felgate has designed this lovely shawl for Fall issue of Knotions

WHEN DOVES CRY SHAWL BY AFIFA  

Hopi Rain Sash

 DAM (Denver Art Museum) had an exhibit of "Why We Dance" and on display were various Native American costumes--all decorated with beads, feathers, bells and also on display was this Hopi Rain Sash and Stockings.  The only info was "Hopi Artist--1950; Rain Sash and stockings".  The comment was cotton and corn husk.  I couldn't see the corn husk so did some research.  

Looking at this tightly woven sash, I could see a twill pattern--and it is definitely cotton fiber.

The display showed how it was worn

and the close-up shows the intriguing twill pattern, but where are the corn husks?

"The cotton stockings look to be crochet or netting--no info on the technique, just Zia Artist, 1940's--During ceremonies, many Pueblo dancers wear decorative white cotton leggings with long white fringe on each side to emphasize their movements. Another very important piece of the dance clothing is a white sash tied around the dancer's waist, sometimes called a rain sash.  The extreme length of the fringe simulates falling rain as rows of dancers move across the plaza"

Here is the other info I gathered in my research about the rain sash.

This is a very tightly woven example. Cotton balls with corn husk interiors symbolize rain clouds, rain fall and the expectation of vegetal fertility. “The wide belt is part of the bridal robe woven by the male relatives of the bride-groom in the preparation phase before the wedding. As in all Hopi textiles, it is full of symbolic references. The cords, tied with thick knots, represent falling rain. 

The thick knots, which represent clouds are filled with a ball of corn husk and the fringe represents falling rain. Corn is the ultimate objective of planting and irrigation.

Abstract Colors

It was a treat to visit DAM (Denver Art Museum) on members' preview day for

this exciting exhibit of women of abstract expressionism.

I tried to take a photo of each of the paintings, but

here I've posted just a few of the colors of

abstract paintings!

Wednesday, Here We Come

It's another Wednesday--'humpday' to the week.  And what's on tap for our Wednesday Yarn Along?

I'm so proud of myself--whoops, almost broke my arm from patting myself on my back!

Anyway, I have finished June's pattern for 2016 lace scarf designed by Elizabeth Ravenwood--found

on Ravelry.  The color looks washed out--I'm all caught up!

Flag Day

In American history, June 14 isn’t just a day to honor the flag.

While the 1777 resolution establishing a national flag was the impetus for the national holiday known as Flag Day, that date also holds great significance for the U.S. Army. Two years earlier, just weeks after the Battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American Revolution, the Congress formally authorized the enlistment of soldiers to fight in what became known as the Continental Army. So this Friday, remember to wish the U.S. Army a happy 238th birthday.

Only one state observes Flag Day as a legal state holiday.

It took more than a century after the creation of America’s flag for anyone to suggest a holiday to honor it. In 1885, a Wisconsin grade school teacher named Bernard Cigrand held what’s believed to be the first recognized Flag Day, which began a lifelong quest to establish a formal holiday. Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation calling for a June 14 commemoration in 1916, but it wasn’t until 1949, 16 years after the death of the Cigrand, the “father of Flag Day,” that Congress passed legislation as a national holiday. It is not, however, a federal holiday. In fact, it’s only an official holiday in any capacity in one state. Perhaps fittingly, it’s Pennsylvania, where the flag was officially created and legend holds (though it’s wholly unsubstantiated) that local seamstress Betsy Ross sewed the original flag.

The only casualties at Fort Sumter were flag-related.

More than 620,000 Americans lost their life during the Civil War, but only two of those fatalities occurred during the first battle of the war. When Confederate forces began a bombardment of Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861, Union commander Major Robert Anderson held out for more than 34 hours before finally surrendering the fort. One of Anderson’s conditions for surrendering was that his men be allowed to observe a 100-gun salute as the American flag was lowered from the fort. During the ceremony, a nearby pile of rifle cartridges exploded, killing two soldiers (the first fatalities of the war) and injuring four others. Anderson carried the flag, badly damaged during the bombardment, to the north where it was frequently displayed to boost morale. Four years to the day after Anderson’s surrender, he once again raised the flag over Sumter after the Union had recaptured the fort. Just a few hours later, Abraham Lincoln would be fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre.

There are very specific colors used to create the flag.

It’s the Textile Color Card Association of the United States (TCCA) that creates the palate of colors used for both private and public institutions, and the U.S. Army that issues a reference guide of acceptable shades to be used in local, state and national flags. So if you’re trying to produce a truly authentic American flag, you’ll need to use the exact shades of white, “Old Glory Red” and “Old Glory Blue,” specified in the guide. However, mass-market flag manufacturers have been known to fudge a bit and use the more-easily processed Pantone Matching Shades of Dark Red (193 C) and Navy Blue (281 C).

If early politicians had their way, you would see a lot less of the American flag.

While the battle over perceived desecration of the flag remains a hot button issue today, some of the first anti-desecration measures had little to do with flag burning or other destructive measures. In fact, 19th century lawmakers were more concerned with the already rampant use of the flag as a promotional tool by advertisers, which they considered treating the banner with “contempt.” Many of the first statutes passed by state and local governments aimed to restrict use of the flag’s image on commercial products. In 1907, the Supreme Court upheld these laws in the case of Halter v. Nebraska, and many of them remain on the books today.