Traveling Mississippi Gulf Coast

On our recent journey to Florida for our spinning conference, we stopped into the 

Mississippi Visitors Center, along Interstate 10.  I don't think we have ever

stopped here in the past 10 years--

Most people just hurry inside to use the facilities, but I walk around to see what

is on the grounds as every rest stop is different.  This one had lovely birds

perched in the tree tops

These birds were hand carved with chain saws and upon

further investigation, I learned the story behind these marvelous

sculptures

After Hurricane Katrina, which was so disastrous to the Gulf Coast,

many of the lovely oaks and other hard wood trees stood bare

and naked to the sky.

Thank goodness, there are some who know what it feels like to be

striped of all dignity as many folks who lost their homes, these

trees stood as a reminder of the days that passed.

In true fashion, people rally behind those less fortunate and assist them to

rebuild their lives--such was the case of Marlin and Preston Miller--a father

and son team who took upon themselves the task of giving hope to those

who languished in this horrible storm. 

I was humbled to see these structures and reflected on that time in history.

Quilt Con East

What a wonderful place to be for Quilt Con East--

Savannah, Georgia!  A lovely setting for a great event!

Catalog

As someone who has attended Quilt Con twice, this is an event not to be missed!

St. Valentine's Day

THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

Did You Know?

Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

ORIGINS OF VALENTINE’S DAY: A PAGAN FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois. 

TYPICAL VALENTINE’S DAY GREETINGS  In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Stitch Away.............The Love of Home

I love stitching!  It's a form of mediation for me--I don't need anything else but my fabric, a nice pattern and my boxes of embroidery threads.  And I love this new series of stitching patterns that
Jenny has designed.  The Love of Home!

A sweet pattern that includes some applique--check it out--Free for the month!

and come stitching with me!

I Could Knit These All Day...............

Hearts to You! from Barrett Wool and Susan Anderson!

Such darling hearts that can be knitted in a few minutes

If you use wool, you can felt and have a delightful garland

for your sweetheart.  Find the pattern on the website

and knit away!

FREE! FREE! Skillbuilder!

If you want to accomplish more with your sewing abilities

or need some maintenance with your skills, then this is the

monthly FREE Quilt Along for you!

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Sherri had free

blocks for us each month--well, Sherri has designed this

quilt as a Skillbuilder and the first block is up and ready

for you to download--and yes, there is a video tutorial!

Grab the pattern and sew sew sew to build your sewing skills and

have a finished (we hope) quilt in the process!

It's Never Too Early!

Houston Fiber Fest

Is coming up this summer--JUNE 23-25, 2017 AT THE BERRY CENTER IN CYPRESS, TX

This is Lester, the mascot for Fiber Fest.  The Fiber Fest will feature two outstanding

knitters in 

Lucy Neatby is an internationally recognized teacher, designer, and writer who thrills knitters around the world with her inimitable charm, knowledge, and uniquely colourful designs. Her passion for nurturing and empowering knitters, and putting them in control of their art, is legendary! She is the author of three books: Cool Socks Warm Feet, Cool Knitters Finish in Style, A Little Book of BIG Holes for Hand-knitters! and the Learn With Lucy DVD series.

JC Briar is a self-professed knitter, puzzle solver, and chart fanatic. She likes to ask questions, probe beyond the surface, and figure things out for herself. Which cast on method really is the most stretchy? How do you knit sock heels and toes that really fit? JC has honed her teaching skills to recognize that different students have different learning styles, and she tries to adapt to match each student’s needs. JC is author of the book Charts Made Simple and creator of the revolutionary Stitch Maps charting software.

You have plenty of time to knit up Lester!  A Free pattern from Gritty Knits