Demonstrating

Well the "season" is starting for the local historical and heritage centers and their "Colonial Days", "Fall Days" and things like that.

I belong to a rug guild in New Jersey and they are very active with promoting rug hooking and doing demonstrating at these type of events. A few years ago when I joined the guild I offered to help with the ones local to me - which is good because most of the members from New Jersey.

So every Fall and Spring I help out at some of these events and from one event someone will ask you to demonstrate at another. So it can keep you busy on weekends if you agree to them all!

Saturday I was at the Trappe Historical Society's, Henry Muhlenberg House, http://www.trappehistoricalsociety.org/muhlenberg.html

It's not as large as some of the other events but there is always a big turnout. There were lots of "handwork" demonstrators - Spinning, lace making, cording making, tape making, quilting, mending, and of course there were others making shaker boxes, corn shelling, and more. The Boy Scouts were there selling hot dogs and pretzels and ice cream. It couldn't have been a nicer day - the weather was absolutely gorgeous

Most of the handwork was around the tree - you had to watch out though - this tree was laden with acorns and when a good breeze came up - you got knocked in the head with them!

This is Ronnie - I sat next to her last year - She's also a rug hooker - She's braiding silk ties this time. She will also be at the Apple Butter Frolic (another one I will be demonstrating at) and I believe she will be braiding corn husks there which she said the PA Germans used as door mats. Very interesting what you learn at these events.

There was one woman that was extremely interested and turns out she only lives a town over. So I'm going to take a page out of my friend Kathy's book and help her get started. I will lend her everything she needs and give her some wool and linen to get started. She quilts and she said she can draw - thank goodness - so I told her think about something simple she would like to hook to start and I'll her draw the pattern and then I will teach her to hook. Hope she likes it.

Sunday was a quiet day. Later in the afternoon I decided to go lay down in the spare room and read a book - well it wasn't 30 seconds before Riley joined me and curled up at my knees, about a minute later - Jonesy trotted in and curled up on the other side - My husband came in and started laughing and said I was a kitty sandwich - they were snuggled in so tight - there was a nice cool breeze coming thru the window so we had a cover! Well needless to say I think I dozed a bit myself - very unlike me - I am not a "napper" at all! Well later I had to get up just to move - so ran and got my camera - here are the boys oozed into the bed - and yes i was in between them about a minute before that!

It's another beautiful day in Pennsylvania today - hope everyone is having a good Monday!