Kalamazoo Living History Show - Part One

The 2022 Kalamazoo Living History Show is in the books and what a show it was.

I took Jolis Chevaux on the road for the first time and set up adjacent to Leslie and Rick's booth (that's Rick in the top hat talking to author Eddie Price.)

Since early January, I'd spent hours sewing 18th century period clothing - from left, a bedgown, five shortgowns, two pinner and drawstring aprons, and pockets. (Doesn't Shelly's quilt block look nice on the clothing rack?)

A capote (I did not make that), chemises (also called shifts), men's shirts, and petticoats.

In my embroidery work I had discovered a brand of towels that also had colors and patterns that were 18th century period appropriate and so I decided to sell those.

Beeswax sewing cakes were especially fun to make and an entirely new venture for me. The smell of them is heavenly! Pin pillows are on the left. 

Not only were Leslie and Rick vending, they also own this event and this was its 46th year. 

It's well established and was a good place for me to set up for the first time to see if I could make clothing that folks would buy.

Teacher Daughter Lisa is on spring break and came with me - her hobby is re-enacting living history. She is wearing a 19th century/Civil War period riding habit.

Participants were allowed into the venue at 7:00 AM to put the final touches on their displays and set ups.

By the time the doors opened at 9:00 to the public, there was a line of people wrapped around the expo building. A second door was opened on the other side of the venue and soon its line did the same thing!

Those long lines were harbingers of how the day would go. Instead of worrying that folks might not buy my clothes, I should have worried about having enough clothing to sell - by the end of the first day, I had sold 3/4 of my inventory. 

Because I was so busy, I did not get any more photos taken that day. The next day, though, was not quite as hectic and so I did get some then.

Stay 'tooned!

I'm Back!

I'm home from the living history event and super tired. (A nap is on today's schedule, that is for sure.) Tomorrow I will share more, but in the meantime, enjoy these photos of women enjoying wearing riding habits. (They really are comfy!)

Lisa and me. These are both 18th century period habits.

My sister Leslie and me. Her habit is also 18th century. 

Lisa wearing a Civil War period habit with her uncle, Rick, Leslie's husband and my brother-in-love.

More tomorrow, so stay-tooned!

BRB

I got back late last night from a visit to Michigan and have lots to share. More on that tomorrow!

 

Welcome, Spring!

Happy Spring, all! 

A late 1960s photo of our apple orchard in full bloom.

The perfect place for a picnic with Grandma and Grandpa Honeywell, my parents, siblings and dog Benny.

I can almost smell those blossoms as I type!

The Full Sized Quilt

A few months ago, Shelly, my best friend from high school, send me a beautiful quilt block that featured a horse. 

Shelly hand stitched and hand quilted the entire block, and it is beautiful.

The horse and its tack is appliquéd (again, by hand) to the quilt block. Makes my hands hurt just to look at all those details and teeny tiny stitches.

The original quilt that was the inspiration for Shelly's quilt was done by a woman named Rachel Meyer in the mid 1800s. That quilt is in the collection of the Museum of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. (Photo from their web site.)

  Shelly recently completed her Rachel Meyer quilt and posted a photo of it on Instagram.

She made herself a second quilt block like the one she made me and placed it in the upper left hand corner.

My quilt block is going to be on display and used as a customer draw/business sign for me when I take Jolis Chevaux on the road. When I do, I will share some photos of it here.

The Story of Molly

This is the beginning of an intermittent series titled, The Story of... where I will write about some of the dogs that have graced our home, both past and present. Today I will share the story of Molly.

I haven't written much about the dogs recently but they are very much a presence in our lives. I took this snap of Nash, Pepper, and Molly at Lisa's home earlier this week.

Molly was originally our dog, not Lisa's. We got her from a rescue and she had come from a situation where she had been used as a breeder for puppies. Was it an actually puppy mill? We are not sure. But it had similar conditions to one.

Molly as she looked when she arrived at the rescue. She's dirty, she's stressed, and she's very, very scared. This photo breaks my heart. (She'd also just had a litter of nine puppies taken away from her.)

She came to us with terrible fears and anxieties - we have no idea what happened to her or why she was (and still is) so terrified of things, especially men.

Craig and I struggled to make her feel comfortable. She got to the point where she would let me approach her and pet her, but would leap in alarm at the slightest sound or if I moved too quickly. She also began to relax somewhat around Craig, although she did not want him to touch her.

Enter Lisa and her dog, Millie. Lisa teaches school and so a couple of times a week, she would bring Millie over for the day, just so she would have some company and get out of the house. 

Lisa and Millie. Photo by Vanessa Isenbarger/Pearl Photo and Design

Millie was an older dog and we noticed that Molly would relax and was much more comfortable when Millie was visiting. She enjoyed having the company of another dog and had more confidence when Millie was around.

We also noticed that Molly ADORED Lisa - she would run to the door and greet Lisa when she arrived to pick up Millie, and then sit by her side if Lisa stayed and visited a while. Molly was a different dog around those two and clearly much happier with them than she was with us.

After nine months, Craig and I finally made the difficult decision to let Molly go and be Lisa's dog and not ours. I cried and cried after she left. But that turned out to be the absolute best decision we could have made for Molly.

Molly had found her forever home. She was deliriously happy and stuck like glue to Lisa's side.

Millie and Molly were companions for three years and then, sadly, Millie passed away in February, 2021. Knowing Molly needed a companion, Lisa got another rescue dog - Nash.

Big, goofy, still-puppyish Nash, young enough to be Molly's great-grandson and big and gentle enough to make her feel safe and secure.

In less than a day, they had bonded and Molly was cuddling up with him to sleep.

It's been a bit over four years since her rescue, and Molly is doing really well. While she still can startle easily and is very hesitant around people she does not know, she has accepted Craig and me and is not afraid of us anymore.

Me giving Molly a good skritch under her foreleg a few weeks ago. Her toes are splayed in delight and her ears are in happy position.

Snooze buddies - Craig petting her as he falls asleep in his chair. (She had approached him and asked for some attention.)

Enjoying some Skinny Pop with me while Lisa is at school. (Molly got the first piece and is chewing.)

Checking me out recently when I was trying to nap on the couch. She was hoping I'd pet her instead of sleeping - what a change from the days when she would run from our touch!

Look at the love in her eyes! She is sitting up on her hind legs and has placed her paw on Lisa's arm.

Trusted to be off leash and enjoying the summer grass in our yard.

It took the first eight years of her life to get there, but Molly now knows she is safe and loved. And she loves right back. 

Deeply.

Unsealing My Lips - an Announcement!

 At last! I can share some news that I have been excited about ever since last fall.

See that bottom right photo on the BreyerFest workshop page?

That's me - I am teaching a workshop for BreyerFest: Prost on how to make Pony Pads!

When Breyer contacted me in early November, they invited me to teach an in-person seminar at Kentucky Horse Park. I was willing, but I felt that asking Breyer to have 20 plus sewing machines on hand for me would not be feasible. (To say nothing of the irons and ironing boards that would be required, too.) So, I suggested I do an online seminar instead. Breyer agreed.

Daughter-in-love Vanessa is a professional photographer with her own studio downtown and she agreed to help me with the seminar's recording and production. 

Last weekend she came over to film the seminar. (I made an oblique reference to it in this blog post but at that point I could not share what project we were working on together.)

I was a little nervous beforehand but as a teacher, I've taught many seminars in the past and teacher-mode soon kicked in.

Breyer sent me an email yesterday and said that since the workshops have now been posted, I could begin promoting mine. 

All collectors who purchase tickets will be able to watch my seminar. That includes virtual tickets, so if you want to see it but aren't attending BreyerFest in person, you can watch it that way. (Virtual tickets go on sale later this month.)

As I understand it, that is the only way you will be able to watch - I won't be able to put the video on YouTube for you all to see when BreyerFest is over.

I've attended many BreyerFests, but this is the first time I've presented anything. I've always thought that if I ever did, it would be in connection with collectibility or vintage Breyers. 

Never did I dream that my other hobby of sewing would bring me into the Breyer spotlight.