vintage afghans

Quilts are not the only thing I have been sighing and mooning over this past week. I also started looking at afghans, which run a close second in my heart to quilts.  The only problem is, most afghans are, let's face it, very cozy looking but very ugly.

Some of them are truly beautiful, though. Especially black bordered and colorful granny squares. The smaller the better. I can't get enough of them.

found here

found here

Of all of the granny square afghans I saw on eBay, this third one is my favorite--the slightly more pastel colors against the black is just gorgeous:

found here

Ugh, I find myself starting to covet.  Which is actually why I am sharing these things with you!  Partly for the fun of it, and partly because when there is something I really, really like but can't justify owning, putting it here on my blog is almost as good as actually owning it. Maybe better, because now I can appreciate it while not actually having it in my house.

(I just caught myself gazing at the above image and sighing wistfully. No joke--beautiful, hand-crafted, nostalgic things tug at my very soul. : )

But just like the quilts, there are as many variations on pattern and color and style as there are women with crochet hooks.  Even if I would not choose it for my house, I can admire the artistry.

found here

found here

snatched up by someone else as I was writing this, so no link

Although maybe I would like to own that last one. So deliciously retro, and I'm seriously a sucker for itty-bitty squares.

The next two are listed as being made by an elderly serviceperson.  I imagine this person is allowing some of his/her creations to be sold by a family member for a little side income.  Maybe from a nursing home. I've never seen this pattern before, and in this first color combination it really works:

found here

And this next color combination is just so grandma it makes me smile and wish I could give my own grandmas a hug (don't you think Grandma Betha would have like it, Mom?):

 

 

And speaking of making me smile:

 

I'm not linking it, because none of you would possibly buy an afghan this ugly. Right?

 

Mom, if it were not missing the red chevron stripe I would think this is the old afghan from the basement!  No offense, Mom, if you were the one who made it. Clearly it was a very popular color combination in the day.  And whatever critique I might be casting upon it for its color scheme is completely overshadowed by the fact that it was a perpetual favorite of all us kids in our childhood. It was well loved, for a long time--and that's the whole point of a good afghan.

 

This next afghan does not look all that old, and I would guess was made within the last 10 years or so, when blue and brown were so popular together. But the effect is very pretty, very appealing:

 



 

 

 

 

found here

 

Oh, how pretty that one is!  Like a flower garden.  What a sweet vision the maker of that afghan had.

 

The final one I want to share just about breaks my heart it is so pretty:

 

found here

 

I know: you're thinking, well, it's pretty, but no prettier than any of the others. . . ? 

 

First of all, if you had seen several thousand afghans on eBay in the past two days, you would be thrilled at its beauty. ; )

 

 

Then look at those gorgeously made roses, which add dimension and depth and texture to the afghan surface.

 

Then notice the careful use of color: most afghans of this style repeat the exact same color in every square, which ends up being dull and monotonous.  This crafter alternated two different shades of rose, which also adds depth and beauty to the overall piece.  The eye does not get tired looking at it.

 

 

Not only did the crafter use more than one color of pink, but she arranged the roses in patterns of 4. This creates a sense of balance and order, and even hints at a quilt-like design.

Then even the edge is finished in a pretty little border--also reminiscent of a quilt binding.  And look at the careful crochet-work apparent in this photo's lighting.  So well done. So beautiful.

Ugh, it is so pretty and perfect is almost gives me a stomach ache. 

And it's $45, plus a hefty shipping cost, all the way from Massachusetts.

Which is kinda a lot for an old blanket.  But on the other hand, isn't.

I could buy this. Right now.

But I'm not sure I should. . . I was looking for some "new" bedding for the kids, but not sure this exactly fits the bill, being larger than I need for one girl.  And I don't need it on my bed. In fact, it would not match our bedding. (Which you realize is important to me, since our bed is also our "sofa.")  I also don't need it immediately, just when we get the bed project done and the kids are not sharing blankets anymore. If I did buy it, it would definitely be loved and used. But I'm not sure it's the best practical choice. That and whatever girl--probably either Sunny or Happy--received it would be the envy of her sisters.  Maybe even her brother. ; ) Which might compel me to look for more gorgeous afghans on eBay for the others. . .

So that's why I stole all the photos from the person's listing. So I could have a way of holding onto it even if it's not meant to be mine. : )  Another person could snatch it up. Or I might be tempted for a while and ultimately choose not to give in.  But in the meantime, sharing its beauty with you all makes me happy, and lessens the temptation to buy it rashly.

Now that I've been going on about things that make me happy inside, please tell me something that makes you happy!  I would love to share your little bits of happiness.

 

 

vintage quilts on eBay

I've found a happy space this week: on eBay, looking at vintage quilts and afghans!

I'm thinking of buying a couple of bedding pieces for the kids, if I find just the right things (at the right prices). But in the meantime, I'm seeing so much old handmade beauty, such love and care and pride and skill--it all makes me just so happy.

Some of the quilts are old and worn, and some are on the primitive side. But they all have something about them that caught my eye and made me smile:

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here.  I just love all the pretty stitching on an otherwise basic crazy quilt. Follow the link to see more pictures of the loveliness!

When something shows so much attention to detail, and pleasure in the careful stitching, it lifts my spirits.  It makes me wonder about the woman who spent so many hours thusly.  I imagine maybe working on this quilt was her happy place.

found here.  Click on the photo to enlarge and see the beautiful stitches.

I mean, how could a woman be grumpy when she was working on a quilt like this?  It seems the very embodiment of good nature and positive thinking:

found here

And some of the quilts I love because they remind me of the quilts that were around my parents' house growing up.  I can still call to mind the softly rumpled cotton fronts, and their smell--not old and musty, but not freshly laundered. Just somehow the comforting smell of things that seem to have always been, and which we imagine always will be.  The kind of smells and thoughts that a child can wrap around herself as much as the quilt itself.

found here

Some of the quilts I would never want to own, but I marvel at the maker's vision, and the many, many hours she must have spent laboring over this creation: 

found here

And some I would own in a heartbeat!

found here

found here

Some of them are only quilt tops, waiting for someone crafty to appreciate and finish the original maker's vision:

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here

This next quilt's maker had a very clear vision indeed. And while I never would have thought to make a cotton boll themed quilt, and certainly not in those colors, I absolutely love the fact that this woman did.  And admit it--once you realize that every boll is unique, it ends up being a little mesmerizing:

found here

I also admit that it can be a little melancholy seeing these women's special creations up for auction.  These are all vintage quilts, so not made specifically for sale on eBay.  They were made for a specific room, for a specific bed, for a specific loved one. Where is that loved one now?  How has the quilt fallen into such disfavor, or drifted so far from those who it was made for, that the current owners have no attachment to it? 

Some quilts tell such powerful stories--we can almost imagine who might have made them for what loved one. . .

found here. If you follow the link you can see close-ups of the woman's stitching

And some quilts don't keep us guessing--the maker's purpose and provenance are right there--but capture my imagination no less for it:

found here. I recommend going to the link to see more photos.

found here

Who was the woman who made this quilt?  Sized for a child, but seemingly barely used.  I can only guess at the story behind this labor of love:

found here

But I'm just so glad her work is living on. That others besides me are appreciating them, searching for them, buying them, using them or reusing them.  Giving old, unloved things new life.

If she knew, I think she would be pleased.

 

 

Monday morning

10:45 a.m.

Quiet house again--but this time, with three children in it. It's a foggy morning, so the outside is cool gray and green.  I made a fire earlier, and those of us here are perfectly content to be quietly engaged with our various activities.

It's a "fun school" week for us.  I've made a list for the younger three with some vaguely educational activities: things like reading aloud to youngers, working on craft projects, playing their online typing game, practicing instruments, playing with wooden math manipulatives.  So Merry is writing a letter to a friend who has recently moved away. Happy is finishing her morning routine in the bedroom, and is singing to herself quietly.  Smiley is engrossed in a little craft I just picked up this morning from Terry, our wonderful school liaison. It's a Christmas craft--and I so don't care about seasonal appropriateness at this moment.

Sunny has not been a presence here for weeks now.  At the very beginning of this month she went along with her "special same age friend" Tegan and her parents on a roadtrip--Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming. The Tetons, Yellowstone Park.  It was an incredible opportunity for adventure, and I can't wait to hear all about it. She got home yesterday afternoon around 4--just in time for her to shower and us all to get to the 5pm service at church. Then we stayed for the church dinner after, and chatted with people we had just met and helped put away tables and chairs, and by the time we got home it was time for her to shower and get ready for bed (and for her sisters to shower her with presents they had made her), and we only heard snatches of her trip before ten o'clock was upon us and Mommy was demanding lights out and quiet.

Now this morning she's starting her first day of Girls In Engineering camp!  I don't remember how we heard about this, but she applied and was accepted to a FREE week-long day camp  held at UC Santa Cruz.  It appears to be geared for girls from the local Spanish-speaking communities, to get them interested in careers in the sciences.  UCSC is sending a bus all the way down to Salinas to pick up girls (about an hour away) and is stopping at several other predominantly Spanish-speaking communities on the way.  So the girls who attend the camp get free transportation, free snacks, free lunch--so cool!  I'm very glad such opportunities exist for disadvantaged girls--and that we are getting to join in too.  So this morning I got her up and ready and off to the pick up location, and we won't see her again until pick up at 3:30.  Then I imagine she will need a quiet time, and then I have a feeling there will be talking and listening galore until bedtime.

I have a list for me today: some computer research, book reading, cooking. Not actually all that much--I'm super tired today for some reason, and just want to be quietly productive.  But as I sat down with my tea and blogs this morning, I came across a couple of really interesting articles, which perfectly correlate with some of the things which have been in my mind recently.  So I'm taking some time this morning to write.  I'm a little gloomy in spirit today--I think my cell phone might have been stolen on Saturday while I was at the Laundromat, and I feel frustrated and isolated and a little violated.  (So, don't try to call me--email is my only link to the outside world at the moment.) 

My gloom inside is being matched outside--during the time I've been sitting here writing, the light outside has darkened, and the house inside is almost dim enough to need lights turned on.  But I'm not going to do that--artificial lights turned on when it should be daylight is one of the most depressing things ever.  I've felt that way ever since I was a child.  I remember days at Dr. Howard Elementary School that were so stormy and dark outside that the teacher turned on the bright overhead lights and pulled down the shades--perhaps the storm was drawing our attention away from the classroom activities, or perhaps he thought it was safer.  But the effect--of harsh, unnatural light against those long, yellowed roller blinds, with the blackness still seeping in on the edges--I've never forgotten.  Similarly, I remember those winter nights in my parent's home when the blinds in the breakfast nook were pulled down when we had dinner at 5 pm, and that feeling I would get of it being wrong somehow, and of feeling trapped.

Whoo!  Time to get up and move and listen to some good music. I'm not really this dark inside--no worries. But it's probably no coincidence that the mental images coming to me now are of the efforts we humans sometimes make to hunker down and be safe and cozy, in a way that seems an unconscious (and ineffective) denial of the darkness outside.  The inside--bright and secure--seems unreal, or perhaps surreal, while the outside is darkness--cold and growing, and feeling very real.

My world feels a little like that at the moment, even on the sunny days.  It's unsafe out there. Heck, it's sometimes unsafe in here.  But I'm not called to safety, or to sunshine.

I'm called to be transformed.

On a MUCH lighter and totally related note:  listen to the first 30 seconds of this for a good laugh.

And have a Good day, however you spend it.

Saturday morning

I'm sitting here in a quiet house--a rarity these days. I think this might be the first time I have been alone in this house for weeks if not months. It won't last long--my Dear Husband took the kids to their martial arts class, which was over half an hour ago, so they're due back any minute.  I should be doing laundry or dishes or something, but I sat down instead with toast and tea and caught up on blogs and then watched/listened to old Voice performances on youtube while dressing and sweeping.

I chose someone's "Best 15 blind auditions" compilation, and it was full of excellent music and performances from the US, UK, Holland, Poland, Australia.  A couple of the songs at the end got me tearing up--the emotion the singers were putting into their songs, and the beauty in their God-given vocal gifts. The youtube sidebar then led me to some America's Got Talent episodes--a show I don't watch, but occasionally see a video clip of. But this morning somehow the 4 clips I watched all made me cry.  The family group of 12 kids performing a variant of "Favorite Things"--seriously, to see a whole auditorium of people charmed and delighted by this super large family was so refreshing, when most of what large families receive is derision and hatred.  Then the 83 year old singing a sly, clever & funny song (that is entirely inappropriate for kids, so makes me sad for the state of our nation--that such pieces are now considered family appropriate)--it was the way the judges and audience treated him with encouragement and respect even before he began, just to honor his age and say, "Good for you for trying, old man, even if you aren't any good," but then were so happy when he entertained them so thoroughly.  Then the Britian's Got Talent duo of the two boys singing/rapping their own anti-bullying song--and the twist in the song is the bully is the deadbeat dad of one of the boys.

I know--it sounds so pathetic to be sitting and watching such performances and crying. I can't help it--I automatically engage with the feelings of the person performing, or the story behind them being there, or the reaction of the parents or loved ones there to support them, or the judge that starts to cry.  The shows are silly, staged, edited for effect and definitely designed to tug at the heartstrings. But none of that matters.  The people performing, and their feelings, their longings, fears--those are real. And the way the audience or judges respond often show the best of who we can be--supportive, non-judgmental, cheering, empathizing.  Sometimes we get a little glimpse of who we are as a nation, or as people sharing this earth.  People who understand one another, if we just stop and listen and see.  The audiences that have strong reactions--they didn't mean to. They didn't plan it. But something in a person before them reached out and touched them, and they responded. Sometimes with whole hearts. 

It's called engagement.  It's a blessed, sacred thing. Even on reality performance TV shows.

OK, so that's all a bunch of nothingness. Except it isn't.  I have not been blogging because I have nothing to say, but because I have too much to say.  I am feeling so many things these days, and thinking so many things, and probably over feeling so many things, and definitely over thinking so many things. But I would rather be someone who cries at reality TV than someone who doesn't.  I am in a place of growing and learning, and it is scary and painful, but really, really good.

I'm also coming off of a 6 day visit here from my in-laws.  And I know my emotional response to these show clips is somehow a reflection of that--that I have been feeling and thinking so much that I can't turn it off, even when browsing youtube.

I keep saying I'm going to write again, even just snippets--but I have started so many posts and don't even get halfway through them!  I have a story to catch you all up on, and I think I will wait for 2 weeks--for the annual Week Without Children--before I try to write it. But I fear I am rusty at blogging now--so maybe I will try to post a few short things between now and then. We shall see.

But, until then:  smile and weep with me, and be in awe of what God can do in the most unexpected places. 

I hope you are all having a great month!

photo update on all manner of things

Well!  Sorry about that!  I did not mean to leave such a big gap in the writing--certainly not leave any cliff hangers.  So let me try to sum up the past couple of weeks:

--I confess I pretty much clocked out after Spring Break, and we've just coasted until the end of the school year, which was officially over this past Thursday. We had "easy" school these past weeks--and some of it resulted in the best homeschooling I think we have done all year.  We were schooling closer to my ideal--no curriculum, no tedium, but LOTS of fun educational moments, and kids eagerly owning their own learning.  Seriously--such a good reminder that excellent homeschool is not following along what someone else says to do, but figuring things out for ourselves and putting the knowledge into action. 

We also had to test Merry on running a mile and other P.E. things--a requirement of all 5th graders in the state--so we met up with my good friend Ali who also has a fifth grader and who shares my wonderful school liaison, Terry.  We all participated and did all the trials, even the moms! Ali documented the occasion with her camera, and I just loved how we took something that was seriously un-fun in nature and made it SUPER fun for everyone. Again, that's what homeschooling is about!

Upper left, Terry surrounded by her little school charges.

Running the mile. Some of them while holding hands.  I walked most of the mile, but actually RAN for about 1/8th of it.  The most I have run when not chasing a toddler, probably since college.  Hence the Chariots of Fire finish, upper right.

--We had good friends pack up and leave town--my friend Sara and her husband and 5 kids.  After a summer spent visiting family all the way across the country in MA, they are likely re-locating permanently to Oregon. So, we managed to fit in lots of quality time during their last month, with a big sleepover (their house of course!), park dates, a good-by party, and then I got to help with a little cleaning before they drove away. I didn't help that much, because Sara was so efficient and quick in getting them out, but I hope she felt loved and supported!  And now I am so glad for Facebook, because she updated where they were all across the country on their road trip, which was fun to share in, but also eased my mind for their continued safety.

Sara holding the newborn Elisabeth and me holding the newborn Smiley, back in Fall of 2008. I can't believe how young we look!  (She is about 10 years younger than I, however. : )

Sara and me May 2014.

Some of the Vintage homeschool kids playing together at the goodbye potluck for Sara's family

Our friend Ali was being the photographer again--this is the best family pic we have taken for a while

Then, the day Sara and her family drove away, I got totally sick--fortunately after she didn't need me anymore, since that was the last day we tried to have kids played while we did last minute cleaning.  But I came down with some nasty winter-season crud, here during our most beautiful summery weather.  And let me tell you, it really knocked me out--fever, chills, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, cough--the works.  And it really hung on too--today is day 10, and as of today I can say I am no longer feeling sick. My sinuses are still draining, and I'm still coughing a little, but otherwise I feel fine--except I am like a limp noodle.  Absolutely no energy.  Ah, that's ok--I'm just so glad this came at the perfect time of year so I could rest and not be missing important things.

The kids got sick too this past week, but thank the Lord not the really bad way I got it--just runny noses and coughs, but not bad enough to keep them laid up. We still took it easy last week, skipping what few classes we had left in the year, but otherwise finishing up school well and in good spirits.  Miraculously, DH did not get sick at all.


--We did not end up having any guests come to visit us since I last wrote, which worked out so well considering the whole sickness thing. That and DH has been working a lot because of a big, important project coming due at work, so he really did not have time to work on house projects with his dad.  He even has to work tonight for some product launch or something. (Because he works with websites and data for the military/government, they always do their system updates/installations, etc. when the fewest people will be trying to use it, which usually means Sat. nights to wee hours of Sunday mornings! Good thing that does not happen too often.)

And now the timing should work out perfectly that we should all be perfectly healthy when we go to visit Chico later this week, to see DH's parents and grandma (for the first time since Christmas), and even see DH's sister Auntie N as well as Uncle S and their girls Spice and Sweetness, who are visiting from Colorado and whom we have not seen for a year now.  It should be a really good visit, and the perfect way to see MIL again after this time apart.  I still need to remember all the things God's been showing me and growing in me, though, because it could always turn badly--but it will only be a bad visit if I enable it to be, so I am going to trust and pray that God gives me BOLD LOVE for my MIL and we end up connecting in some way so we leave the time together feeling positive about our relationship.


--DH being so busy of course means we have not been working on house projects at all. But unfortunately--or fortunately, depending upon how you want to look at it--a few days ago the crappy door knob on our front door stopped working all of a sudden, and no manner of oiling or re-assembly could revive it.  Can you believe we had *just* talked about replacing that being one of the projects for this summer, and so I had *just* ordered new front door entrance hardware!  I'm really excited about it, because I found a set I really like:

by Weslock

I LOVE the antique texture on them, and they look even better in person than in the pic.  They were also rated online as being well-made and durable.  When we hold them up to the door they look like they belong on it.  So now this weekend DH is trying to put the new hardware in.  It's tricker than it seems, because he has to first build out the door depth with new redwood (which I'll be staining to try to match the old wood as best I can) and then router out holes in the door and doorframe for the new bolts (we think we can use the old hole for the deadbolt at the top, but the latch at the bottom will need new holes cut). Then he has to actually install the door handles.  There are a lot of steps to this project, and a lot that could potentially go wrong--but again, the timing of this is great, since he has a 3 day weekend to work on it.  Hopefully it is done when we are planning to head up to Chico, however--otherwise we will have no way of securing that door when we leave!  (at the moment we can only latch it from the inside with a small bolt.)

I have absolutely loathed that old, cheap junk doorknob since we moved into this house, so this unexpected project makes me happy. : )


OK, so I think that is about it for now!  All is good here, and writing this out today made me so aware of our blessings of friends and life support.  God has always been so good to us, and we are so well provided for!  May you all be blessed in your seasons right now. : )

Author's Fair 2014

Well, they did it:

After many, many, MANY hours of work, the girls finished their "Book of Months" project. The final book is very sweet, with words & illustrations showing our life as a family over the course of a year. They finished it just in time--as in about 30 minutes before I needed to go help host our school's table at the annual Author's Fair!

This year the table was almost embarrassingly weighted towards our family's contributions.  For some reason there were far fewer families participating this year--and so Terry, my wonderful E.S. asked if they could have all our previous years' books, as well as the group projects I led for the Vintage Homeschool kids (most of the families attend our charter) to show, to ensure the table display was well filled.  It was a good thing we did, because the girls counted--and 11 out of 21 books on the table were from our family/my leadership!

 

 

 

A sweet book Sunny made this year for her sister Merry, for her birthday.  (The sticky-notes you see on various books are from nice comments people can choose to leave on the books for the young authors. : ) Below that, one of our older but favorite books, in which my and my dear Becky's girls created poetry in response to the trees at a local state park filled with majestic redwoods.

On top, the "Wild Cats of the World" book the girls made together a year or two ago, full of facts and drawings.  Under that, "The Life of Our Trash," another collaborative project from last year or the year before.

One of my favorite Vintage Homeschool kids projects--"What's Above and What's Beneath."

Another favorite Vintage Homeschool kids project--a book of sensory immersion guided poetry, with watercolor collage artwork.

 

In this picture: Seven Evans, the first chapter book Sunny wrote.  Then a very early book we made about a visit to a California Gold Rush town.  Then in the back the very first book we ever wrote--what we call the Preamble Book (in which Sunny interpreted the lines of the Preamble as they might look lived out in our house).  Then, on the right middle, the Vintage Homeschool kids book from last year, "What Is It? A Book of Nature Riddles."

I must admit, it was really fun to see the progression of the kids' writing and artwork displayed together, and be reminded of how much I love to lead the group book projects.  I'm already looking forward to next year's ideas!