Blues and Greens, Handpainted Wool Yarn

Blues and Greens, Handpainted Wool Yarn, originally uploaded by confections.

Just a little glimpse of some handpainted yarns from a recent foray into my dye studio....

Couple at an Amusement Park (Vernacular Photo)

Couple at an Amusement Park (Vernacular Photo), originally uploaded by confections.

I found this photo at one of my favorite antique haunts and happily added it to my growing collection of vernacular photos.

It reminds me of the "good old days" and stories that my mother and grandmother told me about visiting our local amusement park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Kennywood Park, which was recently sold to a Spanish company, but that's another story....).

I especially love that hat on the woman's knee; it is so emblematic of a warm summer afternoon with its wide brim and riot of silk flowers. It inspires me to embellish one of mine with wild abandon!

Oil Portrait of Anna Altmeyer, One of My Second Great-Grandmothers

Oil Portrait of Anna Altmeyer, One of My Second Great-Grandmothers, originally uploaded by confections.

Anna Altmeyer was born on 9 July 1844 in Michelbach, Saarland, Germany, and died on 18 October 1889 in Mifflin, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Nicholas Altmeyer and Catharine Baecker.

She arrived in New York City at the age of ten with her parents and three brothers and three sisters on 4 August 1854. The ship "Marcia C. Day" had sailed from Le Havre, France.

She married at the age of seventeen on 18 January 1862. This portrait dates from approximately 1865 when she was twenty-one years of age.

She was my paternal grandfather's maternal grandmother. My cousin Ron generously shared this image with me.

Handmade Straw Hat

Handmade Straw Hat, originally uploaded by confections.

A dozen years ago my sister and I took a straw hat class with Diana Cavagnaro of Designer Millinery in a loft in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, California. This is the mad-hatter style hat I designed on an ancient wooden hat block.

The class was excellent and I enjoyed the process of sewing the braid with raffia to create the hat, and steaming it into shape. It's a little snug for my head, but I display it proudly on its hat stand. I may decorate it with one of my needlefelted flowers and wear it to tea with my girlfriends next time.

Vallona Starr Sugar and Creamer

Vallona Starr Sugar and Creamer, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is a treasure I found at a local antique mall with my sister last week. It is a sugar and creamer set by Vallona Starr ceramics, active in California from the 1930's through 1953.

The lime color delights me and the gilt decoration makes it sublime. The set is quite diminutive, but a welcome addition to my tea table.

Bargello Style American Folk Flag

Bargello Style American Folk Flag, originally uploaded by confections.

Happy Independence Day, folks in the U.S.A.!

This American flag was a class project a few years ago; it hasn't been quilted yet. I love the watermelon and sparkler fabric, and it was perfect for the field of stars.

Watercolor Inspiration

Detail, Watercolor by Lenora T. Karen, originally uploaded by confections.

Many years ago when I was a member of the Clairemont (San Diego, California) Art Guild, I purchased this watercolor by fellow member Lenora T. Karen. I was a budding fiberartist at the time, and the painting evoked the sense of peace I always feel when working with yarn, cloth, and fiber of any kind.

She has been presiding over my piano for a long while, and it is time to get her properly framed and give her a place of honor in my fiber studio.