November 10, 2019

Tying up loose ends

I am telling you what folks......it has to be true that once you retire you don't know how you had time to work......my evenings and weekends are booked week after week.   Switching to a four day week helped......initially.....but now the Friday off every week has been swallowed up with stuff to do.   Archimedes' Principle for sure or in layman's terms, open up a space or hole and it is quickly filled with something else.    Anyway, the countdown is down to 19 workdays.  Factor in three day weekends, holidays and vacation time, my last day is January 10, 2020 - my 20th anniversary with the company.   The on site bookmakers are laying odds I will 1) stay or 2) be back in the near future.
For now I am emptying my desk and finishing up projects and imparting my knowledge to my replacement.

So other loose ends are there's two Victorian Perforated paper Christmas pinkeeps or ornaments.    The tree could've been on a larger piece of paper but......I kept making mistakes with the cutting and the paper got smaller and smaller.   Quick and easy if you keep track of where you are in the snip snip snip edge to the paper.
 It may be quick and easy but it is messy messy with all the cuts and snips.

 Here is a better picture of the snowflake from last week. Lighting wasn't that good last time.

I attended classes at my guild yesterday.   The morning class was with Janis Note of Noteworthy Needle.   We learned to drill foam pumpkins to be later cross stitched.    I'd show you mine but it is still in the car, I am in my jammies, it is barely 25 degrees out and I am not about to tiptoe outside to get it. I will have to share next time.

For the afternoon, we had a class with Beth Seal of Summer House Stitche Workes.   We pre-stitched the crown and in class covered the box, assembled a velvet pillow for inside the box, assembled the crown and had scissor fobs made.  Both teachers were great and their classes were great.  And of course they each had a trunk show which we are not going to talk about here.  Add to that that the LNS opened early for us on Friday so we could shop before touring Winterthur.    Am I the only one that feels I HAVE to buy from little shops you go into?  I have bought more patterns and stash in the last month than I have bought all year.   I must be stocking up for retirement is all I can say.

Here is my finished class piece.
Box lid and scissors fob.


 
The classes were on Saturday but the teachers arrived on Thursday so.......I filled that Friday with accompanying them to Winterthur Mansion.    It was a great day.   The museum is awesome and it always reminds me of the treasures I have in my back yard.    We took our tours based on availability and a little out of order.  We did the architectural and antiques tour first followed by the introductory tour second.  For the Architectural and Antiques Tour, it was just the four of us.  
Our host, Henry Frances duPont, at age 83

This is two floors below ground.  Each wall is a different exterior of a different home - set for destruction, these home fronts were purchased by Mr. duPont and moved and reconstructed in his Winterthur Museum.
I think they told us there were 57 complete sets of china the family used.   Think that is crazy.   Mrs. duPont kept track of every attendee of every dinner party at Winterthur, what they ate, the table linens and flowers at that dinner, what room they stayed in  (there are over 150 rooms in the house turned museum)


We saw several of these looms throughout the tour.



 We also saw some examples of needlework.



Mr. duPont like everything to be symmetrical.


 The current hall above, and below how is appeared when the family lived here.


 Close up of stitching on a table cloth.



 Large collection of PA Dutch frakturs.


Two beautiful specimens of bargello.  Above left a wallet and right, a bible covering.
 The needlework on the bible is hard to see as it was coherent in plastic.



 A gift from the Shelbourne Museum.   Mr. duPont liked it so much, the owners donated it to Winterthur and then made a reproduction for their own museum.


The grounds are just as beautiful as well planned as the interior.





 The dining room above and photographed with the wedding party of one of the duPont daughters.


Six silver tankards crafted by the Paul Revere.


Original painting of George Washington; the Smithsonian has a copy.


Below, George and Martha Washington's presidential china.   Winterthurs boosts more pieces of this collection than are housed at Mount Vernon.


 Beautiful Chinese room.   Papered with hand painted mural with a no repeat scene.   The wall paper was found on rolls in a back room somewhere in France.  duPont had it installed at Winterthur.



Ever the proper host, cigarettes were offered to guests.




Our guide liked our enthusiasm and took us for sneak peaks at some of the areas we wanted to see but weren't on our tour.    We ran out of time and she was so sweet to offer to meet up with us after I introductory tour to show us more.      Did we ever feel like VIP's.

This is in the textile storage area.   These are the many sets of draperies and cornices that Mr. duPont would change out to match the seasons.













And if that is not enough, also currently on display at Winterthur  are the costumes for the Netflix series, The Crown.   So beautifully displayed with snippets of the scenes where each of the garments were worn were shown on the monitors.  Along side the description of many outfits was the photo of Queen Elizabeth in the outfit that inspired the costume.   The garden tram ride just about froze us to death but the guide was a wealth if knowledge.   Looking forward to a trip back in the spring to enjoy the gardens in warmer temps.










Back on the home front, the reno's are winding down.   Shower door, we are waiting on the glass man.  Linen cabinets, we are waiting for them to arrive.   Back splash, we are waiting for the electrician to do his magic first.   Entering Week 8 and I am getting weary of the dirt and the boxes and of things out of place.  I thought Mr. W. was jesting when he told the contractor in early September to start and be done by Thanksgiving.   Heck....it could never take that long I thought.    I am heading back to my son's for a week and I have my fingers crossed that it will be done when I return home.

 For my stitching progress, I am really happy with how much I have gotten done in so little time.  But since I am doing little on the household front, what's a stitcher to do?

There are 12 half triangles of the white and green across the bottom and I am just starting 11 in the series.  After that, there are the letters across the top.  Not much more to go!





That's all I've got folks.     It is hard to pare done the photos so thanks for hanging in.
Until next time, thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

6 comments:

  1. That looks like a fantastic tour!
    Great progress on Stitch Everyday.
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for another great tour.
    Great finish on the crown class.
    It is like a Spring day here today, but
    snow tomorrow.
    Have a great week.
    Shirley

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for taking us along to Winterthur--amazing visit!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Robin, I enjoyed your photos from Winterthur. Thank you for sharing them! Your class project from SHSW looks fabulous. Looking forward to seeing your pumpkin! Your Hands On Design piece is coming along. Enjoy your week at your son's! I look forward to hearing what kind of adventures you have planned with William.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Robin: Wow what a fun time you had, you were lucky to accompanying them on the tour, what an honor for you, lucky Lady.
    Your project is beautiful, I have never seen this design before, I love the crown and box.
    Your design is almost done I look forward to seeing the finished piece.

    Catherine

    ReplyDelete

Thanks is much for stopping by. I so enjoy your comments even if I do not always reply. Have a great day that hopefully includes a bit of stitching.