The Country Cottage

As promised in my previous post (about the Hometown Farmers' Market) here are some pictures of The Country Cottage "Home of the Blue Ribbon Pickles". This is the VERY CUTE shop on Race Street in Jim Thorpe,Pa where I buy VERY YUMMY homemade pickles and jams AND , their newest creation, jalapeno salsa -- it'll knock your socks off !!!! Lori, the shop owner, aka "the Pickle Lady" cooks up all these goodies in her little kitchen right there in the back of her shop. She has won many blue ribbons at the county fair for her pickles (there they are -- the pickles and their well - deserved blue ribbons in picture #2). The third picture shows the cupboard with all those mouth watering jams Lori makes. You can also see into the front room of the shop where she has all sorts of pretty things, such as floral quilts and table runners, pretty tea cups, and another of my favorite things --- BUTTONS !! A big bowl filled with buttons she picks up at various flea markets, etc. Upstairs, she has a room filled with quaint Christmas themed items.

Of course I can't go in The Country Cottage and come out empty handed -- the last picture I posted shows you my loot from today's visit -- some yummy jam (peach, strawberry, and strawberry peach -- I like to keep a couple of extra jars on hand to use as little gifts along with homemade British Scones.) --- AND I also bought some really neat buttons from Lori's stash of favorites !! (don't they look like candy the way they're wrapped up?!)

So, if you're in the area , come visit Lori at The Country Cottage, 37 Race Street, Jim Thorpe, Pa . You can also contact her at 1-800-304-8522.

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Hometown Farmers' Market

Yesterday I went to the Hometown Farmer's Market. (the name of the town is actually Hometown -- this is where I grew up -- Hometown, Pa -- a "suburb" of Tamaqua , Pa -- HA! now you know how big it ISN'T !) Anyhow, the Hometown Farmer's Market has been there, every Wednesday for as long as I can remember. I used to go there with my Mom when I was a kid. She used to buy peaches and strawberries to make jam , or cucumbers to make pickles. Back then, we, the locals , all called the Farmers' Market the Auction. I don't know why -- I don't ever remember seeing an auction going on when I was there, but I guess before my time it may have started out as an auction. Anyhow, over the years it has expanded from the one indoor building and surrounding stalls, to a 2nd building (which used to be the bowling alley where we'd go in the winter when we were kids ) and a ton of outdoor stalls. Nowadays, there are alot of vendors with t-shirts, socks, purses, and that kind of stuff. BUT, happily, there still are many vendors with fresh produce AND homemade baked goods (alot of Pa Dutch baked goods like shoo-fly pie ).

Now, I wish I was industrious enough like my mother was and go to the Farmers' Market to buy peaches and strawberries, and cucumbers to make homemade jam and pickles -- BUT, right now, I'm not --- I'd like to be -- maybe one of these days I'll ask my mother to teach me how to make that stuff -- but right now, I buy jams and homemade pickles at a local shop in town called "the Country Cottage" .(Lori, the shop owner and Pickle Lady, as my kids call her, makes the absolute BEST stuff -- and she's a regular at the Wednesday Hometown Farmers' Mkt where she buys all her produce to make all that good stuff -- Then she goes back to her shop where she has a kitchen in the back and cooks up all her produce into wonderful goodies -- her shop smells heavenly !-- so, if Lori's making that good homemade stuff, I'll save myself and my kitchen the huge mess I'm sure I'd be making , and I'll buy it from Lori at "the Country Cottage"! -- she doesn't have a website, otherwise I'd post it here for you -- I'll take a picture of her VERY cute shop one of these days and post it for you -- it's on Race St in Jim Thorpe -- go visit if you're in the area.)

Anyhow, there's a picture of what I did end up buying at the Farmers' Market yesterday (last picture). I couldn't resist those pretty Black Eyed Susans -- some local peaches, zucchini and tomatoes. I think I'll make a peach cobbler and some zucchini bread , and I think I'll have one of those tomatoes for lunch today stuffed with some tuna salad ---- ooohhhhh , my mouth is watering!

Before I zoom out of here to work for the day, let me tell you quickly about those quilts in the last picture. There are 2 quilts (I just kind of bunched them up for the picture). My mother - in - law gave me these pretty little quilts a few years ago. She found them in one of the New Jersey shore houses my father -in - law owned over the years. They're what I think are called summer quilts -- there's no batting , just the quilt top and the backing. These 2 quilts are very narrow with a muslin dust ruffle attached to 3 sides . Maybe they were used on a cot (like a camping type cot) or maybe for a crib. I'm not sure how old they are, but the fabrics look like they could be feedsacks from the 1930's or 1940's.

Well, gotta zoom to work to make some $ (DARN -- that really cuts into my play time of sewing, baking , gardening, etc. BUT, I guess I better make some $ to help pay for that fabric buying habit I seem to have!!!)

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Quilts and the Underground Railroad - - Brilliant !!

Last Wednesday my mother and I went to a really interesting lecture about "Quilts of the Underground Railroad". The lecture was given by a local lady , Susan Paul , who is a quilt maker, quilt teacher, quilt designer AND also a high school home ec teacher. (that's Sue in the first picture posing with her Underground Railroad sampler quilt she made and uses to explain the theory. The patterns for her sampler came from Eleanor Burns' book "Underground Railroad Sampler"--- picture #3) Sue uses the book "Hidden in Plan View" (by Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard --- picture #2) as the basis of her lecture. This whole theory/story came to the attention of Jacqueline Tobin in 1994 when she was in Charleston, SC and met an African American quilter Ozella McDaniel Williams who was a vendor in the Old Market Building in Charleston (I was there last summer -- it's really neat -- what I could see of it in the half hour blur I was alloted by my husband and 2 teenage sons who were bored out of their minds -- UGH! --I've got to go there sometime BY MYSELF !) Anyhow, Ozella , over the course of a few years, told Jacqueline Tobin a story that had been passed along in her family from generation to generation. That story has to do with quilts and "how enslaved men and women encoded messages within quilt patterns that helped fugitives navigate their escape along the Underground Railroad." In her lecture, Sue explained that a seemingly innocent and very everyday sort of object like a quilt hanging on a fence or airing out in an open window was really a message to a slave who was getting ready to make their escape. Each pattern had a specific meaning or code and gave that slave instructions for their next move. According to Eleanor Burns' book, the Monkey Wrench quilt was the first quilt displayed as a signal for any slaves who planned to escape.(on Sue's quilt, that's the block in the middle of the top row.) "This quilt symbolized the time to collect tools they would need on their journey north to freedom." The second quilt the slaves would see would be the Wagon Wheel quilt (on Sue's quilt, that's the block on the far right in the top row.) This quilt was "a message to pack provisions for their journey as if they were packing a wagon....... pack supplies that would be essential for survival." The next block Sue has on her sampler is the Bear Paw block (2nd row, 1st block). To a slave "reading" this quilt, it meant they were to follow the actual trail of a bear's footprints. "Animal footprints would indicate the best path through the mountains....and would lead to food and water." Sue went on the explain the meanings/codes behind the rest of the quilt blocks -- VERY INTERESTING !!

The third book , Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (by Deborah Hopkinson) is a fictional story of a young slave girl who was separated from her mother and sent to another plantation to work. She is taken care of by another slave, Aunt Rachel, who is the seamstress for the "Missus" in the "Big House". Aunt Rachel teaches Clara to sew, and Clara eventually figures out how to piece a quilt that is an actual map showing the way through the woods, streams, etc to the Ohio River , then to Canada and freedom.

Now - - here's my summary of this entire theory . In a nutshell, this is just another example of how women and their "ho hum" domestic skills played a HUGE role in this country's history and (let's shout this loud and clear) SAVED THE DAY !!! Right?!? Think about it -- who were the quiltmakers? WOMEN !!! LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS !!!!

I also have to tell you about a fun little bonus from Sue's lecture last Wednesday evening. An elderly lady who also was at the lecture went up to Sue afterwards to tell Sue how much she enjoyed the lecture and also to see if Sue remembered her. It turns out this lady, Miss Richards, was Sue's 7th grade Home Ec teacher at Tamaqua Junior High -- AND, she was also MY 7th grade Home Ec teacher !!!!---which , of course, I had to jump right in the middle of their conversation and practically shout --"MISS RICHARD'S -- you were my home ec teacher ,too !!! Remember me ?!? I still have the SPAM recipe !! Poor Miss Richard's!! I think it was all coming back to her now -- Anyhow, Sue , who was a few years ahead of me in school, said they also made a Spam recipe (their's was a BBQ Spam, ours was an Easter Spam -- yum, yum ! I guess Miss Richard's was a big fan of Spam.) The 7th grade sewing project was the same for Sue's class and for mine -- that being an apron with GIGANTIC rick rack !! At the time I hated the rick rack -- but now I have to say, I'm a huge fan of rick rack -- and I have Miss Richard's to thank for that!!!

Anyhow, if you're interested in having Sue teach a class or give a lecture, you can reach her at lvtosew@verizon.net. (she lives not too far from me in Pa.)

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Garland instructions -- Grand Finale !!

Ready for the Garland Grand Finale ? OK -- here it is ! Tie a knot at each end of the rope. Now take the 2 remaining blue stars and tack one to each knot at the ends of the rope (picture #1).

Next you need to tack together a medium red star, an off white star and a blue star (one with the 2 red rick rack tails dangling from the legs of the blue star) to make 2 cascading star segments (see picture #3). I used the red pearl cotton to take just a few stitches at the "foot" of one star to attach it to the "head" of the next star.

Now it's time to attach the ties to the 3 big red stripe stars, and the 2 sets of cascading stars. Take a blue tie and fold it in half with wrong sides together. Place the fold at the tip of a star and just tack in place with a few stitches (I used the same red pearl cotton that I used to sew the buttons on with). (See picture #4). Now you can tie the 3 big stars and the 2 sets of cascading stars onto the rope and adjust the spacing however you want.

FINALLY -- take the 6 red ties and tie 3 on each end of the rope, above each blue star on either end of the rope (see picture #2) -- adjust spacing of the ties however you want.

. . . . and . . . TA DA !!!!! You're all DONE !!!!! I hope you enjoyed this project and it wasn't too confusing to follow (let me know if it was and I'll try my best to clear up the mud !) Happy sewing!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Garland instructions - finishing touches !

OK -- NOW it's time to add doo dads to decorate the stars even more! On the 3 biggest stars and on the 2 blue stars on each end of the garland rope I sewed a large white button in the center. I used Pearl Cotton in red and used a x-stitch through all layers of the stars. I also sewed a large white button on the ends of the rick rack that dangle down from the 2 blue stars in the cascading star segments.

Next I cut 2 pieces of fabric measuring about 2 inches wide by 6 inches long from the red stripe fabric (using pinking shears). I tied each of these pieces in a knot in the middle. Using the Pearl Cotton, I tacked one red stripe "bow" to the middle of each off white star of the cascading star segments.

OK -- we're almost at the finish line!! Tomorrow --- the Grand Finale !

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Play list not quite straightened out . . .

OK -- now my play list is back , but so are the last 2 songs that Evan accidentally added to my blog instead of his My Space -- I'll have to consult "Tech support" again when he can squeeze me in (that would be after he tinkers with his dirt bike and before he goes out riding again.) In the mean time, enjoy those last 2 songs on my play list, compliments of Evan.

. . . and now .... (drum roll please .........) back to the garland instructions -- FINALLY ! ! !

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Oops! slight technical difficulty

No -- there's nothing wrong with your computer -- my play list of songs is temporarily on the fritz. Kid #2 was trying to add some songs to his play list on his My Space and somehow got them on my list. Then he tried to delete the songs he added and decided he had to delete the entire play list. ARRGGGHHHH ! ! ! (How many more weeks until school starts?) Anyhow, now we'll wait for big brother Matt to get home to help his technically challenged mother put the play list back on the blog.

Also -- coming soon - - the rest of the instructions for the Star Spangled Garland -- I promise!! OK -- gotta zoom to work!

Toodles!
Mary Anne (aka Mare)