School Daze

Actually I think I probably spent most of my school days paying attention, I was quite a good girl - apart from during Irish class in secondary school, when I used to go to sleep with my hand propping my head up as the dullest, dreariest book in the world was read at us, even though I was in the front row, three feet from the teacher... the tome in question was 'Peig', a miserable story - I mean an authentic account of social history - of a woman who lived on the Blasket islands, and the horrible hard live she led.  The first sentence reads something like:

Seanbhean is ea mise anois, agus tá cos amháin ins an uaigh agus an chos eile ar an bhruach

Which translates as 'It's an old woman that I am now, and I've one foot in the grave and the other one on the bank.'  Cheery stuff which continues on and on and on and on and on in that vein.  Ask anyone Irish who's in their late twenties to late forties (the curriculum didn't change much.)  It will bring about a pretty much universal response.  Crazed laughter at best, ranging to plate-chucking.

The most inspiring teacher I ever had was Dr Richard Johnson.  He taught English and literally made it come alive.  We studied Jane Austen texts for both Inter Cert (at sixteen) and Leaving Cert (eighteen).  It was Pride and Prejudice, and then Emma.  I still love them today.

S is for Secrets.  Read all about the Secret Lives of Dresses here...

S is also for Sampler.  Or in this case, two samplers.

 

An elderly friend of my mother in law gave me these some time ago, and in our house move, they got lost and were recently unearthed in the basement.  The damp basement.  After two and a half years.  They were showing some signs of age when we got them, particularly the colour bleeding which is understandable.  I would like to get them framed but I wonder if they need to be cleaned somehow, particularly to avoid further deterioration from the damp.  I think it's amazing that these pieces are almost 130 years old, and that Louisa was only eight when she did the first one.  The colours in the second one are fabulous, and so clear still.  The red has bled a lot though.  Does anyone know where I might get some advice on this?  Ruth - as you know all about textiles, I was wondering if you'd have any ideas? 

And here's the goodies I scored yesterday - Cath Kidston pink strawberries, white calico, heavy pink cotton, and kitchen themed oilcloth.  For about a tenner, which is pretty good.  I do get rather jealous when I see all the lovely US fabric websites and thrift shop finds because it all seems to be much cheaper for craft supplies over there.  I know it's a great exchange rate here at the moment but there's shipping and duty to pay - blah blah.  The calico is for little Christmas gift bags and some stencilled bags.  And all three in the picture will hopefully be combined for my August Tie One On apron! Wish me luck.

Comments

[kirsty]

L.O.V.E. that oilcloth! WOW! it's gorgeous.

[Julie]

That kitchen themed fabric is so great. I can't wait to see something made up in it. Oh, and your quilt turned out really nice. The rectagles really stand apart from what I'm seeing so much of these days. Great job.

[Flibbertygibbet]

Thanks guys - I think the oilcloth might become a shopping bag and perhaps an apron. I also thought some of the smaller drawings like the mezza luna might be cool appliqued onto other stuff.

I think the leftover quilt fabric and squares are going to be turned into a second quilt, for another baby - hopefully I'm on a roll!