The Last Halloween Costume

I've made the last halloween costume for my baby.  No more Ninjas, pirates or vampires.  No more cowboys or football players either.  Kinda makes me feel a little melancholy.  As much as a hassel as halloween was, it really was fun for kids and gave us lots of great memories. 

Tonight we await the spooks.  I love to have the little kids come trick or treating.  They are so cute and so excited about the whole thing.  I guess you could say that one of the best things about getting older is that you learn to appreciate things like halloween, trick or treaters and the joy of childhood.

Lately I have been facinated by vintage beaded purses. On our trip to New England I saw several that were beautiful. This one was at the Bennington Museum. It has little seed pearls and topaz beads on it. I am in awe of the hand work that it took to make it.

This next one is a blue velvet with white beading. Also from the Bennington Museum. So very pretty. Looking at them I couldn't help but wonder who made them and what kind of parties they had been to.

The Textile Museum had this little beauty. The rings look to be crocheted around and then connected. Don't you just think this little bag is the coolest thing! I'd love to have one - not that I go anywhere that would require me to have such a little bag mind you.

I'd love to see some that you may have!

Jane A. Stickle

I just returned from a trip to New England with 88 wonderful women and fellow quilters. Our primary motivation for the trip was to see the quilt created by Ms. Jane A. Stickle and which is housed in Bennington, Vermont. It is displayed only once per year for one month. The quilt is in remarkable condition considering it's age, with the colors still very vibrant.

I felt almost giddy as I got so close to the quilt. It wasn't under glass but rather on an approximate 45 degee angle on a board. We were able to get look very close at the fabrics and the stitching. It was just WONDERFUL. I can' t say enough.


Bennington Vermont is a beautiful quaint little town with wonderful shops. We spent a good part of the day shopping and eating - something we did a lot of 0n this trip.


We stopped at the Bennington Pottery factory where I picked up a few little things. They had some wonderful clay bowls that I just loved but didn't think I could fit in my suitcase. There's always the internet!! Gotta love it.




What I loved in Bennington and most of the other New England towns we went to and through, is that all of them were decorated with big beautiful mums, pumpkins, scarecrows, staw bales. It made thier communities so beautiful.





More to come.