June 18
The drive to Adel would have been amazing; however, the fog limited my field of vision to about one hundred yards in any direction. Occasionally you could catch a glimpse of the rolling green countryside to see what you were missing.
The Prairie Women’s Sewing Circle was great fun. The women around thirty in all were very welcoming. Many brought their completed projects to share. I was reminded that we all have gifts to share and our creativity varies greatly from one person to the next. The teacher, Virginia, invited us to make fabric yo-yos as we listened to her speak. She says she does this to keep her students from talking. Hmmmm….I wonder what would happen if I gave eighth graders a needle, thread and fabric….if you give a mouse a cookie…comes to mind as do body piercings.
The guest speaker was from a local museum and she brought in signature quilts that were made in the local area from the 1850s to 1976.
We learned different ways signatures were added to quilts. They vary from using indigo ink, embroidery floss and some type of ink made from an oak tree that was actually very acidic and would eat the fabric over a period of a few years. This ink wasn’t in use for very long. So much for those heirloom quilts.
After my class, which was delightful, I went south to Winterset, Iowa. The birthplace of John Wayne is the main draw to Winterset. My draw was to see the covered bridges in the surrounding countryside of Madison County. Yes, I could visualize Clint Eastwood photographing the bridges while his thoughts were filled with his love, Francesca.
The bridges are scattered all over the county and one is still in actual use. Apparently, way back when, the county declared that all bridges must be covered. It was cheaper to maintain the covering on the bridge than it was to repair the exposed areas of the actual bridge. Bridges were named for the adjacent land owner. Multitudes of visitors are attracted to the bridges each year. I loved the book, The Bridges of Madison County—it is one of my all time favorites—the movie—not so much, but still good.
The drive back to Iowa City was spectacular!!! The sky was clear and the views of the rolling hills made the four hour round trip well worth the effort.
So, did you make some contacts that you think you might keep in touch with? What did they think of your grant? I remember quite a bit of interest from people when I told them I was on the trek to "renew my spirit." Have you seen quilting idea you want to try youself? Anything highly unusual?
ReplyDeleteYour students might surprise you--but, yes, I could also envision the temptation toward body piercing. Icky, but funny. :) I just re-watched "The Bridges of Madison County" a couple of days ago. Like you, I love the book more than the movie; however, since it's been years since I've read it, I actually noticed more implications in the dialogue, setting and lighting than I did before. I would love to go there!!! I didn't know the premise behind making covered bridges---veeeeery intah-resting. I'm glad the fog cleared. It sounds like you're settling into your journey and are enjoying the time to linger.
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