Hussif, Hussif, Who's Got a HUSSIF....?????

                                        


                                    Does anyone know what a HUSSIF is?

                                           I may be in the minority, but I sure didn't!

This morning, I saw a FB post by famous doll maker extraordinaire, Patti Culea- about an intriguing "hussif" she created. Here is her link.

I love hers, having dabbled a teensy bit in doll making myself, years ago..........her creation is the best of both worlds- it's a doll, and it serves a purpose in sewing organization!

In researching what a "hussif" was,  I found this blog - a hussif  is, simply put, a needle case. Could be a roll up, could be fashioned in almost any shape to suit the sewer's needs for whatever  needs to be  stored and/or carried.

  You know how it goes - one link leads to another, then you find the wee hours have slipped away (literally- I was up at 3:50am today!) - all spent in the cyber space! This 2nd blog (link below) gave me the definition of the word HUSSIF.

Its origin is Olde English - meaning "housewife". A word that appears to be coming full circle, from the days of women's lib (when it was a bad word!) to the present, where alot of women (including myself) appear to be  embracing the back to basics and relearning the skills (and they are skills!) of housewifely "drudgery" combined with the arts of fine handiwork- sewing, knitting, spinning, weaving, etc..Altho', I must admit - I do NOT categorize washing dishes as an art!! That is still drudgery - unless I can escape to an imaginary world in my mind, while gazing out the window, and mindlessly scrubbing pots!!!LOL..... 

You can read about the definition of the word Hussif - here

Curiosity just got the best of me - I could see what it was that Patti Culea created - and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  it- but did not know the origin of the word she used to describe it! Now, I do!

So, as always, GOOGLE to the rescue!!!!!

I also found photos - click here
 
                                                  Oh sooooo many photos!!!



I have made several needle cases over the years- and have swapped needlecases online. I have a ton of them - well, maybe not a TON- but I have alot!!! What I need to create now, is an artsy storage case of sorts, to hold all the needlecases in a semi organized way!!!

blogger decided it looked better this way! My own wool envelope- I love the teeny pewter basket pin cushion!Lined with  vintage feedsack.

(Obviously having another photo placement blogger issue again today.......sigh)

One hussif  that I do NOT have is a larger roll up style, similar to Patti's creation..

I do have several wool applique envelope styles - 2 or three of these inspired and created while in The Woolie Nuts group with Pat Sloan, Lennie, Judy, Ann Weber, Debbie, Joanne, Patty, when we did some round robins. I admit being only a sporadic member, as work and kids allowed! Now distance separates...

Woolie Nuts- late 1990's ?- from left, Judy Post , Lennie Stimpson, Pat Sloan,Ann Weber, Deb MacDougal Conway, and me (on the floor)photo probably taken by the ever elusive Patty!!!

 This is one of the needlecases - mine- from the Woolie Nuts Round robin. I think my base wool was one hand dyed by Patty.www.bitze.wordpress.com, back when she was into that sort of thing!! She created the best wool colors ever!!!

sideways pic - but you get the idea- each person in the round robin added another wool applique

back view

Others are small folder or book styles - created and swapped in an online group with Judy and several others.

this is the outside of Judy's- all recycled fabric - the outer is from her dad's old sweater, I believe - how sweet!

and the inside

a gorgeous burnt fabric method- needlecase by London artist Rosemarie McLavy for the online Art4Mail swap in 2011

After seeing Patti's wonder-full creation, I have a feeling I need to create a fantasy roll- up. Maybe borrowing the from the theme of  Pat Sloan's  recent workshop at my Mountain Meadows Quilters Retreat,  and use up the rest of my stash fabric to put together a new all encompassing hussif !

If you have made any hussifs - and I am SURE you all have - under a different name, perhaps ????- leave a comment - share a link with a picture of your creation!

                               I'd love to see them!! As would we all!!!! We can all become hussies!!!LOL

                                                   Inspiration comes from sharing!!!

Tea and Treasures

Well, I missed Tea on Tuesday- forgot it was Tuesday (the holiday threw me off) and planned to do a late afternoon tea, but the hellacious thunderstorm here took out the electricity. Soooo, there went any thoughts of the post!

But, since I have tea every day- figured I'd have a cup, while I  share some of the treasures brought home from the Quicksburg Mill.

Yesterday's tea was home grown sage, in my English Denby mug. LOVE this mug, found on a thrift store shelf. (Today's tea is a lemongrass green tea combo)

There were soo many things brought home from the mill over a period of 4 visits this past weekend- from buttons, to boxes and rusty bits of this and that. Lots of rusty bits of this and that!!!!! Too many things to list in one post.

                                                       I'll just tell about a couple!

One of the last finds,( and this was great to stash all my other treasures in!)  was a mop pail on wheels - the perfect planter!! I am hoping a vintage white enamel washbowl I already have, will fit perfectly in the top (less dirt to have to fill up the whole pail with!)

              Goes nicely with my old wash pail filled with basil and dill, don't ya' think?

Bucket full of vintage horse shoes - (oh, wait - not from the mill- but from a yard sale I stopped at on the way to the mill !!LOL) There are some good old and large, and hand made ones, that I don't already have in my collection. And, the bucket full was only $2!!!

A group of 3 vintage cameras- had to run down to Fulks Run Grocery (they have an extensive collection of old cameras on display) to find out how to close the Polaroid without breaking it !! Thanks, Ron and Peggie!

These old Polaroids are heavy!! But very cool- slides out with old fashioned bellows(?)behind.

                                 In perfect working order- despite the dust and cobwebs!!But, I don't imagine we can get film for these anymore - in this age of digital cameras.......The Polaroid weighs 4  1/2 lbs!!! Equal to 9 of my digital Canons!

This Brownie has some film inside - back to the grocery to find out how to rewind and view it!!!

Also got a 35mm circa 1918 b & W silent film docu- so VERY cool!!!!!! In the original canister, from Brayer Productions of the pre-talkie era !! Now, to find an 35mm projector (that I could afford!!) to view it on!!

In honor of my grandfather, Joe Caldwell, who worked for Con Edison his whole life, a vintage volt meter/tester. This may be a keeper, but may end up on Etsy after a while. I'm assuming it works, but electricity is not my forte- it just looks cool!!

Assorted goodies below- local wooden hangers (which I use- no wire!!), an English ceramic retail jewelry display, a horse, (of course), a cow horn being mailed to a nephew to turn into a powder horn for his Civil War re-enacting, one of several vintage pin cushions - this tattered one with lamb's wool stuffing, and a metal '60's address book, never used..

Cool box pin cushion - the two parts found quite by accident in different boxes- the padded lid slides off.

                    The tattered (mouse eaten) 5 sided wool filled and a silky apple pin cushion.

Assorted miscellaneous - check out the cool watch and sterling pin. Click on for closer look.

                                        

                                       More bits and bobs and rusty things!Love the RR spike!

I LOVE this rug hooked Scottie pillow - velveteen backing and hooked on burlap-sorry, blogger again won't rotate the pic. He will either be in my shop at Shenandoah Valley  or on Etsy- so cute!!!

There was so MUCH more - but I won't bore you anymore in this post. There was a very cool church whatsit (that might have been used to light candles or gas lamps), a wood walking stick, a puzzle of little dovetail box pieces to be put back together, another wooden box for a planter, a hand hewn lap desk, an Alice in Wonderland pj sack, a rather vicious looking rusty 3 spiked whatsit (maybe for hanging meat?), some vintage wood clipboards, little doll baby carriage spoked wheels, dinnerware for upcycling and way too many mid 1800 books for my collection, and so much more, to be saved for another post.

Hope you enjoyed looking thru my treasures!!!

Tumblr Tea on Tuesday

Having recently discovered the wonders of Tumblr , a website full of shared art and photos, I thought I might just share a few tea related ones I found there!

I am sipping a tall glass of ice cold, southern sweet tea, made with Red Rose teabags, lots of sugar, flavored with fresh mint and stevia from my garden.

                                         What does the well dressed press wear to Tea on Tuesday? A lovely knit    sweater, of course!!

                              If we stitch, while we sip, we must have a pin cushion like this, if it is Tuesday!!

                                 

                        What to wear, what to wear, for Tea on Tuesday????????

 

Everyone should have a blue willow pottery shard dress like the one above and a teacup made of hide!!!!

The perfect ring for Tea on Tuesday member!

                            And we can all sip our tea, by the light of a Tiffany style teapot lamp............

Click on my Tumblr , for the credits, websites, and artists for all these photos.

Please feel free to join us, every Tuesday for tea. Visit Patty and Kimmie for list of other tea fanciers!