Holmes County Ohio

 I had such an incredible trip last weekend to Holmes County Ohio, that I'd like to share about that for this week.

I spent four days among the Amish and Mennonites in Sugar Creek, Walnut Creek, Kidron, and Dalton, Ohio.  I've never seen so many horse and buggies!  We visited fabric stores, quilt shops, hardware stores, a tool expo, and of course, too many bakeries. 

I think my favorite pictures are those of clothes hanging out to dry.  The Amish wash clothes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, using a pulley system that goes between the house and the top of the barn.

This is a shorter post than usual because of the pictures I'd like to share.  Enjoy!


Ready to plow the field

Outside auction at Kidron, Ohio

Quilts for sale at Millers Dry Goods- Charm, Ohio

Crafts at Millers Bakery

Amish clothesline

Bakery purchases

Increase in Business

Well, a great deal changed within a week.  As Elvin mentioned, January is slow, but February and unseasonably warm temperatures brought the masses into the Dutch Kitchen.  This past week was so busy that Elvin and Esther allowed me to stay in the kitchen to observe and ask questions.  Since I knew I’d be near them, I decided to adhere to their dress code as much as possible.  I don’t own a prayer kapp, but the rest of my outfit came pretty close. 

I took a break from the kitchen for a few minutes to snap some pictures of the crafts that are displayed in the rest of the building.  The quality and variety is quite nice. I guess there might be around 20 vendors. 

Back to the kitchen……Esther and Elvin were so busy with serving, that I got to join in the fun.  Esther had an order for her famous chocolate cake, but didn’t have time to get it made by the noon deadline.  So – she asked if I would make it, and I happily agreed.  The ingredients went together easily, but then it came time for mixing them.  Have you ever “whipped” together a cake without electricity?  I discovered what this is like with a wire whisk.  Good thing I’ve been working out with weights to strengthen my biceps!  After 35 minutes in the gas powered oven, a beautiful chocolate cake appeared.

It probably goes without saying, but my days at the Dutch Kitchen have gone by quickly.  In my next post I’ll share a little more about the lives of Elvin and Esther.  

My Outfit

Crafts at "Crafts Unlimited"

Greetings from Ohio!

I have been in Ohio for exactly one week now.  It certainly is a different pace of life here.  I find it very relaxing, but do miss the variety of retail stores that I have readily available in the Puget Sound area.

I have been to The Dutch Kitchen twice within the last week.  The owners, Elvin and Esther, are very nice people and quite willing to share their experience with operating a new business.  Their business is slow right now due to lack of tourists in the winter months.  It allows me to spend more time interacting with them and learning about their views.

Their cafe is in a larger building that houses crafts on consignment from various vendors.  There is a nice collection of fabrics, threads, and handmade clothing items (see the pictures below).  With skylights and a few gas powered lights, the building is quite dim inside.

Esther and Elvin ride their bikes four miles from their home to the cafe each morning in order to arrive at 6:00 a.m. The cafe closes at 2:00 ad Esther rides back home to start on her household chores.  This is the routine Monday through Friday, except for two days during the week that Esther takes off.  Elvin is there Monday through Friday.  Two other individuals own the craft store which allows Elvin to run errands when needed. 

I would love to post some pictures of Elvin and Esther, but their beliefs discourage taking pictures of themselves. Please feel free to post any questions that you might like me to ask them.  I will update each week as much as possible.

Winter Has Arrived

I'm sitting in Corina Bakery (took a day off from my South Beach diet :) ) just enjoying the entrance and exit of customers wanting a hot coffee and pastry on this cold, wintry day.  We finally saw snow yesterday here in the Puget Sound area.  Actually, the forecast for the next few days is snow.  It would be a great time to engage in some sewing or knitting, but I'm preparing for my long trip to Ohio.

Within the last couple weeks, I have read several books on Old Order Amish to prepare for my study in Bainbridge, Ohio.  I will be staying with my parents and hope to include a trip to Holmes County Ohio - the largest population of Old Order Amish live there.

I have missed my Needlecrafts for Charity group.  I will not be able to attend club meetings until I return in March.  I'm still thinking of sewing though.  Maybe I can purchase some fabric at an Amish Fabric store in Ohio and work on a sewing project while I'm there. 

Next week, I will probably not post, as I will be traveling, and then adjusting to life without daily internet service.  I hope to visit McDonald's in the town where my parents reside.  Besides the library, this is the only place where I'll have access to the internet.

Be sure to check back in a couple weeks when I post from Hillsboro, Ohio :)

Happy 2012!

This is my first post for 2012.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's Eve.  My hubbie and I went out dancing for the evening.  It was so much fun - we just don't get out enough.

Just before Christmas I sewed some pj bottoms for my husband for Christmas.  To stay "green" I chose some LL Bean flannel that I had in my fabric stash.  I used to worked at a fabric store, Famous Labels, in Tacoma years ago.  I had purchased that flannel way back when, and had just enough to make the pj bottoms.  Unfortunately, the flannel was off-grain and I couldn't straighten it, so I cut each leg out separately to ensure that the plaids matched.  More time consuming, but the end product was well worth it.  Needless to say, he loved the pj's and he didn't know I had made them until I asked him to look for the garment tag :)

Have you ever had one of those projects that is simple, but takes forever to finish?  That was the second project that I finished this past Sunday.  I started a black cashmere and mohair scarf last October for a good friend 's birthday.  Well.......it turned into a happy birthday/late Christmas gift.  Better late than never, right?  She was very pleased with the scarf.

I hope 2012 has been a good start for you.  I wish you a very happy and prosperous remainder of the year!


Hubbie's pj's

Friend's scarf

Last Meeting of 2011

Okay, it's been way too long since I posted - I apologize.  The month of December was crazy busy for me with finishing up my college classes, creating a huge contract class for winter quarter, preparations for Christmas, etc., etc.

My Needlecrafts for Charity club met on December 5th and 8th.  We needed more time to finish the pj bottoms and work on the sanitary pad kits.  Everyone decided that the kits would be an ongoing project.  Now that we know the need, how could we ever say that the project is completed?  We had 50 almost completed by the last meeting.  As for the pj's, see the pictures below.  This really was a fun project and everyone was happy with the results!

Looking ahead to 2012 - I will participate in an exciting class for winter quarter.  I will observe a family-run cafe by an old order Mennonite family in southern Ohio.  My stay will be over a 6 week period and I will stay with my parents.  My dad was diagnosed with cancer last spring, so I am looking forward to spending time with him while I work on my studies.  Please follow my blog as I record my adventures in Ohio. 

As for Needlecrafts for Charity, they will resume meetings the end of January.  They plan to work on the kits and any small projects that benefit a charity or improve their sewing skills.

I want to thank everyone who has given emotional and financial support during 2011.  Needlecrafts for Charity wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the help of our supporters.  I'm so thankful that this club continued to thrive throughout the year, and that I could help facilitate a passion for sewing and knitting in a group of college students.

Happy 2012!


Heather sewing pj's

Jacob modeling new pj's

Trisha with her new pj's

 

PUL Fabric

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!  I certainly ate too many pieces of pie.

We resumed sewing last Monday and finally were able to begin cutting out the PUL shields for our Days for Girls project.  In case you are unfamiliar with this fabric, let me explain.  PUL is a water resistant fabric that is used particularly in baby items, like for diaper covers.  For our project, PUL is sewn between layers in the sanitary pad shields. 

Heather was industrious with tracing (pinning would make holes and allow for moisture leakage) shield patterns on the PUL with a black marker.  The other students worked on pinning and cutting out pajama bottoms, and cutting out more flannel pads.  I took a final picture of what we have accomplished so far.

We have two more meetings left - wow, the time has flown by!  We will meet this coming Monday and then again on Thursday evening for a final project/pizza party.

Enjoy your weekend!




Trisha & Jackie pinning pj patterns

Heather tracing shields

 

Kim & Jackie showing sewn shield pockets

 


Pads & shields to date