09.29.07
Posted in Anecdotes, Quilts at 10:13 pm by Administrator
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. There is NO paramour under MY palampore!
However, this is as good a time as any to discuss definitions! To verify the meaning of the word, “paramour,” I consulted the dictionary. The description given is this: “an illicit lover esp. of a married person.”
On the other hand, a “palampore” (not found in the dictionary) is a word that denotes an antique, hand-painted textile, usually made in India, and traditionally, exported (primarily) to England.
There are some links to lovely examples held in museums, on this Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palampore
As its central design, a palampore often featured a tree. In some circles, this sometimes has been referred to as “The Tree of Life.” An example of a tree-bearing palampore is shown on the website of the International Quilt Study Center, and listed as having been made between 1750 and 1770.
http://www.quiltstudy.org/quilts/search.html
What is the reason for calling the words “paramour” and “palampore” to your attention? Recently, a wonderful report about a meeting for individuals who love to view antique quilts was published on an online list. The writer, whose name need not be divulged, stated that, “At show and tell, we saw a stenciled and painted paramour, recently found in a box labeled ‘tablecloths’.”
The author of this comment profusely apologized to the readers of her message. No penance was meted out. I’m sure that no one laughed at her, but I am certain that we chuckled with her.
For me, who loves words, this is yet another chance to be sure that I know those words well enough to explain them to you.
A paramour under the palampore? Perhaps not, but this could be the start of a new fantasy for many middle aged women who read this message. Truth be known, my fantasy is to actually see an antique palampore someday.
Patricia Cummings
Permalink
09.28.07
Posted in Photo essay at 2:46 pm by Administrator
Charlotte Croft is fond of taking photos to record nature, as well as the events of family and friends. We are blessed that she is always delighting us with the images that she sends. Every time I see her self-portrait photo, I have to smile in a gleeful sort of way because, for some unknown reason, it reminds me of a very cute, nineteenth century design, of an owl with a camera. That design is offered as a free pattern on our website’s free pattern page.
Photo of Charlotte Croft with her camera, at the ready!
During the summer months, Charlotte and her family like to spend time at Caspian Lake in Greensboro, Vermont, near Hardwick. The following photo is a very interesting shot of Silver Lake in Barnard, Vermont, in which a house is reflected in the water.
Do the ripples suggest that a bug or a frog has been creating waves?
The next view is that of a tall steeple of a church in Woodstock, Vermont. This building is situated across from the park that is bordered by the two main streets in downtown Woodstock. In my opinion, churches like this one, painted white, and with tall spires reaching toward the heavens, are quintessentially New England. One can often see churches like this rising up from little villages, as seen from a road, at a distance.
As the summer season begins to greet autumn, goldenrod plants appear by the roadside. This photo captures a patch of them near a rusty mailbox in E. Barnard, Vermont.
We hope that you have enjoyed seeing these glimpses of the area. Most of us who live here in northern New England couldn’t envision living anywhere else. Right now, chrysanthemums are the flowers of choice in formal gardens and planters, the pumpkins are ready for making into jack-o-lanterns, or for baking a pumpkin pie, and the apples are crisp off the trees. The nights are cooler, and as our thoughts turn to the harvest, as we begin to envision the comfort and delights of Thanksgiving.
We all have so many blessings! Jim and I are certainly thankful for friends, like Charlotte, who share their talents with us, here at Quilter’s Muse Publications.
Patricia and James Cummings
Permalink
« Previous entries · Next entries »
