HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-09-28, Page 59Continued from page 12
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worlk with heavy tools. His doctor said it was important to
keep his hands nimble, so "I'd cut and he'd braid".
Braided rugs.ate .tnad :from knitted or wool fabric; cotton
is too hard. Old clothes er, scraps are cut in the round, pant
legs or nylon stockings are great, two or three inches wide.
"I neyer measure, just go by my eye," depending on the
thickness of the material. Three strands of these fabric
strips are braided.
Mrs. Taylor pays attention to color, but some rug
braiders are more random..She uses her fingers to turn the
raw edges under -as she braids; some people use a metal tool
for that, A braid 45 e 50 feet leng, 'one paper grocery bag
packed right full", i neededto make an oval 26' x 45" mat.
wooly THREAD
Starting with a centrepiece about 13" long, Mrs. Taylor
sews the brhid together with special heavy thread she buys
from the Shoe factory.
She's had all kindsof requests but very big rugs are
.difficult to keep from buckling when you sew the braid
together. One special ord r for Bayfield couple was for an
85 x 50 rug in, beige•. and turquoise to put in front of a
fireplace. i said. nevbr again,. ' Mrs. Taylor says.
Her raw materials eeme from bargain tables at rummage
sales, and from family discards. The Taylors sold antiques
and odds and ends along with their rugs, doilies, etc. at
craft shows and special events and here and there she's
picked up crochet cotton, yarn, hooks and knitting needles
at bargain prices. If the skill hasn't been passed on, family
members don't know what to do with those items after
someone dies.
ANTIQUES TOO
The antiques were all sold at an auction a couple of years
ago, and for the first time in years, Mrs. Taylor missed
setting up a booth at the huge Southampton Craft Fair.
Although its 150 exhibitors get 6,000 to 7,000 visitors in one
day, she concluded ° ° it's just too much for one person." She
had to run a booth alone and was away from early morning
til °' 12 or one at night." She did however attend the show as
a visitor with a couple of friends.
Pressing apples at Ciderfest past.
Mrs.Tay1dr'isnot one to wait for things to happen to her.
She completes two or three quilts every winter °'for thegrandchildren I guess. 1 make them and store them away
end then I, get thilejsing I have too many" and she'llftell
them. °
Partjy because members are a variety of ages, she really
enjoys Seaforth's Lioness club. "It gets you out and you
meet different people."
She doesn't get time to go to auctions any' more "and 1
miss them." An old friend jokes that she phones all evening
long and can rarely find her at home. Get out, get involved
and make your own life, is her philosophy. While she sees
her daughters and their families often, I m not sitting here
waiting for them."
EXERCISE
Sometimes people tell her to give up het garden, since
she's got plenty to do without it. But that's my exercise,"
she says '11 need that garden, mowing the lawn and working
in the flower beds. "And it's nice to have your own
vegetables to do preserves and relish like she made last
week.
Does Mrs. Taylor ever take it easy? Well, although she
disagrees with a recent story in the Expositor that called rug
braiding restful, she says "it's great on a stormy day. When
you cant see across life street, some people pace the floor. 1
get right into something like a rug.. Or a quilt.
The knitting and crocheting she saves for evenings in
front of the T.V.
As well as her crafts her collections (over 50 thimbles;
china shoes; figurines and collector plates) are displayed
around the houses Although she may have given up the craft
show circuit, Mrs. Taylor isn't completely ready to be just a
spectator.
"I'm sort of toying with the idea of a booth at Ciderfest,"
she says musingly. °'Do you know who to call?"
BECKERS
/, V
BOSTON
CREME PIE
DELUXE
ICE CREAM
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