Louisville

Hey Blog Buddies,

Today has started out very chilly (upper 40's) and rainy here--a great day to stay home and stitch, which I plan on doing later.  Last week we took a short trip to Louisville, Kentucky, so here is a little tour of the area:

Downtown Louisville, from the Indiana side

of the Ohio River.

 

I was surprised that we found on-street parking

in the downtown area on a week day,

and that it was so inexpensive.

Of course, any on-street downtown parking is cheap

by Chicago standards.

 

We visited the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

and saw how the bats were made.

The machines were noisy, but it was a fun tour.

That's me next to the gigantic bat!

 

We did our own small tour of Old Louisville.

This is the gorgeous parkway that

runs down the middle of St. James Court.

 

There were lots of interesting old houses like this one.

Turrets are so cool.

 

Many of the houses had front gardens in full bloom.

 

We took a guided tour of the

Conrad-Caldwell House and Museum.

The Conrads had the house built in the mid-1890's.

He made his fortune in leather tanning.

It was sold to the Caldwells ten years later.

Mrs. Caldwell was a shopaholic (my description).

She wanted to redecorate, so she went to Europe

to get a few trinkets like

gigantic chandeliers and many new fireplaces!

Unfortunately, photographs were forbidden

inside of the house, so the outside

is all that I have.

 

Last but not least, we visited the Mothership...

...the Embroidery Guild of America's headquarters.

They are in a building called The Pointe

which has a warehouse/loft vibe:

very high ceilings with exposed ductwork, etc.

 

They had a small blackwork exhibition.

 

Some of my favorites:

Skull by Jo Dixey.

 

Hohokam Golden Prize by Anna Crowder.

 

Nebraska by Ann Erdmann.

 

Grotesque by Shirley Kay Wolfersperger.

(This is actually my top favorite.)

 

As you can see from this small sampling,

you can do a lot with shading in blackwork.

 

They also had this fantastic dollhouse:

I would guess the overall dimensions to be

about 3 feet by 2 feet.

There was a living room, dining room, kitchen

and many bedrooms.

Where is the bathroom?!!!

 

There was so much to see in each little room--

so many tiny, tiny embroidered and sewn items!

 

The photos are a bit blurry because flash isn't allowed.

Look, they even have a black dog

who closely resembles Molly!

 

It's hard to see, but check out

that tiny alphabet sampler on the wall!

And the pillow on the chair!

 

The rugs looked like they were petit point--

at least 50 over 1!

And the doily under the teapot looks tatted to me.

 

The baby's room.

Stitched picture behind lamp!

 

 

Of course there was a sewing room!

 

I think that I may have liked the dollhouse

even better than the blackwork exhibit,

and that's saying something.

And, credit where credit is due,

I wouldn't even have seen the dollhouse

if DH hadn't been bored while I was poring over

each blackwork piece and gone exploring.

I thought the blackwork exhibit was all they had.

He came back and asked me if I had seen the dollhouse.

I had no clue, so he said:
"C'mon, I'll show you."

It was tucked away in the back.

 

Our tour has now come to a close.

Take care when exiting the bus.

Don't forget your belongings.

Have a wonderful rest-of-your-day!

Thanks for visiting, and do come again!