Monday, February 8

What you leave behind

While I spin I often watch the History Channel or National Geographic and the other day I saw part of a show on "bog mummies".  Apparently the conditions in bogs (cold & alkali) are the perfect set up for mummification...
Anyway, the part that snapped me out of the somewhat dreamy state I'm usually in while spinning was that one mummy still had his stockings on.  Knitted stockings!  I have tried to search out an image to share but alas, no luck.  Maybe it's better, it was a slightly gruesome sight.  It got me thinking though, about handmade things and their durability versus the modern trend of forced obsolete-ness.
My favorite class in college was a costume history class where we got to go into the archives of the Costume Institute at the Met & look at, talk about & sketch; up close w/ no glass separating us from the Charles James' and Vivienne Westwood's, the teeny waisted 18th c dress or the Toledo art pieces.
What will this era leave behind?  Will we be known only by our plastic water bottles and disposable diapers? That bookshelf whether it's from Ikea or West Elm certainly won't be around in 100 years, in fact we're lucky if it makes it through the next move.

That sounds so dark, sorry!  Here's some pictures of beautifully made  stuff that I suspect will be around for a long time:

Wood Clinic Sewing Machine - I bought one for my niece (because I wanted one)
and it is as amazing in real life
 
Across the Grain Spalted Hickory Jewelry Box - forget turning ballerinas this is a jewelry box worthy of your treasures
 
 
Lora C Designs - or maybe it's Lorac? made this amazing quilt.  I am a huge sucker for quilts, ever since seeing the Gee's Bend exhibition at Moma I can't get enough.  Especially the modern look not so fussy style ala Denyse Schimdt

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