"Yuletide at Storrowton"

Storrowton Village Museum
with Storrowton Tavern in the background.

On Saturday afternoon we drove over the river, around the rotary and down a street.  That was the path to "Yuletide at Storrowton"!  Storrowton Village is located in West Springfield, MA- on the other side of the Connecticut River.  It's always a treat to visit and go back to the 19th century.  There are 9 antique buildings around a Town Green at Storrowton Village.  These original buildings were all saved from different towns in New England by Helen Storrow and they were moved here, to this location.  It was a time when many items were handcrafted.

Behind the gazebo is one of our favorite restaurants in Western MA- Storrowton Tavern!

A Little History

A walk down the Town Green led us to the Gilbert House.  Inside the first room was a basket of fruit sitting on a table.  Oranges studded with Whole Cloves were some of the pieces of fruit.  This aroma was so good!  The lady of the house was waiting for our arrival!      

Gilbert House
West Brookfield, MA
~1794

Turning another direction in the room was another great view!

Inside Gilbert House

The tablecloth, the train under the Christmas Tree and the wallpaper were all so interesting!  Then, we turned again and enjoyed the decorations above the fireplace.

Another view inside Gilbert House

After leaving the Lawyer's Office we visited Potter Mansion.  An old piano inside caught our attention!

Strolling back down the Town Green and brought us to the Schoolhouse.  Walking in, we saw the stern Schoolmaster.  There were chalkboards on 3 sides of the room.  It's always fascinating to step into an old schoolhouse to take another look at the desks and chairs.    

North Center School
Whately, MA
~1810

Next door to the Schoolhouse is the Meeting House.  It was the building used for Town Meetings and also for worship.   

Union Meeting House
Salisbury, NH
~1834

It's always interesting to take a step back in time.  On Saturday we stepped back and enjoyed our Yuletide visit.   It was great!!!

     

~2017 Yuletide at Storrowton~

Admiring the beautiful Christmas Tree!

Yuletide at Storrowton is a great event in my area of Western MA!  We went last weekend!  The weather was co-operating, so we drove over the Connecticut River to West Springfield (in MA).  Walking onto the grounds of this 19th century New England village brings us back in time to a period of our American history when so many every day items were hand crafted.  The buildings on the grounds are original and moved to their present location at Storrowton Village.

The Meeting House was our first stop!  A Meeting House was used for Town Meetings and also for worship.  It was our first stop!  The fruit decoration above the doorway was beautiful and not often seen these days.

Once inside sitting down, we had the opportunity to listen to Folk Music from the 19th century!

19th century Folk Music Performers

 Then, onto the Blacksmith Shop!

Needed tools the Blacksmith had crafted.

 

 

 

 

He stopped his work to answer the numerous questions we all had.  

Pounding the red hot metal to a needed shape.

Inside the Lawyer's Office we saw simple, yet elegant tree decorations.  The trees were made of folded gold paper with a dowel in the center.  I took note of this easy, beautiful decoration.  Local area garden clubs create the floral arrangements.  These arrangements are on view for all of us to get new decorating ideas.  :)

Visit to the Lawyer's Office

Walking a little further down the path, we visited the Gilbert House.  There was a candle in the window!

  

Once inside, we visited with a lady spinning yarn.  The Kitchen was in the next room.  Then, we enjoyed the Parlor.  

There were so many beautiful decorations to admire while visiting Storrowton Village!

 

Beautiful Decoration!

Once inside the Schoolhouse a gentleman described the education during this time period.  In this Schoolhouse the blackboard was on 3 walls.

  

The Schoolhouse!

Our last stop on this wonderful journey back to the 19th century was to chat with a craftsman who made paint brushes.  

Craftsmen Making Paint Brushes!

It's always fascinating to visit Storrowton Village!  This week there are tours and special "Lantern Light Tours" of the Village taking place.  This is an event we always put on our calendar!  I know you have enjoyed this tour back to 19th century New England!

Enjoy!

     

Touch O' the Green

This month is all about green!  St. Patrick's Day is approaching!  I glanced over to my fabric stash (that had been previously washed) and located the shamrock fabric.  On another "project pile" a newly purchased (previously washed) hand towel was easily found.  Now, that combination could only mean one thing...a new decorative guest towel for our bathroom was in the planning stages.

Decorative Hand Towels look wonderful!  I've purchased them in the past...only to be disappointed when the terry cloth or the decorations do not hold up well after washing.  My solution has been simple!  I enjoy sewing.  Why not make them for holidays and special occasions using better quality towels?  Now, that's exactly what I do!

My directions are quite simple:

A strip of fabric is cut to fit into the towel's recessed area near the bottom edge.  The strip is 2" longer than the towel's width.  That way I have an extra 1" on each side to play with when doing the finishing work and sewing. 

The height of the desired strip is measured and 1/2" more is added to the measurement, so both the top and the bottom edges may be turned in 1/4" and pressed.  The raw edges on each side of the strip are also turned in, pressed and then turned in again and sewn in place. 

Sewing decorative strip in place.

When sewing the strip in place:  I like to wrap a very small portion of the colorful decorative strip around the backside of the towel when attaching, so I allow for an extra 1/2" on each side.  Pin the strip onto the plain recessed portion of the towel's front and sew in place.  Really easy!

If you enjoy sewing, as I do, a quick trip to nearby Jo-Ann's works into a routine, quite often.  Fabric that catches my eye is purchased to be used in the future.  Usually 1 yard will be purchased using a 40% or 50% coupon.  Amazing what can be made with 1 yard added to another yard.

Enjoy!