Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Fine Arts Of The Past

Outside the Bytown Museum on Colonel By Day, these women were working on traditional sewing handiwork. I've not seen this done before, so I took a detailed shot of their work as well. Perhaps one of you might be familiar?


The colours of these fabrics caught my eye at a nearby display.


Many historical societies, groups, and local museums were set up at tables along the Canal here, with most of them beneath this larger tent. I enjoyed paying visits, and was surprised during conversation with one woman who recognized me from reading the blog.


More from here tomorrow, but we'll leave off with a shot of the Canal and the Chateau.

44 comments:

  1. Lace making looks so tricky, almost 100% sure I wouldn't have the patience :) So you're becoming a local celebrity William!

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  2. Love the tatting. They're doing beautiful work.

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  3. Intricate work....glad to walk along the canal...

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  4. It is lacemaking, my sister had learned it once when she studied craft teacher. It is very ingenious.

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  5. Looks quite warm. Quite a change from earlier views.

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  6. Nice shots of the lace making. In Dutch we call it "kantklossen".
    I don't have the patience for this kind of work, I would rather sit by the canal.

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  7. I am not familiar with this traditional sewing handiwork. It looks very complicated to me. I love the shot of the canal.

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  8. Lace making requires more patience than I could muster.
    Jane x

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    1. PS I hope the blog reading lady you met isn't a Darth Harper fan!
      Jane x

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  9. This looks like a fun event. I've never seen sewing done this way but the results are very pretty

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  10. I have seen this traditional sewing handiwork also here, impossible to do it, for me....
    Great shots, William !

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  11. I would love to have seen that. Right up my street........

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  12. i wonder how long it took them to get on a routine & not make any mistakes? so cool. i am always amazed how folks & their homemade skills. ( :

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  13. Never learned to tat but do love needlework.

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  14. The results of this needle work are amazing. I can't imagine how much time it would take to produce something like this.

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  15. @Grace: I'm pretty sure something like this would be beyond me- my fingers would lack the fine coordination. My mother would have loved it.

    @Halcyon: I certainly thought so. The woman also used a term, bob and lace.

    @Cloudia: I wondered what people would be saying about this one!

    @Marianne: the woman told me that it was common in the Netherlands and Belgium in particular.

    @Revrunner: it was a warm day, but not that humid. I could only imagine what it would have been like being in traditional attire in humidity.

    @Jan: ah ha! I knew at least some people would know the terms.

    @Hilary: thanks!

    @Nancy: it's likely that my mother and aunts would have done this sort of thing when they were in the Netherlands.

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  16. @Jane and Chris: one hopes not, but who knows in this town! I don't think so, though, not from some of what she said about the work she's doing, which involves creating a historical area over in the Sandy Hill area tied to prime ministers of the past.

    @Aimee: they certainly are!

    @Karl: thank you!

    @Gill: I figured you'd like that.

    @Beth: she did say that making mistakes could happen from time to time, and it meant undoing work that had been done after it.

    @Jackie: my mother ended up later on going into embroidery and rug hooking particularly.

    @Red: she said it would take on average an hour to produce an inch of lacework.

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  17. Ha! That's funny. No one has EVER recognized me... hahahaha the 'bag' helps.

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  18. Those top photos look like lace makers.

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  19. Wow, that sewing handiwork looks very complicated!
    How amazing someone reading your blog recognized you. You are so famous!

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  20. The lace making looks way to complicated for me. How interesting that you were recognized!

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  21. Here it's named 'renda de bilro' (bobbin lace according to dictionary) and they usually do it at high speed.

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  22. I can't imagine having the patience to do tatting!

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  23. Lacemaking is so delicate and intricate. I have a friend who is learning, it's pretty complicated. Love it and I agree, the sash colours are great!

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  24. I know I wouldn't have the patience to do anything like this.

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  25. In Ottawa, you will be known by almost everyone, I think.

    Tomás.

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  26. Very interesting photos. I love to see anything like this.

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  27. Looks difficult to me!

    That last photo it wonderful! Icould be a painting!

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  28. I have an aunt who is very good at 'kantklossen' as we call it here. She creates beautiful things!

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  29. Wow that's fantastic work, I'm full of admiration for them..

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  30. @Birdman: I've had it before striking up a conversation with a guy while crossing the Bank Street Bridge here that I occasionally photograph from- we started talking about my photoblog.

    @Sharon: Luiz had the term that the woman used- I'd thought it was three words instead of two.

    @Tamago: well, infamous!

    @EG: it's a small world.

    @Luiz: that is precisely the term she used, the English version, anyway.

    @RedPat: it would take hours on end, given that the average rate is an inch and hour.

    @Ciel: I'm glad that I photographed it, just for the reactions.

    @Norma: I wouldn't!

    @Tomas: well, it's a big city, so no, but I'm getting to know people through doing this.

    @Denise: it's a pleasure to show it.

    @Cheryl: thanks!

    @Marleen: it's probably something my ancestors did very often, being from that part of Europe.

    @Geoff: me too!

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  31. Of course, she was tatting. All women had a specialty. Mama's was crocheting and sewing. She insisted I learn. Ugh!

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  32. As an ambassador for Ottawa, it's good you were recognized!

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  33. We've been so spoiled by mechanization most of us can't comprehend the labor that goes into fine handwork. Aside from the amazing skill, I'm impressed by the patience it requires.

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  34. Amazing craft work. It must have been quite an experience to see this beautiful art being created. And love the woman's costume in the first photo.

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  35. I have seen ladies making lace like this in Brugge, Belgium.

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