Pages

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Bunschoten




During today's class one of my students offered to take me across the street to a nursing home where I might see some women still wearing the traditional garments of this region. This beautiful lady agreed to be photographed.


The panels over her shoulders are extremely heavy and stiff. On her arms are what look to be knitted "sleeves;" these are only worn in cooler weather. She also wears a lace crocheted cap. All the individual pieces of her dress are pinned by hand when she dresses.


This is an old photo of Dutch women from the same region. I believe it was taken in the 1940s, and unfortunately, I don't have a photographer's name or credit. You can see that the styles have changed somewhat.


The colors of some of the garment indicate if a woman is in mourning for a family member or close friend. A local quilt group made this quilt from the traditional old fabrics, and donated it to the nursing home.





Here are some photos of Bunschoten:





This is the port, which used to be on the sea, and is now fresh water, because of a dike!








This is a shipyard where boats were being built and repaired:














In the countryside outside of town:








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thread sketching in Bunschoten




Today I taught my last class in the Netherlands. I've taught eight days out of the last 12! Whew! Most of my students took my Wholecloth Painting class yesterday, but a few were new. Great results again, don't you think?


























- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Keukenhof




After class in Bunschoten yesterday, Lya and I hightailed it to the other side of Amsterdam to the town of Lisse, a garden famous for its incredible show of spring flowers, particularly the Dutch bulbs raised here. I only have one word to describe it: Wow!

Let me share some of the beauty with you...



































































These magnificent trees -- I think they are copper beech -- are at the end of their lifespan, and will be taken down and replaced with healthy young trees after this season. I am glad that I got to see them!


I took this photo of the countryside on our way back to Bunschoten:


And here is another mama sheep with her lambs: