Sunbonnet Questers
Sunbonnet Questers met at the home of Jane Ann Cotton on April 14.
The meeting was called to order by President Dorothy Raymond at 7:50 p.m. Raymond thanked Cotton for opening her home to the group. Charlotte Townsend introduced her guest, Sandra Lee.
Roll call was answered by eight members and one guest by showing baby pictures of ourselves which prompted memories and discussion of younger days.
Correspondence from the state president told about the recent state gathering and the coming convention. She also broke down how the dues paid are divided to various uses. Her president’s project for this year is the preservation of old Meredith Wilson film, as it is deteriorating.
A field trip in June was discussed and Charlotte, Shirley and Judy were appointed to look into possibilities.
The next meeting will be in the home of Charlotte Townsend with Lois Vogel giving the program.
There being no further business the meeting was closed at 8:25 p.m., followed by pineapple upside down cake and the program.
The program this evening was on lace. Jane Ann had borrowed several beautiful samples of lace from Corrine Hadley for us to see, including a purse made by Corrine’s mother. Romans ornamented their togas with threads as well. The birthplace of lace is recognized as Flanders and Italy.
Italian lace makers used a single thread with the help of a needle and in Flanders, the threads were wound on wooden shuttles or bobbins with the help of bins stuck in a pillow to twist and cross the threads. Bobbin lace was done in the 17th and 18th centuries.
After the French revolution it began to decline and by the mid 1800s most lace was made by machine. American lace was rare because the women did not have time for it, but in 1824, a machine was brought over to Ipswich, Maine from England. When the English raised a high tax on American lace in 1832 the industry declined.