Free Loom

November 6th, 2011

Loom has found a home and is moving to Kentucky!

Several years ago a friend was moving and had an old loom in her attic that she did not want. She gave it to me and I set it up in my attic to see what it was and how much of it was there. From what I can tell it is the main frame and beater of an old PA Barn loom. Someone had begun to update it with new treadles etc but never finished.

Loom Structure. Closeup of Barn loom

PA Barn Loom-click image for larger view

I would like to find it a home, perhaps an historical society etc that could restore it and use it in demonstrations. All I ask is that you pick it up and take it away. It is on the third floor in Philadelphia, PA. I have no idea of its provenance and neither did my friend.

Working from home

November 4th, 2011

I have moved the office and my work out of our large studio and I love it. I’m good at setting schedules for my self and can get a lot of work done. I might miss people being around all the time but I do teach two days a week at Philadelphia University so quiet space to work in is great!
I have two rooms on the first floor with a separate entrance, big windows, and space for our office, my computers and drawing table etc. (Yes, I do use a drawing table.) There is even a working fireplace for chilly days. Below is a picture of one side of the first room—the office to the left and my spinning equipment in the back. What took me so long to figure this out?

working from home.

Changes. . .

October 2nd, 2011

Making some changes on this site.
Have added a portfolio page, rewrote the about page and changed the name from “Gardens, my non digital world” to “Beth Emmott, image maker”.
Still some changes to come.
Check the changes out.

Jane’s Carousel

September 24th, 2011

My friend Jane, one of my garden gals, has been working on restoring a carousel for 20-30 years. She and her husband, David, gave it to the city of New York as well as a pavilion built for it in Brooklyn Bridge Park in Dumbo where they live and last Thursday it was dedicated with the inaugural ride!

It was a wonderful event, a bit rainy but that did not dampen anyone’s excitement. I’ve seen the ponies from time to time as they were being worked on and have ridden on the almost finished carousel in its temporary home but this was different.

Jane's Carousel lettering. Jane's Carousel.

Name in cement and in her new home!

Sitting joyously in its clear pavilion (designed by French Architect, Jean Nouvel), jutting out into the East River it is spectacular. From the stainless steel lettering laid in the concrete proclaiming that this is “Jane’s Carousel made in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company” to the ribbon for the cutting ceremony every detail was complete. Guests were even given a special horseshoe as a souvenir! (Vincent Farelli would have loved this!)

Jane's Carousel Ribbon.

Ribbon for cutting ceremony!

If all this wasn’t enough, when night falls and the doors are closed, large concealed curtains descend from the edge of the ceiling and shadows of the rotating ponies are projected from within. Magic!

Jane's Carousel. Jane's Carousel.

Spectacular view and at night!

Some online links for this are:
Official Site
First Ride
At Night

Mini Vacation 2011

September 19th, 2011

After Connecticut we drove to Maine where we stayed with Margie and Joe in their wonderful home where guest rooms are private apartments, the food and conversation are wonderful and their garden is perfect for both human folk and VERY large doggie folk.

Bob visited with Joe at work and photographed along the coast while Margie and I headed north to meet Sally and Pam at the Maine Botanical Gardens for this years Garden Hoax. Words don’t do justice. It was misty (as all our garden events seem to be) giving the garden an ethereal feeling. We’ve been to lots of terrific gardens but this was different. It was a Maine Botanical garden. Where elsewhere beautiful flowers are planted to create vistas and swathes of color and texture, here the texture is of Maine. It is a garden in a forest.

Beth and Pam in the rain. In the children's garden.

Pam and I are in the rain in this pic Margie took
and House in the children’s garden with a cat fence!

Back to Margie and Joe’s for a bowl of home made chowder (what else) and the next day Bob and I headed north to Waldoboro where we stayed at the Blue Skye Inn, visited Pam and David, and ate Ginger Ice Cream in Thomaston (my mother has always raved of the Ginger Ice cream she ate in Thomaston, ME as a child in the 1920’s).

Alpaca.

Alpaca

Bought alpaca from an Alpaca farm to card with some wool I have for spinning—this winter’s stress reducing project! and then home driving in one of this summer’s wild rain extravaganzas.

Short and sweet and lots of fun!