Tea Time Thursday #36

Last Sunday, Jim and I went out to one of our favorite places- the Aurora Colony. It was time for the annual Aurora Spinning Wheel Showcase which happens every March. The weather was very pleasant. I really wanted to go this year as they were featuring how flax is turned into fibers that can be spun into thread. I wanted to learn how this really happens.

Some of the vintage equipment out in the barn for processing flax. See the big bundle of dried flax?
Oregon had quite a flax industry in the 1900's. It was very labor intensive and when WWII broke out, it pretty much ended the flax business in our state. A native flax was found growing here by Lewis and Clark. There is some interest in starting the industry up again.

More vintage items....

This young man showed us all the steps from the dried stalks to the linen. When Jim asked him how he learned to do this....his answer was...the internet! Our modern times. He is pushing the long stalks through the chopper. The seeds fall out and it starts to break down the flax.

Next he pounded it against this board. It was interesting because the color started to change and of course, it was getting softer.

He wound the flax strands around his hand and pulled it through the spiked pieces of boards. The strands continued to be become softer and softer.

Close ups of the hand made tools .

He had quite a crowd watching the demonstration.  Can you imagine how long it takes to get a fair amount of fiber from the flax?

A sample of the twisted flax fiber...ready to spin.

Here's what the flax seed looks like. It can be baked in bread.

 A pretty spring primrose basket!

Jimmy enjoyed looking over things in the wood shops. Lots of wood! You always see something you missed on your last visit!

When we finished outside, I really wanted to see if any of the ladies were spinning flax. Well, yes they were! This lady's wheel was just beautiful. She had a booklet that showed her how to put the flax onto her wheel for spinning. It looks like cotton candy.

Another lady was double spinning with her wheel! She was so funny and had lots of information for us. She said she couldn't drink her coffee doing double duty.  The thread is really pretty study and has a nice color. The flax becomes linen thread and is made into linen items. The linen thread would also be woven into fabric to make clothing. It was really fun to see the process. It's always wonderful to visit Aurora.

On to Tea Time Thursday! I have shown this cup and saucer before, but I just had to share it again after seeing the flax spinning wheels. I just love this one...a souvenir of Ireland.

Another beautiful cup for St Patrick's Day...Shamrocks by Royal Albert. This one also has the light green handle and accents.

Another Royal Albert with a sweet cottage and shamrocks.

I thought I'd tuck in a few of my little spoons to enjoy. I hope you have enjoyed the flax story and a few of my cup and saucers for the season.

Old Aurora Colony~Spinning Wheel Showcase

On Sunday afternoon, Jim and I drove out to Aurora to one of our favorite places....the Old Aurora Colony. I have blogged about it many times and we are members of the historical society. My friend Sha is an amazing spinner and knitter and she has been encouraging me to attend the annual Spinning Wheel Showcase for years. I was hesitant, as I don't spin and I'm just a basic knitter. I have always wanted to see the exhibit, so we decided this was the year. The colony historical society is celebrating their 50th year so all the events are really special this year.

When I paid for our admission, I was talking with the volunteer that we know and she said to be sure and talk with the spinners as they enjoyed talking with the visitors. I decided I would ask them about their wheels and what they were spinning. What fun! They were so sharing, their wheels were so beautiful and Jim and I learned so much!

This lady was so sweet and was happy to share lots of information. The booklet we were given is filled with information on the wheels. I was impressed with the different country wheels, how the ladies acquired their treasures and the different types of wheels.

This charming lady was from Germany. Her story was a bit sad, as she had traveled back to her homeland, hoping to find a wheel that was left in her family. Sadly, a family relative burned them or most were lost during the war in the bombings. She did find this one in her region, but it did not belong to her family.

This wheel is used for spinning flax. We learned that a long stemmed flax was once grown in Oregon and was actually sent to Europe for linen making. Oregon was know for it's flax industry until WWII when the labor force disappeared. I would like to learn more about this history.

I loved this lady's costume. Her wheel was from the time from Civil War, so she wanted to wear an outfit depicting that time period. She looks so serious, but she was pretty funny.

Look at the detaoil on this spinning wheel.

A spinning wheel from upper New York state was this lady's pride and joy. She was very chatty and was absent for her sheep's shearing on Sunday. Her hubby wasn't real happy that she was gone. It was fun talking with her about her sheep. Thanks to my Montana friend LaVonne, I know enough to carry on a conversation. Note how small her wheel is as it was used in homes that were little.

This was one of my favorite wheels. It was also from Germany, but was from the Victorian times and certainly had a Victorian look. Compact and pretty, I could live with this one.

A room full of spinning ladies and interested visitors. You can see a bit of the Aurora colonies painted furniture and other items the background.

Happy Anniversary! This most beautiful wheel was a 30th wedding anniversary for it's owner. She's had it for two years and was still very much in love with it and her dear husband. Absolutely stunning.

Here you see the two big wheels in the show. A walking wheel and an osculating wheel that moves up and down and stretches out quite far. it was not a hit, as you can imagine.

I appreciated the information in the booklet explaining and naming all the parts of a spinning wheel.

Cookies and coffee in the little log cabin with a cozy fire.  The building is just perfect for refreshments.
We really enjoyed the day. At least I know what I'm looking at now.