The Turner House by Angela Flournoy

Thirteen children were raised in the house on Yarrow Street in Eastside Detroit. In 2008 it stands empty. Their father Frances had come North for work and spent his life driving 18 wheelers for Chrysler. He struggled with alcohol, held his children in speechless love, and was buried in his Hudson's suit. Their aging mother Alice is living with her oldest son. The money owed on the house is more than it is worth, but to save it will cost $40,000. The kids can't agree what to do. Each has their own memories of the house, and their own demons.

The Turner House by Angela Flournoy is a story Detroiters will recognize as 'theirs': black migration from the South to Detroit hoping for work and the rewards of a home of their own, then watching the city fall into the slow ruin caused by white--and black flight to the suburbs, job loss, city mismanagement, crime, drugs, and the lure of easy money at the casinos. The author's father was from Detroit, and his stories informed and inspired her book.

It is the Turner family that makes the novel impelling and universal; Flournoy's wise and compassionate portraits of complex people struggling with human issues.

The Turner House iis featured in the Spring 2015 Paris Review. Flournoy says on her blog,

"There's an excerpt of my novel that I'm very excited about! It's called "Lelah," and on top of the obvious feelings of joy and humility I ahve for being in such an illustrious publication, I'm also happy that The Paris Review selected "Lelah" in particular. She is the first character I "knew," the one whose story came to me when it was well underway. She challenged me to figure our how she got to where she was in her life, and to develop where she needed to go next."

Trip Around the World; found at a flea market; by an Eastside Detroit quilter

I received a free e-book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The Turner House
Angela Flournoy
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: May 21, 2015
ISBN: 9780544303164
$23.00 hard cover

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All Points Patchwork: English Paper Piecing Beyond the Hexagon for Quilts and Small Projects

I have only made a few hexagon florets for my Charles Dickens quilt border. But after reading this book I look forward to trying more paper piecing projects in the future. I am impressed by how complete and well organized this book is, loaded with step by step photographs, and full of tips for successful paper piecing.

This is not a pattern book; it gives you the knowledge base for creating your own projects. This is my favorite kind of book, one that teaches you a technique to add to your quilting skill set. 

I recommend this book for beginners AND for experienced paper piecers. I belong to a quilting group with several gals who have done hexagons for projects. They were unfamiliar with some of the tips I had read about.

This book is also perfect for quilt guild libraries.

http://www.workman.com/products/9781612124209/

I received a free ebook through NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review.

English Paper piecing Beyond the Hexagon, for Quilts & Small Projects

by Diane Gilleland
Storey Publishing
Publication June 2, 2015
ISBN: 9781612124209
$19.95 paperback

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A Reverence for Engines: The Thomas the Tank Engine Man

I did not request Brian Sibley's reissue of his 1994 biography The Thomas The Tank Engine Man because of nostalgia. Our son was too old to be a fan of  The Thomas the Tank Engine cartoon series and we read the books. I requested it because the description said Rev. Awdry was a pacifist pastor who during WWII was removed from his curacy because of his stance. I wanted to know more about this man.

Rev. Wilbert Awdry's deep love affair with steam engines began in childhood because of his father's deep interest. Awdry passed this love on to his son Christopher-- a three generation obsession.

Awry made up the stories about train engines who acted like little children to entertain Christopher when he was ill. Awdry then made model trains based on the characters. He was encouraged by his wife to publish the stories. They were beloved by children. When he gave up writing--after over 100 stories--his son later took up pen and wrote more Engine books.

Sibley has a deep knowledge and love of his subject. We learn how each story was conceived and developed, the artists who illustrated the book, Awdry's insistence on accuracy, and reader's reactions to the story. The stories were based on real incidents and verisimilitude was foremost, both in story and in illustration.

The book starts with a detailed genealogy. Awry is given no psychological treatment, his spiritual concerns are not explored in depth. But if one reads between the lines one can imagine another layer.

Awdry was uncertain of a career until his time at Oxford when he decided to follow in his father's footsteps. After earning his theology degree he spent three years teaching in Jerusalem where he met his future wife. After his return to England he was as assistant pastor. Awdry's older brother had been killed in the Great War and Awry was a pacifist. When WWII came to Britain and Awdry maintained his pacifist stance he was asked to leave his position.

The Church of England does not have a call system (where a church seeks and employs a pastor as they desire) but an appointment system (pastoral assignments made at discretion of the Bishop). Awdry had a wife and child to support and no job. The Birmingham Bishop was also a pacifist and offered Awdry a parish. It became the birthplace of Thomas the Tank Engine.

In 1946 the Awdrys moved to Elsworth and Knapwell. The vicarage was sadly neglected. The family split up for months while the house was made fit for their habitation. They were not pleasant years in Awdry's ministry and writing the Engine series was a saving grace. Seven years later he moved to Emneth.

Sometimes Awdry had to do everything himself, from lighting the stoves to heat the church to clearing the chimney of a parishioner. His wife Margaret taught in the Sunday school. Wilbert loved children and started a Junior Church. He rounded up children in his 12-seater van and brought them to the Vicarage for instruction. The morality of the Engine books was based in his theology. He gave responsibilities to the children, explained faith and church with stories--imagined and true-- that were accessible to the children. He always demonstrated that faith was part of every day life.

After twenty years in the parish ministry Awdry retired in 1965. The income from his 26 books was finally enough to live on, about 1000 pounds a year.

Having lived in a parsonage for well over 30 years I am quite intimate with the trials and challenges of pastoral ministry. Pastors are under constant scrutiny and criticized for things done and things undone. Expectations are unrealistic. There are no office hours. It is a round the clock job. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and finding my husband gone, the car gone. He had gotten an emergency call to the hospital and bedside of a dying parishioner. I am amazed that Awdry wrote 25 books while working in the parish and raising his family.

When Sibley asked Awdry about his personal philosophy he replied that this is God's world and disobeying His rules brings trouble on ourselves and others. His characters willfully erred and had to accept the punishment, but where never "scrapped." Forgiveness and redemption and another opportunity to become a "really useful engine" is always available.

Awdry said he wanted  his epitaph to say, "He helped people to see God in the ordinary things of life, and he made children laugh."

This was the man I was hoping to discover.

The Orson Starr House Mystery Quilt

The Mystery Quilt of The Orson Starr House

My Mother's Day visit to the Orson Starr House of Royal Oak, MI made my day when I saw a very interesting quilt.

A second floor bedroom displays this pieced quilt. It was noted as made about 1900 by Anna O. Greene of Royal Oak. The sign said she lived at 325 W Harrison in Royal Oak and in 1928 moved to Texas and gave this quilt to Helen Clees, whose daughter Elizabeth inherited the quilt; Elizabeth donated it to the Royal Oak Historical Society.

The quiltmaker's use of fabric is just wonderful. With only two fabrics she has given the illusion of a more complicated quilt.

I thought it was much older than 1900 and shared the photo with the Facebook group "Quits-Antique and Vintage." Quilt appraiser Teddy Mc Mahon Pruett and quilt collector and quilt maker Pepper Cory agreed that the quilt was closer to 1845 than 1900. 

 

Detail of print

The stripped center blocks are composed of  a square of Prussian Blue ombre printed fabric. The same fabric plus a solid light fabric is used in the pieced Wild Goose Chase sashing. Prussian Blue was popular between 1830 and 1850, especially in ombre prints. 

Ombre is French for 'shaded', referring to the gradual shading of color; here the dark blue fades into a lighter version;  a beige and blue print appears between the blue stripes. The print seems to have a floral motif. That part of the fabric is badly decaying, likely because the brown dye used included minerals that have eaten away the fabric. Read more about ombre prints at Barbara Brackmans' post here.

The blocks are bordered with pieced Wild Geese. You can see another quilt in this pattern at Tim Latimer's log post here. and samples at The Quilt Index here  and here.  This type of quilt block is called Sash and Block. 

Learn more about Prussian blue fabrics at Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts blog post here  and her blog Material Culture here;  look at the second antique fabric sample for another Prussian Blue stripe.  According to Roderick Kiracofe in The American Quilt  Prussian Blue, or Lafayette Blue, was a mineral dye first used in America in 1832. Brackman notes the dye formula was developed in 1770.

The quilt bock pattern is a Wild Goose Chase variation. Kiracofe also writes that pieced quilt patterns became commonplace during the second quarter of the 18th c, including Wild Goose Chase. 

The quilt is beautifully hand quilted. Cotton batting can be seen under the decayed parts. 

Who Was Anna O. Greene?

I went to Ancestry.com to learn more about Anna O. I discovered her husband was Orville W. Greene.

On March 20, 1862 Orville W. Greene, age 21,  enlisted as a private in the army and was in Company 1, Michigan 16th Infantry Regiment and mustered out July 8, 1865 at Jeffersonville, IN. He appears on an 1890 veterans list.

In 1870 Orville W. Greene appears on the Ann Arbor, MI census boarding with a chemistry professor and attending university. He attended University of Michigan in 1869-70 but did not receive a degree. 

On October 16, 1872 Orville, age 28 and born in Hulla, MI, and Anna O. Wright, age 20 and born in Wrightstown, WS, were married in Greenville. Orville was a banker.

Orville and Anna appear on the 1880 Greenville, Montcalm MI Census. Anna, age 28, and Orville, 36, had children Mabel, age 6, and a two month old unnamed son. Orville was a "jeweller" [sic]. 

The 1900 Census of Greenville, Montcalm, MI shows they lived at 510 Clay. Anna was born January, 1853 in Wisconsin. Orville W. was born February 1845 and was a bookeeper. They had children Otto, born January 1878, and Edwin W., born October 1883. A sister-in-law Ida E. Abbot, born October 1856, and a domestic servant lived with them. 

The 1920 Census shows that Orville, 77, and Anna, 66, Ida, 63, and grandson Willoughby,11 were living together. 

By 1924 Anna and Orville had moved to Royal Oak. 

By 1930 Anna, 77, was living in Royal Oak with her son Otto, 52, who worked in an auto plant. 

Anna's death certificate shows she was born January 23, 1853 in Wisconsin and died of apoplexy on March 9, 1933 in Alamo, TX. Anna Orilla's parents were Lucien Wright and Marietta Thompson both of Wisconsin. Her burial was to be in Royal Oak. 

Anna's Ancestry

Anna's parents were Marietta "Etta" Thompson (1844-1860) and Lucien L Wright (1870-). 

Lucien L. Wright's parents were Margaret (1822-) and Lucien B. Wright(1825-1868); Lucien B. appears on a Civil War Draft Registration in Wrightsville, WS. 

Marietta's parents were Orilla Tabitha Palmer (1844-1860) and Delanson Thompson (1817-1860). 

Orilla Palmer's parents were Elias Palmer (1789-1825) and Anna Haven (1778-1864). Anna Haven's ancestors date back to Richard Haven who was born in England in 1590, arrived in America in 1644, and died in Plymouth, MA in 1703; he was a carpenter, a deacon in the church, and served in King Phillips War.

Did Anna Make The Quilt?

Now the problem is this: If Anna O. Greene pieced this quilt, lets say at age 14, then it would have been made around 1867. And yet some believe the fabric is older than that time period. SO...who did piece that quilt? Did Anna's use fabric from a dress belonging to a family member? Pepper Cory suggested the quilt could have been made for Anna's birth. Or did Anna's mother make the quilt? Or even her grandmother?

It is a mystery.

Our Kitchen Remodel Choices & Update

We have signed off on a kitchen layout, cabinets, counter tops, sink, hood, and flooring. Whew! We are finalizing back splash options. We put down a deposit. And May finds us, one again, packing up! At least this May it is not to move--just relocating a kitchen in prep for demo.

Here is what we decided on doing:

Quarter sawn natural cherry slab cabinets. The quarter sawn wood has a more even grain texture. We really fell in love with these cabinets when we saw a display kitchen in the Ludington, MI Home Depot. It was 10 years old and the color was so pretty. We saw a 20 year old cherry model kitchen at Kurtis Kitchen in Warren. We have never had cherry cabinets before. I look forward to watching their color become richer. The soffits will be out and cabinets will run to the ceiling.

The quarter sawn cherry cabinets

Yes! Wilson Art "Betty" laminate in soft teal and gold and gray on off-white is their 2015 retake on a retro 70s pattern. Jen said it has caused quite a stir with her co-workers. How did I find out about it? Retro Renovation. Thanks, Pam!

We thought we had to decide between an apron front sink or the laminate counter top! But I found Kohler had a sink designed for this issue: the Vault top-mounted stainless steel sink can be used with laminate counter tops. O, the cleverness of me!(To quote Peter Pan.)

We bought a Hansgrohe faucet at Costco.

We loved this Evora cork flooring for its "Canvas" color and 'stone' look. Turned out to be a high quality floor as well. It will be installed in the kitchen and the adjacent family room. The family room is on a cement slab so the insulation quality of cork will be a real plus.

We have ordered a Akdy European stainless steel wall mount hood from Houzz. I don't have a photo. There will be a pot and pan drawer and will feature two 18" glass front cabinets. I will have more counter space than I have ever had around a stove. We preferred counter space over a pantry. That wall ended up looking like this:

Completed Kitchen photo

Instead of how it looks now.

old kitchen

We already have a Samsung convection five burner convection oven and a Whirlpool bottom freezer three door refrigerator. (Bought on sale over the past few years.) We bought a Bosch dishwasher with a third rack. We wanted a quiet one as the family room is open to the kitchen and the bedrooms beyond the doorway into the kitchen seen above.

The refrigerator was moved to a wall where Mom had a hutch. We  built it in with a utility cabinet. A two step ladder is stored in the cabinet.

In process: built in refrigerator

There is still room for a dining area in front of the window wall or centered in the room. We have three table options.

 The $40 1950s tulip red and gray Formica table I found a year ago.

 My childhood 1950s table. (Shown with our retro chairs bought at Target many years ago.)

The Chromcraft 1950s table with crushed ice gray Formica top.

The Chromecraft Table in our kitchen

We loved the retro vibe of this spun aluminum pendant light fixture from Elk Lighting. I bought it from Overstock.com. It will hang over the counter between the kitchen and the family room. In drawing below you can see the half wall into the family room. I love the little open shelf at the end of the cabinet.

Completed kitchen photo

The kitchen has a sink on that peninsula now. It will be moved to the stove wall. Dad's stained glass pendent will go to my brother.

old kitchen photo

We are not installing pot lights. Under counter lighting, a light over the sink, and the lighted hood over the stove will supplement existent outlets. For over the dining area we ordered this Percussion 3-light flush mount polished chrome fixture from Houzz.

We considered a stainless steel sheet behind the stove or metallic look tiles. We loved this tile!

stainless metal tile backsplash

We will get paint samples later and pick up a color from Betty.

I have lots of dishes to choose from.

 The Ben Seibel 1958 Iroquois "Blue Diamond' is a set I love.

 Both of our parents had the Cornelle Harvest Gold butterfly set.

Gary's folks good china. I also have an amber Diana set of Depression era dishes.

This has been a lot of work. It was over a year ago we first talked to someone about a remodel. We looked at a lot of online and print information, visited numerous retailers, and spoke to three contractor/designers. When we saw something we liked I shopped around for the best deal. Prices change constantly, so if we saw a deal we bought it right away. As the flooring is going into the family room we will have to clear it out as well.

In the end we will have finished remodeling two rooms!

Now we have to pack.

Update: I found this great fabric for curtains! I liked the retro look with two tiers. It offers a lot of options for privacy and, as a western window, for when the sun is setting.

 They are lined and hanging on rings.

The 1845 Orson Starr House of Royal Oak, Michigan

I passed by the Starr House hundreds of times growing up. On Mother's Day I finally took a tour!  It is the oldest existent house in Royal Oak, Michigan and is located at 3123 North Main Street.

The Orson Starr family came from New York State in 1831 and built this house in 1845. The Starr family made bells: cow bells, goat bells, bells of all sizes and each was marked with a star. Family occupied the house until the 1960s.

In 1985 the house was designated a historic district and in 1999 it was one of five Michigan sites included in "Save America's Treasures." The house is nicely preserved, undergoing continual restorations, and is nicely furnished with donations.

The black walnut dining table was made for the Asher Bull Parker family in 1839 from a local tree.

The main floor bedroom has an impressive bedroom set. It didn't fit into the house so the very top was removed!(My Grandmother Emma Becker Gochenour told me a story of having the same issue after a move and dealing with the bed the same way!)

 A 1915 (according to the sign) potted tulip appliqué quilt is on the bed.

 A silk pieced quilt is displayed in the bedroom on a chair.

 It was made about 1890 by Mary E Ferguson Briggs, great-granddaughter of the Orson Starr family.

Beautiful white dresses with fancy work.

In the closet I saw this swimsuit!

A third bedroom has a faded Wedding Ring quilt said to date from 1940 and was purchased at Detroit's flagship department store J. L. Hudson--or it may have been made by a Parker family member.

Other dresses on display include this purple dress with lappets

 and this dark 1890s wedding dress.

A sheer beaded blouse from the 1920s is also on display.

A WWI souvenir from France silk and lace trimmed handkerchief.

There are antique dolls throughout the bedrooms including this one with a painted face.

And a metal crib has a Depression era star quilt.

A Bicentennial era needlework celebrates Michigan's heritage: A Native American is overlaid on the state, surrounded by the flags that have flown over this land.