Irish Rebels Handkerchief; My Irish Roots

The Irish harp and shamrocks are a give-a-way to its Irish connection. It is a large silk handkerchief, ivory in color, with deep hems. It looks remarkably like one I found in a greeting card with a note of dating from 1906. Five portraits appear.

When this handkerchief appeared on eBay I knew it was 'something' and placed my bid. No one bid against me.

Lord Edward FitzGerald

The date 1798 and name Lord Ed. Fitzgerald soon brought up 'google' hits. He was a trained soldier who assumed leadership of the United Irishmen, whose goal was independence from England. They planned an insurrection in March 1798 but he was arrested and died in prison in June 1798.

 Robert Emmet in 1802 wanted to renew the Irish struggle for independence. He was eventually arrested and tried for high treason. He was hung and decapitated, only 24 years old. He had asked, "When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then, and not till then, let my epitaph be written."

 

General Edward Roche was involved in the battle of New Ross in the 1798 rebellion. 

 Henry Joy McCracken helped to form the first United Irishmen in Belfast and fought in 1798. He was arrested and hanged at age 31.

Theobald Wolfe Tone  envisioned an Ireland formed on the ideals of the French Revolution, a country where Protestants and Catholics could live in harmony. He was defeated in the Rebellion of 1798. Upon capture he was 34 years old. He died of a self-inflicted wound.  He was said to have been "brave, adventurous, sanguine, fertile in resource, buoyant under misfortune, warm-hearted...[and] near being almost as fatal an enemy to England as Hannibal was to Rome."

*****

I really need to learn more about Irish history! I have Irish ancestors; my great-great-grandfather father John Smith was born in Ireland. Smith is the fifth most common name in Ireland. Smith was the Anglicization of the Irish surname Mac an Ghabhain, "son of the smith." Early Smiths were MacGowan, with variations McGowen and McGowin. John's daughter Delia (or sometimes Della) Victoria Smith was my great-grandmother.

Family lore has it that John's father bred horses in Ireland and sent John to sell some horses in England. Instead, he kept the horses (or money from their sale) and started a new life. I have also been told that my great-grandmother and siblings could 'ride before they could walk'. John and his wife Bridget Allen, of Scottish background, lived on Irlam-on-Barton at Chat Moss far m in Lancashire.

John was killed by a train in 1901; his wife had died in 1898. My great-grandmother would have been twelve years old at the time of her father's death, one of eleven children. The next I know of my grandmother was in 1906; she was a domestic servant coming to join her future husband in America. On the passenger list her age was given as 20 years old, not her actual age of 17. She married Cropper Greenwood of Bacup, England. I never had figured out how they met, but I expect they were both working in the Manchester area as servants. Cropper was mechanically trained as a quarry worker and later became a chauffeur.

Eccles & Patricroft JournalFriday 13th December 1901
Killed on the railway at IrlamAn inquest was held on Wednesday evening at the Ship Hotel, Irlam by Mr E Birch, deputy coroner, touching the death of John Smith of Moss Farm who was killed at the railway station last Monday. Mr J Mayall was foreman of the jury, Mr F Simpson was present of behalf of the Cheshire Lines Railway Co. Philip Smith said the deceased, his father was about 50 years of age. He last saw him a fortnight at home when he was in good health, he was unaware of this father habitually crossing the railway when returning from Manchester. Deceased was in no trouble and had not threatened to commit suicide, he sometimes got drunk – By a juryman: He did not know if it was a nearer way home to cross the line – several jurymen said it was three-quarters of a mile nearer at least. William Herbert Holland, booking clerk, said on Monday he was collecting tickets from the passengers travelling by train from Manchester, due at 20:03. It was a rough and dark night. Deceased came to him from the north end of the platform and had lost his ticket and paid 8d. He was sober and did not appear strange. He must have come back on to the platform while witness was engaged with other passengers. He had a right to go under the subway. After collecting all the tickets he saw deceased beyond the entrance to the subway apparently intending to cross the line, he called him back but deceased took no notice. Witness followed him and saw the headlight of an engine coming along the loop-line. The engine whistled. The train from Manchester returned from Irlam, and was being reversed. The engine stopped before getting into its usual place and the stoker came into the Station master’s office for assistance to deceased, who had been run over. His legs were cut off. Witness had not before seen deceased attempt to cross the line, though the stationmaster had cautioned him about doing so. There were notice boards at each end of the platform, warning passengers to cross the lines by the subway - Juryman: It is not fact that so many Moss people cross the lines? – Witness: No they cross by the subway and go by the end of the wall. – By the Coroner: He had seen deceased drunk many a time but he did not think he was on Monday night. He often travelled without a ticked, and paid his fare without demur, - Enoch Johnson, Fireman on the train, deposed to seeing the deceased at the end of the platform. The engine which was running tender first was about 12 yards off. Witness sounded the whistle, and when he saw the deceased attempt to cross the line told the driver to stop, and applied the hand brake. Deceased was lying face downwards in the four foot. The engine and tender has passed over him. Deceased died almost immediately – By a juryman: Instead of crossing the line he expected deceased intended to go through the goods yard – the coroner said it was a fatal short cut, deceased having come to his death by his own folly, - A verdict of “accidental death” was returned. The jury passed a recommendation that a public mortuary was desirable.The Warrington Guardian - Saturday 14th Dec 1901Railway Fatality On Monday night about 8 o'clk John Smith - commonly know as "Pigeon Jack" was killed on the Cheshire Lines Railway near Irlam Station. The deceased lived for many years at the end of the new road, Cadishead. The inquest was held on Thursday afternoon and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

What a sad ending. Was 'Pigeon Jack' drunk? And why 'Pigeon"? Did he race pigeons? Our ancestors are so elusive.

WIP and A New Hanky

I have been motivated to get some work done.

I have been making Esther Alui's new pieced quilt Little Hazel. She is now on Facebook and we have been sharing photos of our progress. I am using reproduction fabrics in red, indigo, and ivory. I thought it would be much harder than it is! The star was done last month. This month we are doing the two concentric circles.

 The leaf vine strip fabric is better than I imagined! I love what it does!

I finished the last side of the first border on Love Entwined and am eager to get it finished! I sewed the first solid border and the top and bottom borders together. You can see how wonky my appliquéd zig zag borders turned out. I have finished the last border and just need to complete the corner blocks!

And I have been preparing appliqué blocks for the reproduction 1857 Sampler from Gay Bomer of Sentimental Stitches. Some gals are using such wonderful creative color and fabric choices. I am using colors similar to the original quilt. Interestingly, the quilt is similar to the Houseman Quilt in Florence Peto's article is shared here. Both have blocks with various appliqué' motifs and leaf shapes in the corners that make a secondary design.

My quilt guild has a challenge: a 24" x 24" quilt showing your favorite season. I used printed fabric to creative a 'typical' Michigan autumn scene. I need to quilt and bind it before May.

My Fox quilt is stopped until I find the right fabric for the fox. The trees branches and leaves part is done.

I bought a Faith Austen handkerchief of mushrooms. So cute! I organized my collection and counted over 1,000 handkerchiefs. About 200 are designer/signed hankies.

It has turned bitter cold again. Our doggies have been sleeping in. They don't want to get up in this weather. But just wait until it turns warm, and Kamikaze (White Dog) will be barking at 5:30 eager to enjoy the day!

Perfect weather to stay in and stitch.

Swiss Air Hanky

i finally bought this city scene handkerchief from SwissAir. I have wanted one for a long time!

Operation Hanky: The Uncommon Story Behind a Common Hanky

One rarely finds a duplicate handkerchief but there is one hanky that can be found in antique malls, on eBay, and at flea markets. It features simple embroidered girls with braids on a teeter-totter. The girls wear a long dress or robe. The floss colors are bright blue, red, and yellow. It often has a sweet scallop corner edge. There may be a label that reads "Cottage Industry Program; Hand Embroidered in Korea."

I had no idea why there so many of these handkerchiefs could be found. Then one day I was perusing eBay and found the hanky with a brochure and letter for auction. I bought it and discovered the amazing story behind this simple hanky.

In 1957 a priest was assigned to Busan, Korea.

Father Al Schwartz was born in 1930 in Washington, D.C. during the Depression. His family struggled to make ends meet but still actively helped their neighbors who were worse off. He attended Catholic school and went to Seminary and college, obtaining his Theology degree in 1957.

As a young man he committed himself to the mission field where he could live and work among the poor and disadvantaged. He arrived in Korea with a deep commitment to help the poor.

The Korean War ended in 1952, but refugees still flooded the streets. Unemployment in Korea was about 40% and poverty abounded. Within a few months of arriving in Korea Father Al came down with hepatitis and was returned to the United States.

Back home he felt conflicted by the wealth in America compared to the bitter poverty of Pusan. He talked about Pusan and started collecting money for the mission. He organized Korean Relief inc. and by the time he returned to Korea had raised over $100,000.

Father Al had worked for the Fuller Brush company as a youth. That experience contributed to his idea to offer a premium or gift with his letter of appeal in hope that it might garner a larger response. He started a cottage industry in the slums of Pusan, employing up to 3,000 women. The women distributed, collected, and embroidered handkerchiefs to be included with the appeal mailings.

By 1964 over a million cottage industry embroidered handkerchiefs and table scarfs had been mailed out. And the proceeds built a hospital, two dispensaries, an orphanage, a home for the elderly, and a technical school for boys! Then came a day care center, a cooperative farm system, and an irritation system. Money was sent to support hospitals, leper colonies, schools and orphanages all over Korea. Later he started Boystowns and Girlstowns.

This is just part of all that Father Al accomplished during his lifetime. He is in process of beautification.

Now when I see one of these handkerchiefs I want to take people aside and tell them the story behind it. The priest who dedicated his life to helping orphans and the poor. The Korean woman who so carefully cut the fabric, the woman who hemmed the edges and embroidered the children at play. And how that little piece of cloth helped change the lives of thousands. Thanks to Father Al.

http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/profile/256
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysius_Schwartz
http://www.rmaf.org.ph/newrmaf/main/awardees/awardee/profile/256
http://www.facfi.org.ph/facfi_page.php?tag=ABOUT_US
http://holynameparishdc.org/community/father-aloysius-Schwartz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpOEdhUfsiA

Autumn Leaves

I have always loved fall best of all the seasons. I love the colors of the leaves, the gold and reds, the browns and oranges. When I was a girl, every fall my family took a day trip to the Allegheny Mountains to see friends on a farm. I loved how the colored trees looked on the hillsides, huge rounded masses of color next to color.

My mom was an oil painter, and her earliest paintings were copies of Robert Wood landscapes, trees in autumn. This still life painting hangs in my aunt's house, and was Mom painted it in the early 1960s.

When our son was little, we would walk into town together as a family, sometimes to go to the school playground and sometimes to visit the ice cream stand. One autumn, I noticed red leaves on a branch against a brilliant blue sky. I later took a photograph, and some years later it became the center of a quilt.

I used bleach and a fine permanent marker for leaf details. The branches are knotted in places. I then added a border of pieced leaves. It is all hand appliqued and hand quilted.The fabrics are all hand dyed, some purchased and some I dyed.

I also have a nice collection of handkerchiefs featuring leaves, and have always planned to make an entire hanky quilt of leaves!

The trees are still green here along the West Michigan lake shore. A little red is showing here and there, so I expect a glorious riot of color is to come. Nature's last hurrah before its long sleep.

Independence Day

My quilt life has been put on hold for quite a few months as we packed, moved, unpacked and settled into our new home. Next week I hope to finally start to set up my quilt studio!

In 1976 we were living near Philadelphia. It was a wonderful time to be there! We spent all summer taking the train to downtown Philly, and walking from one historical sight to another. We saw the musical 1776 performed for free on Independence Mall. We wore buttons saying "Ask Me", declaring to the tourist that we knew our way around.


When several years ago I saw Bicentennial era embroidery patterns on eBay, I had to buy them. And I made my quilt, Bicentennial Memories.

The images include George Washington cutting down a cherry tree; Independence Hall, a George Washington medallion, the Liberty Bell, and  Betsy Ross sewing the flag. Thomas Jefferson was adapted from clip art. Martha Washington is a vintage Redwork pattern. The last two blocks are the American eagle and the flag of 1776. The red and white fabrics have a small cherry print on them.

In my collection is a hanky and scarf from the Bicentennial.

One of my favorite hanky designers was Tammis Keefe, and I have collected the Philadelphia souvenir handkerchiefs she designed in the 1960s. They feature famous landmarks. Here is her Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall.

Another souvenir hanky of Independence Hall:

I had always an interest in early American history, but being in Philadelphia during the Bicentennial really increased my interest. I have read such books as David McCullough's 1776, which details all the battles of that year...something I would never have considered previous to living so close to history!

Happy Birthday, America. And best wishes for many more to come.

Happy Valentines Quilting!

This week I made another quilt based on a vintage greeting card design and embellished with hankys and buttons. I did something new with the binding: I used a wide lace! I really like how it turned out.

I scan the greeting card into my computer and use Adobe Photoshop to crop the image and turn it into black and white, turning up the contrast to get something close to line art. I size it to what I want and print. I then trace the image onto my fabric and embroider it. For this quilt, I added several border in 1930s reproduction prints. This is when I hand quilt. Then I used sheer handkerchief corners to embellish the borders, hand tacking them down. I bound the edges with the wide lace, the same way as traditional binding.