The contest for the Bethesda Convention is Threads of History, "Threads of History" should be interpreted as the people, places, and events that made up the history of the United States. I think that they are really going more for the "Washington, DC" aspect of their location. I believe that there will be trips to the various Washington, DC Museums. I even thought that I heard the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters might be among them, as they have a costume collection. The last time that the convention was held in Bethesda, same hotel, I understand, there really was no emphasis on Bethesda, as in the Naval Hospital. It was all on Washington, DC., our nation's capital. Fortunately there should be no shortage of design possibilities associated with Washington, DC. As a brainstorming function, it occurs to me that Washington is known for its Cherry Blossoms. _http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390_ (http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390) Other Washington type motifs would be The Whitehouse, the Washington Monument (good for beginners because of the simplicity of the lines) and the Lincoln Memorial. Congress, of course, but that would be a little hard to render in Needlelace unless you went very abstract or expressionist. Washington is also home to the Supreme Court. If you have been following arachne, you know that there has been a lot of discussion about their neck wear. I don't know whether anyone would catch the bit about a naval theme. Washington is on the Potomac River. I don't think either Washington or Bethesda is a port, although locals may correct me. The Naval Hospital is most frequently thought of as a place where our governmental officials, such as Congressmen and Senators receive first rate medical care. It would be a little difficult to render a Senator having his pulse taken or having some organ replaced, I suppose. However, our Naval Academy, Annapolis is not too far away from Washington. The Potomac River is known in popular lore for having had a coin thrown across it by our first President George Washington, after which Washington is named. This never happened, along with the other famous thing that Washington didn't do, which was to chop down his father's cherry tree. (Cherry trees, again.) On the Forth of July they set off fireworks over the Potomac, or so I am told. It is said to be very moving. Washington was burned by the British during the War of 1812, but we rarely talk about this, or the heroic role that first lady Dolly Madison played during this time. Dolly Madison is credited with inventing ice cream, but that, too, appears unlikely, since I think it was a dish she ate as a child. I doubt that anyone will want to talk extensively about the War of 1812, first because it wasn't one of our best wars, and also, because we will probably have British guests at the convention. Our national bird is the bald eagle, although Benjamin Franklin wanted it to be the Turkey, which is native to America and the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving celebration. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin's son was the Royal Governor of New Jersey? Yes, they were on different sides during the Revolution which led to family unpleasantness, but there is a Franklin, NJ named after Benjamin Franklin's son. I think he had to go to Britain after the Revolution. According to the Encyclopedia our national flower is the Rose, which is something I never knew. Our motto is In God we Trust, and our monetary unit is the dollar. (That I knew.) Our national anthem is The Star Spangled Banner, written during the War of 1812, with lyrics set to an old English drinking song, or so my choir director claimed. She hated the tune because no one could sing it. Don't know if any of this will be of any inspiration for a themed pattern, but I tried. Devon In a message dated 8/31/2010 10:29:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
Thank you all for your replies. There is obviously a Huge amount of "Gentle Crafts" out there. I had not realized there was so much. Wow! As I am making up some new patterns for the convention, I thought I could theme some, perhaps, as I did in Denver some years ago. Patchwork blocks give me a few ideas - hence the question about Quilters! I know there is a big naval hospital there, so I will try to produce something with a nautical theme, perhaps. I think I must check the Tourist Guide to Bethesda, on the Internet to see what else gives me some ideas. Regards from Liz in cold, wet, Melbourne, Oz. [email protected] - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected] - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]
