Today we're happy to welcome back author Kathleen Ernst. The Light Keeper’s Legacy is
Kathleen’s twenty-fourth published book.
In addition to the Chloe Ellefson series, she has written many books for
American Girl, including the six-book series about the newest historical
character, Caroline Abbott.
Several of her mysteries for young readers have been finalists for Edgar
or Agatha awards.
Leave a comment for a chance to win any one of Kathleen's
Chloe Ellefson mysteries: Old World Murder, The Heirloom Murders, or The Light Keeper’s Legacy. For more information, visit Kathleen at
her website or blog. To learn more about Vesterheim’s
folk-art classes, visit http://vesterheim.org/index.php.
-- AP
Danish Needle Lace
Handwork in all its many forms is dear to
my heart, as I’ve discussed here before in 2010 and 2011. I love featuring different types of crafts in my books. As a former museum curator, and author
of a nonfiction history, twenty historical novels for young readers, and three
mysteries set at historic sites, I’m particularly interested in everyday domestic
folk-arts. So is Chloe Ellefson,
protagonist of my adult series.
Hedebo incorporates button hole
stitches, thread rings, and pyramids to make decorative motifs. The example below comes from the
collection of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa.
The Light Keeper’s Legacy finds Chloe
researching the history of Rock Island in Lake Michigan. She’s agreed to create a furnishings
plan for Pottawatomie Lighthouse, which is the oldest light station in
Wisconsin.
Upon arrival, Chloe finds a body on the
beach, wrapped in an old fishing net. Hoping that the young victim drowned
accidentally, Chloe initially leaves the investigation to the local deputy sheriff
and continues with her own work.
She becomes fascinated with a peaceful meadow on the island, once site
of a bustling fishing village.
I created a fictional woman, Ragna
Anderson, for the historical mystery that twines with Chloe’s modern one. Ragna is a Danish immigrant, and the
best netmaker on the island. She also
excels at hedebo. Ragna’s memories
of making lace provide a sharp contrast for her new work making heavy fishing
nets…and when life in Wisconsin doesn’t turn out quite as the family had hoped,
she turns again to lacemaking.
Handwork reflects Ragna’s changing
fortunes within the mystery, from delicate needle lace to heavy netmaking and
back again. A piece of hedebo
becomes an important talisman in the modern timeline as well, connecting past
with present.
To gain a better understanding of the art,
I took an introductory hedebo class from Roger Buhr of Decorah, Iowa. In the space of a single workshop I
discovered that while the fine work inset into old linens would take lots of time
and patience to execute, the basic stitches are quite simple. Roger has designed a number of motifs
that work well as Christmas ornaments. His patterns are easy to follow and can
be done in different sizes. I used
embroidery floss for the examples below.
The simple ornaments I’ve made aren’t
comparable to the exquisite work done by experts. Still, working through the looping stitches helps me feel a
connection with the women who once brought such skills from Europe to the New
World.
Do you enjoy handwork too? What draws you? The creativity, the meditative quality
of repeating stitches? Do you also
think about the roots of your favorite folk-art, and the nameless women who helped
it evolve? I’d love to hear your
thoughts!
Thanks for joining us again, Kathleen! Your guest posts are
always so interesting. Readers, if you'd like a chance to win a copy of one of
the Chloe Ellefson books, leave a comment. And don't forget to check back on
Sunday to see if you're the winner. Unless you leave an email with your
comment, we have no way of contacting you. You need to contact us. -- AP
