Look what came in the mail this past weekend? Vicki had sent me a coffee table book “Williamsburg Christmas”!
Vicki from Virginia is a talented lady who runs of Field Trips in Fiber. If you are a sewing /craft enthusiast – you’ve got to run to her blog RIGHT NOW! If you aren’t, you’ve still got to run to her blog to see what she and others are doing. It always makes me feel special whenever I get mentioned in one of her field trips.
The book is full of Colonial lovelies!
Pictured with the book is a can of Virginia Peanuts from The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg:
[From www.goodearthpeanuts.com: Incidentally, peanuts were known as early as 950 B.C. It is believed that they originated in Brazil or Peru and were transported to Africa by early explorers and missionaries. From there traders took them to Spain and "The New World." Peanuts were used as food aboard ship as they were cheap and of high food value. The first commercial peanut crop in Virginia was grown in Sussex County (near what is now Waverly) in the early to mid 1840's.
For a long time peanuts were considered simple fare. The war between the states helped change the peanut status when Union Army soldiers found them to their liking and took them home. The call, "Hot Roasted Peanuts," was first heard in the late 1800's at P.T. Barnum's circus. Desire for peanuts spread as circus wagons traveled across the country.
The peanut was not a significant agricultural crop until the early 1900's when the boll weevil destroyed the South's cotton crop. Today peanuts are a multimillion dollar industry in Virginia and an important crop in the Southeastern United States.]
All that said, “Williamsburg Christmas” will be cherished in my stash of historical coffee table books. Thanks again, Vicki!
You are very welcome. I knew that book would be very happy in your home!
I didn’t know any of that about peanuts at all!! How interesting.
Your coffee table books look fabulous — and I noticed the partial title of the bottom one in that pile. It looks very intriguing!
You asked about the Jane Austen patchwork pattern. It’s an amazing pattern that you can get here http://lindafranz.com/product.php?productId=19 — the author worked with the people at the Jane Austen Trust and got the right measurements for the diamonds and sashing. I’ve got my fabrics picked out and hope to get the large diamonds and some sashing printed within the next couple of weeks.
Oh! Both the book and the peanuts look soooo yummy, I wish I could have a taste of them……..drooling here!