Sunday, February 05, 2012

Ulster folk museum

Todays talk was in the parochial hall at the Ulster Folk museum. The museum is a collection of period buildings preserved as they would have been 100 years ago. It's the sort of place I cn spend hours in, although I would rather have had better weather. I am sure it looks lovely when it isn't raining. Two of the houses were open and had their stoves lit. One of the homes had patchwork quilts on the beds. Apparently the offcuts from makeing pajamas and shirts were often used to produce bed quilts. The other quilt was from suiting, I wonder if those were also left overs from the factories. The second house was bigger and more up market. The back room downstairs was set up as a dressmakers workroom. She had the most amazing dummy to work with, it looked corsetted and bustled. I would love one.
As well as the houses there are businesses. We had lunch in the tearoom, visited the picture house and the sweet shop. Sadly most of the others were shut, but I guess that just means I need to come back in the summer. Just as well as we also visited Craftwomen fabrics. Oh my! Just as well I have limited luggage allowance or that would have been a serious shopping trip.

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