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Old 07-03-2005, 09:09 AM   #38
Estelyn Telcontar
Princess of Skwerlz
 
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,645
Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!
I would assign patchwork and quilts to the Shire. With the Hobbits' love of bright colours and comfortable things, I can well imagine them sewing leftover bits of their clothing fabrics into cheerful patterns for blankets and other things. There would be cotton calicos for the summer, cozy wools for the winter, and the scraps of velvet (from the rich Hobbits' clothes) would be made into decorative crazy quilts, like those in Victorian days.

Quilting bees are a sociable activity I could easily imagine taking place in the Shire. At first thought, one might wonder if they'd have time to sew, what with meal preparation taking up so much of their day, but since the families were large, I'm sure some of them were able to pursue other handcrafts. I can see the Hobbit women and girls sitting around a quilting frame, gossiping about Bilbo's quirks or whether Rosie wasn't going to look for another fellow soon, now that that Samwise chap had disappeared so long - and the fact that the armour Merry and Pippin wore must be horribly uncomfortable and heavy...

I'm sure Tolkien would have approved, as he was all for handcrafts instead of industrial production!
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