Queen Anne's Lace

 

Some believe it was named for Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary and the patron saint of lace-makers.  Others claim a queen. So many queens named Anne ruled throughout history, that scholars debate to which Queen Anne the name refers.  The reign of Queen Anne of England 1702-14 is often touted as its namesake time period, and indeed the ladies of her court were wild about this wildflower.  Legends in keeping with this queenly reputation contend that the dark flower frequently found in the center of the lacy flower represents:

• The queen surrounded by her lace collar,
• The queen surrounded by her court of ladies,
• Or a drop of blood that fell when the queen was making lace, in the frenzy of a lace-tatting race, a race she was sure to win (as queen) against any wise member of her court.

Less affluent folk festooned their tresses, bouquets, and headdresses with its wild, free, and real lacy leaves, and used its flowers in bouquets. Courting country lasses may still use it to decorate themselves, and courting country lads use it in bouquets.

In our state, Queen Anne's Lace is a weed that loves to grow in uncut areas. 

My friend Brenda, who has her own wonderful blog, did a Queen Anne's Lace food color experiment with her boys to help cure the 'I'm bored-s.' (You can check out her blog here:  http://thewindmillcottage.blogspot.com/ She's got her own set of trials, triumphs, and tribulations related to remodeling.)

I wanted to join in the fun, too.  After her suggestions, I only used one color (dark blue) of food coloring and used WAY more than just a couple of drops.  (My fingers are finally the normal color again.)

I added a non-dyed flower to show you the difference.  I couldn't find the right light exposure in the house to show the blueness of the flower. 

Once I moved the flower to the window sill, Cocoa Fluff had to see what was going on.  J

I also have two other projects going on right now.  (Yes, in addition to houses. Yes, I could use a nap, thank you.  Yes, the bathrooms finally got cleaned yesterday!)

Here is a preview of one of the projects:

Stay tuned for the outcome of this project and progress on the other project.