I am a 50 something single living in the NW. I am an artist, quilter, needlepointer, crossstitcher, sewer, reader, gardener, designer, decorator and a lover of beautiful things. I am so inspired by everyone in the blog world and want to convey my world of bliss. So join me as I post my thoughts and projects in my wonderful world of Tadlafleur.
Let me tell you about my blog name. When I was in college I had to develop a plan for any kind of business I wanted. I have always dreamed about owning a Bed and Breakfast so that is what I developed for my business plan. I was perplexed on what to name it. Then I thought of my grandmothers names. "The Agnes Dorothy". A combination of their names. My father's mother, the independent seamstress who chose her own path before it was a normal thing to do. Also, my mother's mother, the woman I was named after and who taught me to love beautiful things. Two wonderful women that have influenced me all my life but have since passed on. I just love how it flowed.
When i was looking for a creative identity I tried brainstorming my ideas but nothing really fit. I came back to "Th.e Agnes Dorothy". Something I loved and it just felt natural on what it represented to me. I added the french word for flower on the end because I love flowers in all forms and thought it sounded like a nice finish to the old-fashioned names. It was originally The Agnes Dorothy la Fleur but over time it worked itself down to TadLaFleur. It now represents my artistic identity and I use it across all social media platforms.
The rose that is on the main page is a photo of an Agnes Rose. A fitting photo to include.
When i was looking for a creative identity I tried brainstorming my ideas but nothing really fit. I came back to "Th.e Agnes Dorothy". Something I loved and it just felt natural on what it represented to me. I added the french word for flower on the end because I love flowers in all forms and thought it sounded like a nice finish to the old-fashioned names. It was originally The Agnes Dorothy la Fleur but over time it worked itself down to TadLaFleur. It now represents my artistic identity and I use it across all social media platforms.
The rose that is on the main page is a photo of an Agnes Rose. A fitting photo to include.
One of my passions is quilting. My Aunt taught me how to construct one when I was 16 (1984). She She had inherited from my grandmother a wonderful touch with sewing and needlepoint. I remember going to an old house on Broadway in Portland that was a store to pick out my fabric. This was before the time of rotary cutters and self healing mats. I remember drawing out my pieces by pencil and ruler and then cutting by hand. I used a very fluffy batting and I tied it as i did not know how to "quilt" it. To hold the sandwich together I used straight pins as that's all I knew to use at the time. Well I ended up not removing all of them as they seemed to disappear into the batting and for many years I would wake up in the morning with at scratches from the pins that were slowly working themselves out. I have used it so much over the years the seams that are coming apart but i just sew them together as the quilt is a warm reminder of that time and experience.
My grandmother (my father's mother) was a well known seamstress in Seattle who taught teachers how to teach sewing. I remember as a little girl she tried to teach me to sew. She would get so frustrated with me that I could not sew a straight line using a sewing machine and her directions, that she quit teaching me. At least it is how I remember it. To this day I still not can sew a straight line with out a lot of tricks I have learned over the years but I have never let it stop my passion for quilting. Please don't let the quilt police see my seams. :-)
My mother's mother taught me the art of picking out beautiful china. I remember as a small girl going with her and my mother to antique stores across Oregon to find RS Prussia dishes. . Back then it was not very expensive to find and buy beautiful pieces. Today it is rarer and collectors have caught on to their beauty, so the prices have gone up and it's harder to find those gems. She also taught me, that even though it's beautiful and precious we should enjoy them and not let them sit on the shelf gathering dust. She used many of them to hold food at Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings. Many times a RS Prussia dish could be found on the daily dinner table. We still use them to this day and I think of her when ever we pull them out.
Another passion of my mine is reading. I love to read. I use our fantastic Multnomah and Washington County libraries on a consist basis. At my highlight of use of the libraries I was checking out sometimes up to 17 books out at one time. I love checking out all kind of books. Sometimes, I have a list a mile long of books and other items I want to check out. I find it so exciting to find new authors and new stories from the most unusual places. It is so fun to go on the journey to find them and to learn all I can about the writer or their influences and then read everyone of there stories I can find. I also live in the city of Powell's books and I love going and looking in the stacks. One of my favorite genres is writers like Louise Alcott, L.M. Montgomery, Betsy and Tacy. I love to read stories of the time period of 1900 and especially when they were written in the first half of the 1900's. There is something so quaint about the style and the descriptions of times gone by. I will admit it I am a romantic. I have recently discovered I like certain types of mystery and police procedures by writers like Michael Connelly, David Baldacci and John Grisham.
I have also rediscovered a passion for Cross stitch and Embroidery.
So if you ever see someone hanging around a fabric/craft store or book store for long periods of time in the Portland area.... you might ask her if her name is Dottie.
Oct 2012. I moved into an apartment in July and I have been having fun setting up house. I have been going through boxes that I haven't seen in 6 years.
After 4 years of living with my boyfriend, we broke up in the Summer of 2018. I am now renting a 120 square foot room from friends and exploring and rebuilding my life. I miss my own "apartment" but life is good.
My grandmother (my father's mother) was a well known seamstress in Seattle who taught teachers how to teach sewing. I remember as a little girl she tried to teach me to sew. She would get so frustrated with me that I could not sew a straight line using a sewing machine and her directions, that she quit teaching me. At least it is how I remember it. To this day I still not can sew a straight line with out a lot of tricks I have learned over the years but I have never let it stop my passion for quilting. Please don't let the quilt police see my seams. :-)
My mother's mother taught me the art of picking out beautiful china. I remember as a small girl going with her and my mother to antique stores across Oregon to find RS Prussia dishes. . Back then it was not very expensive to find and buy beautiful pieces. Today it is rarer and collectors have caught on to their beauty, so the prices have gone up and it's harder to find those gems. She also taught me, that even though it's beautiful and precious we should enjoy them and not let them sit on the shelf gathering dust. She used many of them to hold food at Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings. Many times a RS Prussia dish could be found on the daily dinner table. We still use them to this day and I think of her when ever we pull them out.
Another passion of my mine is reading. I love to read. I use our fantastic Multnomah and Washington County libraries on a consist basis. At my highlight of use of the libraries I was checking out sometimes up to 17 books out at one time. I love checking out all kind of books. Sometimes, I have a list a mile long of books and other items I want to check out. I find it so exciting to find new authors and new stories from the most unusual places. It is so fun to go on the journey to find them and to learn all I can about the writer or their influences and then read everyone of there stories I can find. I also live in the city of Powell's books and I love going and looking in the stacks. One of my favorite genres is writers like Louise Alcott, L.M. Montgomery, Betsy and Tacy. I love to read stories of the time period of 1900 and especially when they were written in the first half of the 1900's. There is something so quaint about the style and the descriptions of times gone by. I will admit it I am a romantic. I have recently discovered I like certain types of mystery and police procedures by writers like Michael Connelly, David Baldacci and John Grisham.
I have also rediscovered a passion for Cross stitch and Embroidery.
So if you ever see someone hanging around a fabric/craft store or book store for long periods of time in the Portland area.... you might ask her if her name is Dottie.
Oct 2012. I moved into an apartment in July and I have been having fun setting up house. I have been going through boxes that I haven't seen in 6 years.
After 4 years of living with my boyfriend, we broke up in the Summer of 2018. I am now renting a 120 square foot room from friends and exploring and rebuilding my life. I miss my own "apartment" but life is good.
