Fabrikverkauf

Two Saturdays a year Forster Rohner, A.G., one of the Big Three St. Gallen embroidery companies, has a sale. Before getting ready for our friends’ wedding this Saturday Starr and I rushed over to spend an hour picking through the goods for samples of fabrics and embroidered laces. The first pieces we spotted were selling for 80 CHF per meter but as we roamed the room we found many more affordable bargains. I selected a denim colored finely woven Swiss cotton fabric for only 6 CHF/meter. It’s perfect for a summer dress next year. At the cutting table I was mentally calculating how much of this exquisite lace I could afford at 10 CHF when the saleslady told me the price was not per meter but for the whole bolt! Quickly rethinking our selections we were less stingy with ourselves. Each of us left with a shopping bag stuffed to the top with enough lace to keep us going until the next sale on April 28. In the meantime, I’d better get busy on that book I’ve promised with so much gorgeous inspiration. See www.forsterrohner.com .
K Q:-)

More Wedding Pictures

Don't our husbands look handsome? Starr is wearing Sudtirol Trachten from the German speaking area of Italy. Marsha (in red) is an artist and once lived in Friendswood, Texas.
K Q:-) 

Hochzeit in Mogelsberg

Saturday we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of new friends here in Switzerland. Bryan, an American, married Karin, who is Swiss. Both belong to a group we meet with for occasional culinary sprees in each other’s homes. They very generously included us in their celebration despite the fact that we are newcomers in their lives. What a great day!

We drove out into the countryside with Starr and Holger to Mogelsburg for the ceremony which was performed in both Swiss German and English. Friends and family had arrived from many countries and, believe it or not, we met an uncle and aunt from America who had once lived in Friendswood Texas. Small world!

Karin is a nurse so when we exited der Kirche after the wedding her colleagues attired in scrubs had formed an archway of medical devices like the raised swords in a military wedding. Hilarious! Apero followed the ceremony in front of the church with Swiss folk music and wine and delicacies passed by ladies in traditional dress. Later that evening we drove to a mountaintop chalet in Appenzell for a lamb dinner reception with more music, wine and dancing.
Aside from the babies, I was the only one wearing a hat just finished Saturday morning (replacing the one I'd lost on the plane coming over here).
K Q:-)

More Appenzeller Hats

Returned to the Olma yesterday and captured these Appenzeller Hüte which are used in the traditional Silvesterklause or New Year’s celebration. The huge hats are worn by men (even the female costumes) and the large cowbells are the same as those really used on cows. Oooof! The Kinder are dressed in another type of Silvester costumes and are made completely of natural woodland materials.
For an interesting description of the Silvesterklause tradition see http://www.appenzell.ch/d/kultur/silvesterklausen.php and to hear a smidgen of the Appenzeller yodeling visit http://www.appenzellermusik.ch/ . Kate Q:-)



 

Handwerk at the Olma

Here are the ladies demonstrating their skills and the beautiful results. The first is using a fragile silver ribbon to embroider the motif for a cap like the one below. The lacemaker is using a shuttle and a double pointed knitting needle to make the collar. She showed me her moves but she was quick and it looked more complicated than I could pick up in a demonstration. We had fun visiting with them as I practiced my Deutsch with ein Bisschen English thrown in.
Kate Q:-)

Men Too!

Certainly outdone by the ladies, the men still have some interesting hats too. I really like the knitted farmer's cap with the tassel. I wonder how they keep these on their heads since I always see them perched precariously at the back.
K Q:-)

Olma and Appenzeller Hats

Today I met my friends Starr and Holger for the Olma. This grand exhibition for all of East Switzerland is held here each Fall. Like the Spring Offa, Olma is a kind of combination livestock show, wine and food tasting, home show, carnival, and crafts market all rolled into one huge party with lots of beer and music too. It goes on for 10 days. Things really got rolling this morning about 10 with a parade that passed by our front door and proceeded through the Old Town to the exhibition halls. This year Appenzell is featured so the costumes are particularly colorful and the cheeses delicious.

I’ve been wanting to get some pictures of the Trachtenhüte (folk costume hats) and today I went trigger happy. Hand embroidery, hand made lace and, I am told, these are sold only to Appenzellers. They are expensive too. I was able to get close to observe the Handwerk. What a treat for this milliner! More later, on men’s Hüte.

Kate Q:-)

Flohmarkt

We also wandered through a flea market on Katharinengasse and ran into our friend Kostas der Grieche, Restauranteur. What a gorgeous Fall day!
Kate Q:-)

Market Day

Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days in our neighborhood. Merchants and farmers set up booths with flowers, cheeses, vegetables, etc. and no matter what the weather people are out shopping.

Last December, my first week in St. Gallen, I was entirely intimidated by this process. Sherman had shown me around for a couple of days then went back to work leaving me on my own so I set out to buy a piece of cheese from a vendor we had visited over the weekend. When I asked ‘Sprechen Sie English?’ this young man said ‘English OK.’ Then I asked how to say 100 grams in German. He told me, ‘Hunnert Gramme,’ whereupon I started to weep (feeling SO stupid in an alien place). Silly! After all, the guy was really nice to me and I did get my cheese.

Yesterday we were out shopping and I saw him again. When he stepped over to help us he nailed us as Americans right off and greeted us with a Hello instead of a Grüezi. I reminded him that he’d been so nice to me when I first arrived that it had made me cry. Then I proceeded to order two pieces of cheese and some freshly made spinach ravioli in German. My reward was a surprised laugh and a compliment on my German. It made me feel like a million bucks (oops) Swissfrancs. My guess is this guy speaks Italian too!
K Q:-)