A night at the MUSEUM!!!

OK - so it wasn't a night, but M and I spent Thursday afternoon at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and OH MY GOODNESS - we did have a LOT of fun.

I guess we are making it a tradition that we go once a year! (I think if you check around the 4th of January 2012 - that is when we went last year). We are NOT museum people, but we do like to go - we just can't go often and can't stay for long. But we did a have a good tour around and poked our noses into all (well most) corners of the museum.

M is working on a major project for school - a 16-page magazine (for fashion class). She needed to get some fashion pictures and the ROM always has a fashion/textile display. We bundled into the car and headed downtown. She did NOT have her camera with her BUT Mom to the rescue and so I was cameraless, but she did a great job taking pictures. Sit back and have a look.............

Entrance to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

Up to the FOURTH floor which is where the fashion/textile exhibits are always  held. This show was called BIG - textiles/fashion that made BIG statements, BIG impact, BIG (well - there were eight BIGS and look - I can't remember them!!!!)  We did take a picture of the BIGS, but well - I have so many pictures - hard to put them all in. 

This was the first dress we saw. They had a video running to show how the dress was made and can you guess how many meters of fabric was used in making this dress????   Guess????   166.5 meters and that is NOT a typo. The tulle was layered - in some cases - FOUR layers. There is TONS of hand stitching/detail on this dress and when they showed the embroidery loom - HEY - I have one of those. A class mate made it for me when I was a Sheridan!!!!   I really need to use it. 

The video also displayed the dress on the runway and these were the shoes that went with the dress. M sees fashion - I see an accident waiting to happen!!!!  I won't show you the back of the dress - you will have to do and see for yourself!!!!

Lots of examples of various types of fabrics (this one is woven). When you see some of the examples and knowing that these were hand woven, you just wonder how they came up with the loom to do the weaving and then how long would it take them to stitch this. I believe one of the textiles we saw, it took TWO people one day to do about 5-6 cm and they were making wall coverings for some royalty. Yikes - maybe they were slow so they would always have a job????  But the print was very delicate and complex!!!

Then you have printed fabric from Africa. This looked much less time consuming, but still intricate. 

Now THIS is the ideal fabric for quilters. And why is that????   Well first - do you know what it is made of?????   Fibreglass Read the card below and see the properties of the Fibreflass fabric. Sounds like a quilters dream!!!!

Can you read it????? NO IRONING!!!!!!!!!   Oh look  - there are some more BIGS on this card. 

They had a  number of quilts on display (I think these were the same ones that were on display when we went last year). They MUST change them up - I can't imagine the quilts being on display all year long. I won't show you the rest of the quilt display - you will have to go and see it for yourself!!!!!

I do have to say that M did a great job taking pictures. The lighting in this hall is VERY DIM because of the textiles and bright light will damage the fibres. No flash - yes - we had a lot of blurred pictures, but that is what the DELETE button is for!!!!!

This was one of my FAVOURITE garments on display. It is made completely from ZIPPERS!!!!!   How cool is that. I just wonder if you get mixed up with the zipper that opens it OR does it matter which zipper you use to get out of the garment??????   I could make this!!!!!!!!!!!

A small piece of textile - not sure where this came from and shoot - I should have got the year it was made. But look close - look at those designs!!!!   They look like quilting designs, but NOPE - the lines are made with teeny tiny embroidery stitches. But you can get inspiration for quilting designs from everywhere!!!!

At one point, I had to go to the wash room (too much drinking on the way down - non-nonalcoholic of course). WELL - there is NO washroom on the fourth floor - shows you the status of the textile section!!!!!   I had to wander through the museum to find a washroom on the third floor and so I found our next destination!!!!  Back up to M who was having a ball checking out all the designers and their fashions. But time to move on.......................

I LOVE this staircase in the new section of the museum.   It is called the Staircase of Wonders!!!!  

Look at ME - yes - we were having a fun day!!!!!!

I love the displays in this staircase. This is the miniatures - they are so cute!!!!!   There are many other displays - but you will have to go and see them yourself!!!!

Cool close up of the pipers!!!!   (This is for you Margo!!!)

Then we were off to our next exhibit. The one that I stumbled upon when looking for the washroom.

This display was from Ghana. We saw this cool textile that is all embroidered. I have no idea what they are saying or doing. 

 But the real reason we came to this section was for this.................

Do you know what it is?????   Why is it a car of course, but not just ANY car -

Can you read the caption on the display case????   It is a COFFIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The reason we were so fascinated by the car coffin (there was also a fish coffin on display) was that BERKE is OBSESSED by cars and we thought this would be appropriate for him when the time comes!!!!!!!!!!

And this car was not JUST a car, but it was a Mercedes-Benz

Why the Mercedes Benz coffin car is so popular - hopefully you can click on the picture to read that

The front "seat" of the car coffin (that is just too creepy)

And the upholstery in the back sea - Louis Vuitton no less!!!!!

Now you are asking - how obsesses is Berke about cars?????   Oh yes - he is obsessed. We have taken to sending him pictures of parts of a car to see if he can identify them. On the way home from the museum, we sent him a picture of the GAS CAP (so part of the contour of the car was in the picture). It was some fancy Hyandai and seconds later - he came back with the name, the model and more information about the car than we ever wanted to know. I DO NOT know how he knows all this, but ONE OF THESE days we are going to stump him. I don't know what car it will be, but we will stump him. I think we need to do ordinary cars, not the fancy ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we were off to view other parts of the museum.

This is one of my FAVOURITE pieces in the museum. This comes from Africa and it made from the tops that seal bottles of booze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We watched some of the video this time since we didn't spend as much time exploring the piece which is HUGE. What makes it so cool is that the artwork is like a textile, but made with metal. Anyway - the artist (he has made a lot of these as we found a book in the museum gift shop on his work). Come to think of it - that means a LOT of booze, but he goes to the distillery and he gets his materials from them - returned bottles. But he was trying to find a medium that was readily available and cheap so that he could go BIG. Well - he did. I just love these pieces. I bought a poster of another piece, but the book would be awesome to have!!!!!    What do we have easy access to that one could make something big??????  He made a comment (which I wish I could remember) about if one has materials readily at hand that you will make what you want and not be restricted. Something like that!!!  I guess that is why we have stashes!!!!

Can't go to the ROM without looking at the dinosaurs.  This is a baby!!!!

AH - a picture of M (a self portrait). I believe we are in the Art-Deco section or was this the collecting section?????

How would you like to DUST this Victorian room??????

A display of SILVER miniatures which apparently were one of the items that the idle rich ladies collected!!!!   They had quite a collection - we LOVED the miniatures. And if memory serves me correct - these were made in the Netherlands. 

And what does one do when you are tired, hot and your feet are killing you (we NEVER seem to wear comfy shoes when we go - maybe that is why we only last a couple of hours!!!!!!)

 

Well you have a nap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    I told you - we had fun!!!!!!

I do LOVE those days when you and your teen can go out and forget about the issues at home - just have fun. Just enjoy the day. Those are the best and hopefully those outweigh the bad days!!!!!  

One of the costumes on display from some of Toronto's carnivals!!  

Pictures from Toronto's carnivals. Now that looks like a LOT of fun

The floor of the old entrance. Hmmmm - not as dramatic or inspiring as others I have seen. 

But look at those quilt blocks. This is just above the floor in the previous picture!!!!!

Wow - what a FUN FUN FUN day. Oh yes - I forgot - then despite our tired feet, we browsed the gift shop and picked up a couple of goodies. That child of mine is very CLEVER. If it fashion/textile related - then she thinks she can wheedle me into buying it for her. OK - so I bought a couple of books - you can NEVER go wrong buying books.

Thanks M for the great day!!!!!!   I hope you got all the pictures you need to finish your magazine. I can't wait to see it!!!!  


I have been making progress (although it seems like slow progress) on sewing projects and tidying up, and I know I keep saying - just one more day and I will be done, but one more day comes and goes and I'm still not done and I am NOWHERE near touching either the 2013 shelf or the $10 quilt shelf. OK - so I have NOTHING to do today - I am going to work hard and see how much progress I can make.



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11