Chandelier Street

24/11/2023

Remembering Rosalynn Carter.

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/remembering-rosalynn-carter

In 2019 when I was still researching my book, I wrote to former first lady Rosalynn Carter to inquire about her sewing and other needlecrafts. I received a letter from her Special Assistant, along with Mrs. Cater's memoir First Lady From Plains. She also advised me to read the chapter about the Cart...

19/11/2023

Rest in peace, Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving, and women’s rights, passed away Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2:10 p.m. at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96. She died peacefully, with family by her side.

19/11/2023

At the 25th Anniversary Tea of the Rocky Point Historical Society, I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy McKeon who wrote Jackie’s Girl. In 1964, Kathy was just nineteen years old when she arrived from Ireland and was employed by former first lady Jackie Kennedy as her personal assistant.

To read more, visit my latest blog post on debrascalagiokas.com.

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/a-thank-you-note-for-my-readers

13/10/2023

The Rocky Point Historical Society will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary Tea on Sunday, October 22 at 3 at the North Shore Beach Clubhouse.

I am looking forward to speaking about the first ladies and crocheted some raffle prizes.

11/10/2023

At the Seaford Public Library on October 28th at 1;00 p.m., you can learn about the first ladies.

😍

22/09/2023

The Rocky Point Historical Society will hold its 25th Anniversary Tea at the North Shore Beach Clubhouse, and the guest speaker is Debra Scala Giokas, author of Ladies First: Common Threads.
http://rockypointhistoricalsociety.org/

18/08/2023

Happy 96th Birthday to Rosalynn Carter! 🎂

Did you know that while in the White House Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter met every Wednesday for a meeting over lunch to discuss the issues of the day. In addition to her work on mental health laws, she urged Jimmy to appoint more women to senior level White House positions. Her office was in the East Wing, and she even held her own press conferences. She became active honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health. This resulted in the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.

Truly a woman ahead of her time. Thank you for all that you accomplished in the areas of the mentally ill, senior citizens, the poor, and the homeless.

18/08/2023

🦋🦋🦋Happy 96th Birthday to Rosalynn Carter. 🦋🦋🦋

04/07/2023

Happy Independence Day!

#

29/06/2023

Save the date! July 22 at 2 at Floyd Memorial Library.

28/06/2023

On Saturday, July 22 at 2:00 p.m. at the Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport, "Unraveling Yarns About The First Ladies."

A few of the events happening at the library this July

14/06/2023

Today is National Sewing Machine Day!! Anyone else's mother or grandmother have a vintage Singer Sewing Machine from the 1920s or so?

05/06/2023

In 2005, Danielle Landes began World Wide Knit in Public Day ("WWKIPD"). Since knitting is a solitary act, the idea was to bring knitters together and let them enjoy each other's company. This is promoted as a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting bag and....

26/05/2023

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/florence-harding-champion-for-her-boys-the-veterans-of-world-war-i

In honor of all who served and sacrificed.

On November 11, 1921, the unidentified American soldier who died in France during World War I was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a memorial called the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. President Harding asked for a two-minute moment of silence from the thousands of people in attendance. He said...

13/05/2023

Happy Mother's Day!

Edith and Theodore Roosevelt and their six children.

Because the Roosevelts had such a large family, the Executive Mansion would not have been able to accommodate them. This began Edith's mission to renovate with the help of her cousin Edith Wharton and the New York architectural firm, McKim, Mead and White.

As a result, the newly renovated mansion added the West Wing and was dubbed the White House.

07/04/2023

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/the-pennsylvania-avenue-zoo

This is Grace Coolidge with Rebecca the Raccoon at the White House Easter Egg Roll. To learn why, click on the link.

First Lady Grace Coolidge and her husband, President Calvin Coolidge, made a cool couple. He was shy, and she did much of the talking. And they both loved animals. They had the most animals when they lived in the White House. There were lots of cool dogs. Boston Beans, a bulldog; Calamity Jane, a sh...

21/02/2023

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/abigail-fillmore-and-the-first-white-house-library

Abigail Powers Fillmore grew up poor but had thousands of books she inherited when her father, a Baptist minister, died when she was only two. Taught by her mother and her older brother, she became a teacher. She taught and studied with her student, a poor farm boy named Millard who was two years yo...

20/02/2023

George Washington and his family.

Happy Presidents' Day!

21/01/2023

Save the date! February 19 from 2 until 4 p.m. at the Bayport-Blue Point Library.

https://bayportbluepointlibrary.libnet.info/event/7594871?fbclid=IwAR33PxeRNk2E05UvyE-goucxsA7f5D7Eazcg_tkfZn5xbwzbkyPPXBn5mkQ

Come and join the Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association as we welcome Debra Scala Giokas.

23/12/2022

Happy holidays!

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/barbara-bush-and-her-needlework

If you love to craft and give your handmade gifts as presents during the holidays, then you have something in common with First Lady Barbara Bush. She needlepointed as much as she advocated for literacy, and she was thoughtful in her gift giving. In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the trad...

11/11/2022

In honor of Veterans Day.
https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/florence-harding-champion-for-her-boys-the-veterans-of-world-war-i

On November 11, 1921, the unidentified American soldier who died in France during World War I was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a memorial called the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. President Harding asked for a two-minute moment of silence from the thousands of people in attendance. He said...

02/11/2022

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-ladies-night-unraveling-yarns-about-the-first-ladies-tickets-449622381647

Take a look at crochet and knit work by the First Ladies with the author of Ladies, First: Common Thread, Debra Scala Giokas

11/10/2022

Eleanor Roosevelt was born 138 years ago on this day.

To learn why she was once called the First Knitter of the Land, please visit:

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/first-knitter-of-the-land

08/10/2022

Great to see the New Yorker publish an article about Claire McCardell.

For kids, check out the children's picture book CLAIRE and also the coloring book, CLAIRE"S CLOSET.

If you're in Frederick, Maryland, don't miss the statue of Claire which was beautifully sculpted by Sarah Hempel Irani.

https://www.newyorker.com/books/second-read/what-a-screen-cant-capture-about-fashion

A 1956 book is a refreshing reminder that there’s more to clothes than how they look.

04/10/2022

This is happening October 11 at 7 p.m. at the Sayville Library. Please feel free to share with your local friends. . Learn about the first ladies, especially Eleanor Roosevelt on what would have been her 138th birthday.

You must register to attend.

https://www.sayvillelibrary.org/.../unraveling-yarns...

23/09/2022

About the First Lady of Baseball, Grace Coolidge.

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/grace-anna-coolidge-first-lady-of-baseball

The First Lady of Baseball I recently attended a Mets game at Citifield, and I couldn't help but think of Grace Coolidge. The Coolidges loved baseball. It has been said that First Lady Grace Coolidge knew the game better than her husband and kept her own scorecards. While in the White House, the cou...

20/09/2022

This coloring book illustrated by Mary Ryan Reeves shows how Claire McCardell's designs influenced American sportswear...with the concept of separates and pockets. Claire continues to influence designers today including Tory Burch.

https://amazon.com/Claires-Closet-Debra-Scala-Giokas/dp/1736725424



Mary Ryan Reeves

18/09/2022

The latest story about Claire McCardell is in this morning's Washington Post.

Her designs were simple yet stylish as well as comfortable and even came with pockets.

16/09/2022

How First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt Encouraged Volunteers to Knit One Million Sweaters On September 30, 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took to the stage in the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. She told the audience of 2,000 women, “We cannot turn our backs on the needs of o...

04/09/2022

This Little Free Library is so sweet.

Spotted: Barbara Bush's Memoir. Barbara Bush, an advocate for , was also an avid needlepointer.

She began needlepointing a rug in China in 1975 and finished it in 1983, 17 countries and 36 states later. She stitched her grandchildren's initials and important dates.

She said, "I wanted something that I wouldn't outgrow, something that would last forever."

https://littlefreelibrary.org

https://www.barbarabush.org

Barbara Bush Foundation

03/09/2022

Claire's Closet is a coloring book to help children learn how influenced the way women dress. She gave us , , . Comfortable clothes! There's a , too!

https://debrascalagiokas.com/post/how-i-learned-about-claire-mccardell

30/08/2022

https://www.debrascalagiokas.com/post/how-i-learned-about-claire-mccardell

How I learned about Claire McCardell

30/08/2022

Tory Burch discusses Claire McCardell on Good Morning America.

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Style/video/tory-burch-celebrates-edition-classic-design-book-wear-89038416

The fashion designer, businesswoman and philanthropist pushed for a rerelease of Claire McCardell’s 1956 book, even writing the foreword included in the new edition.

28/07/2022

Signed copies of LADIES, FIRST: COMMON THREADS may be now found at the Catbird Seat on Main Street in Sayville, NY.

The Catbird Seat

27/07/2022

Please join Debra Scala Giokas on Thursday, August 18 from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. (CST) for a virtual presentation of "Unravelling Yarns with the First Ladies," hosted by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum as part of their Third Thursday of the Month series. The link for the zoom meeting may be found here.

https://hooverpresidentialfoundation.org/third-thursdays/

23/07/2022

Abigail Adams wanted us to "Remember the Ladies." She made this sampler in 1789, and it appears in LADIES, FIRST: COMMON THREADS which celebrates first ladies who were needlewomen and inspirational.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access Program

23/07/2022

Chandelier Street in now on Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/debrascalagiokas/

Chandelier Street | Chandelier Street is an independent publisher. Books written by Debra Scala Giokas include: LADIES, FIRST: COMMON THREADS which celebrates 18 first ladies of the United States, who, at one point in their lives, knitted, crocheted, embroidered, quilted, cross-stitched or sewed. An...

04/07/2022

Happy Independence Day! Happy Fourth of July!!

Courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access Program

04/07/2022

Happy Fourth of July!

President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Edith Wilson.

Courtesy of Smithsonian Open Access Program.

03/07/2022

In Threads Magazine, to celebrate the Fourth!

The book "Ladies, First: Common Threads" features the accomplishments of 18 first ladies, including their beautifully executed needlework.