Monday 27 February 2012

Fundraising at the Ford Day

Yesterday, museum folks were fundraising at the Ford Day in Holt Park. We had three main items - candy floss and homemade jams which didn't sell well, and the chocolate wheel which seemed to do much better.

Muriel Brown (left), Peter Campbell (right), and Margaret & Peter Gutsell (sorry, no photo) worked the crowd most of the day, selling tickets for the chocolate wheel. Each ticket had a one-in-30 chance of winning so the odds were very good. The winner of each draw got their pick of some very good prizes.

Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. Your support keeps the museum going.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Senior Citizens Visit

Last Friday, the Otautau Senior Citizens came for a visit and afternoon tea. Pictured above and on the left is Jean Watt whose wedding dress (1947) is on display along with her wedding photos. Her friends looked at her photos and told her 'you haven't changed a bit'.

It was a really enjoyable afternoon. Thanks to Judy Morris for organising the visit. As always, groups like Senior Citizens bring a special feeling to the museum that simply doesn't exist without them. We look forward to their next visit.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Thursday 23 February 2012

Caring for Wedding Dresses

Te Papa has a nice article on Caring for Your Wedding Dress by textile conservator Anne Peranteau. Storing textiles in an acid-free box is preferable to storing them in bags. Creases and wrinkles can be avoided if using rolled acid-free tissue paper or even unbleached cotton fabric to pad out the garment.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Monday 13 February 2012

Research Enquiries

We've had two family history research enquiries lately.

Corkhill Maternity Home
We had an email requesting the date that Louisa Corkhill's maternity home on Elles Road burned down. We've explored a few avenues but not have come up with a specific date yet. If you know, please contact us, and we'll forward the information.

George A. & Rebecca Wohlman (or Wohlmann)
George owned the Railway Hotel for a little while then went into farming. George died in 1899, and Rebecca in 1925. They are buried in the old Otautau cemetery. If you know of this family, please get in touch by emailing the Museum.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Sunday 12 February 2012

Brides of Otautau

The new display - Brides of Otautau & Beyond - opened last Saturday coinciding with the inaugural Three Churches Flower & Quilt Walk.

Brides of Otautau & Beyond features 16 dresses from women with a local connection. The dresses range from 1934 to 1973 and are on loan from their owners. Fabrics include satin and crepe occasionally accompanied with Guipure or Chantilly lace.

There are three sets of mother and daughter dresses represented: Daphne Kennedy and her daughter Judy Gimblett; Mary Smith and her daughter Heather Guise; and Peggy Manson and her daughters Margaret and Sheila.

The display ends 29 April so make sure you see it.

As always, there is no entry fee. We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Thursday 9 February 2012

New Museum Sign

Today something great happened that has been a long time coming. We've got a new sign for the exterior of our building thanks to funding from the Southern Victorian Trust and the talented folks at Vital Signs who made the sign.

Our trustee, Peter Gutsell, made the frame a few days ago and installed the sign this afternoon.

It was just two days ago, when a new person in town said they had wondered where the museum was. We've gotten this feedback many times - that people don't know where we are. Our visibility on Main Street has been compromised for several years, ever since the old sign (which was actually too small) came off its perch, its chain having been worn away by the wind. This big, bold sign will make it easier for visitors coming from either direction to see exactly where the museum is.

So thank you Southern Victorian Trust, Vital Signs, and most especially Peter Gutsell for ticking another item off our wishlist.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!

Friday 3 February 2012

'Brides of Otautau' Preparations

Mrs Muriel Brown and Mrs Pamela Booth preparing a dress on a mannequin.
We've had a busy week as nearly all of the wedding dresses have come in for the tentatively-titled 'Brides of Otautau & Beyond' display. These beautiful gowns are on loan from women in our community. The dresses date from 1934 to 1973 and show a range of styles. In addition to the wedding dress, the women loaned a wedding photo and told a little bit about their wedding day. There will be about 15 dresses on display. We'd have liked to have more dresses but space is very limited.

One thing we've had to think about is whether to iron or steam a dress that has wrinkles. We asked around museum professionals, and the consensus is to leave 'as is'. Ironing can stretch historic material, and steaming can set in stains. So if you see a dress or two with wrinkles, you'll know why we've left it that way.

This is the importance of boxing up clothing properly, because even if a dress is wrinkled, if it's boxed properly, the wrinkles can relax while in storage. We'll have more information about how to box clothing over the next three months as the display gets going.

We hope to have the display ready in time for the Three Churches Flower and Quilt Walk which is happening on Saturday the 11th in Otautau. The display will run until 29 April 2012.

We're open Wednesdays and Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request. Your comments are always welcome!