The Pennsylvania Avenue Zoo
First Lady Grace Coolidge and her husband, President Calvin Coolidge, made a cool couple. He was shy, and she did much of the talking....
top of page
Yarns
Debra Scala Giokas
- Feb 20
- 2 min
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...
290
Debra Scala Giokas
- Jan 27
- 4 min
Sayville: A Gem by the Sea
Some years ago I published this article about my hometown -- Sayville, New York -- for a local publication, the Great South Bay...
260
Debra Scala Giokas
- Jan 15
- 3 min
How Crocheting Can Calm Our Minds
My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was seven, and I stuck with it for a few years. I would make granny squares, and she would...
860
Debra Scala Giokas
- Dec 23, 2022
- 2 min
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...
300
Debra Scala Giokas
- Nov 11, 2022
- 3 min
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...
710
Debra Scala Giokas
- Sep 24, 2022
- 2 min
Grace Anna Coolidge
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...
530
Debra Scala Giokas
- Sep 15, 2022
- 3 min
First Knitter of the Land
How First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt Encouraged Volunteers to Knit One Million Sweaters On September 30, 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt...
650
Debra Scala Giokas
- Sep 9, 2022
- 4 min
International Crochet Day
The idea for an International Crochet Day began in 2007 with Jimbo, the author of the blog called “Jimbo’s Front Porch,” who hand carved...
600
Debra Scala Giokas
- Aug 30, 2022
- 4 min
Who Is Claire McCardell?
How I learned about the American Fashion Designer Claire McCardell
2710
Debra Scala Giokas
- Aug 27, 2022
- 2 min
Crocheters Live Twice
"Writers live twice," said Natalie Goldberg in her book WRITING DOWN THE BONES. I can attest that after crocheting 120 squares in one...
810
Debra Scala Giokas
- Aug 23, 2022
- 2 min
Me and Mrs. W.
So that's me in the front of the line with the red book bag and that's my kindergarten teacher Mrs. W in the red dress. In the 1970s I...
140
Debra Scala Giokas
- Aug 23, 2022
- 3 min
The Story Behind LADIES, FIRST: COMMON THREADS
I was almost at my halfway mark when I was writing about Edith Roosevelt. She had once lived at Sagamore Hill, the Summer White House,...
330
For those who enjoy a good yarn and a needlework project (with a cup of coffee or tea).
Stop by often to stay in the loop, get hooked on history and let me know what you're making!
bottom of page