Frolic Friday

Happy (Frolic) Friday everyone! 

A few of you have asked how I decided on the name Frolic, and let me tell you, it was years before I felt that I had the right name for my business. I've been wanting to do this for so long, but I was always too busy working, not the right time, nervous, etc... and I really wanted to have a name, an identity before going full steam ahead.

About 2 summers ago, I was reading The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier (author of Girl with a Pearl Earring), a story set in late 19th century America. Although the story centers on a real serious part of American history, namely the Underground Railroad movement, I was equally drawn to the way of life women had back then, with a large part of their social activities consisting of attending Frolics.

Wait, what? What the heck is a Frolic you ask? Frolics were gatherings and parties for women and girls at which it was customary for them to work together on one quilt. The quilt would be stretched on a large frame so that all of the attendants could sit around it and stitch. These were quite the social events, and during the day they would also cook and share stories with each other. This craft was traditionally passed from mother to daughter, sister to sister, and friend to friend. 

The more I read about this, the more I thought of the similarities between women back in the 1800's, and artisans all over the world today. Crafting is still a family oriented business and usually done in someone's home so that they can have their families around helping out. I loved the idea of a Frolic, as a gathering of women of all ages, creating something beautiful together. That's exactly who I had wanted to work with! Artisans creating beautiful product, an Artisan Frolic!

I had also loved the word Frolic on it's own:

verb: to play and move about cheerfully, excitedly or energetically.

noun: a playful action or movement.

adjective: cheerful, merry or playful.

The word Frolic embodied everything I wanted to do, including my sparkling personality!

Once I had the name it was as if all of the other pieces fell seamlessly together, so there you have it friends, how Frolic came to be!

*Painting: Henry Mosler.