Tasha Tudor Signed Books

Tasha’s family would gather for tea every day, usually around three in the afternoon. In the winter, there is a lull in the energy of the day right around this time. We had each spent the day ensconced in the various projects that artistic homesteading calls for; painting, writing, woodworking, animal husbandry, wood stacking, cooking, baking, etc. By three, Granny had had her nap, a habit she formed when napping with small children during the 1940s and 50s. (We heartily recommend the habit of afternoon naps whenever possible.) 

Tasha’s grandson, Winslow would come in through the barn to pick up an armload of firewood from the pile he’d stacked earlier in the year. Upon entering the kitchen, he’d set the wood on the floor by the cookstove. If Tasha had had a painting day, he’d replenish the longer, fireplace wood too. Winslow’s wife, Amy, would gather the tea things, fill the empty teapot with warm water and set a pan of cold water on the woodstove. Goat milk would be heated likewise. She’d set the table with the blue tea cups and wash Tasha’s pink, many-sided teacup from its use throughout the day. As the tea steeped, Seth would strike a match to light the candles. Marjorie would arrive, bringing fresh groceries or cookies. The repast could be as simple as cream cheese spread with Breton crackers, or brownies that Tasha made and Winslow would frost. We warmed our hands around the handleless cups and shared stories of the day.

Throughout her career, Tasha attended countless public book signings. The lines stretched for hours and she graciously stayed until everyone was satisfied. For someone used to the quiet of her Vermont homestead, the endless conversations must have been exhausting. But she felt it her duty to sign books for her supporters. When Tasha was in her late 80s, the family took up more of the tasks of daily living as families and friends do for their elders. As Amy washed the tea things, Tasha would ask if any books had arrived. At the time, our family website offered all books as signed books. 

In the quiet of her rocking chair, with her feet warming by the woodstove, a shawl around her shoulders, and a wool blanket tucked over her legs, she went back to “work” signing books for the family enterprise she’d started, in one sense, back in 1938 when her first book was published and in another, in 1999 when starting Tasha Tudor and Family. 

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After she passed away in 2008, we placed the signed books into an archive. Every holiday season, we release a handful of these precious treasures for sale. We hope you will find a title that is needed for your collection, or perhaps find one that will be a most excellent gift for a Tasha enthusiast on your list.

Tasha Tudor Style Headscarves

Each year, we offer an assortment of new scarf designs. Tasha favored the scarves her dear friend and editor Ann Beneduce brought back from Paris and often commented on how elegant and refined Ann was. We are pleased to offer scarves that we think they would both approve of.

As seen in the Richard Brown photograph above, Tasha wound her long hair into a bun and affixed it with small bobby pins. She folded one of her lightweight scarves into a triangle, placed it over her head, and tied it at the nape of her neck, securing the tail under the knot. She used a few long bobby pins to keep it in place for the day. The arching rose canes of Tasha’s garden were known to pluck the scarves from her head now and then, but the scarves otherwise stayed in place for the day, though a tidy before tea was always a good idea. 

Blossoms Red	Coral Thistle (Sold Out)	Water Flower
Chains	Heather	Fairy Garden	Marine Paisley

These scarves measure 30” x 30” and are indeed very lightweight, yet sturdy. There are other ways to use them. Tasha typically wore two each day; one over her hair and the other as a rolled neck scarf. The neck scarf added just the right layer of warmth. In steamy weather, they are also useful for keeping the sun off your neck or for keeping at hand to dab your forehead and face. 

Tasha Tudor Half-Aprons

We're delighted to release a new batch of aprons that our local friend Felix has handcrafted in time for holiday gifting. 

Blue	Red (Sold Out)	Green
Navy	Grey

We hope you find a scarf or apron pattern that you like. Or one that reminds you of someone on your gift list. 

Thank You for Supporting Tasha Tudor Traditions

Like Tasha, we thank you for supporting the traditional Tudor lifestyle of living deep in the Vermont forest with friendly chickadees, chatty chickens and cozy wood stoves while we write, create doll furniture, make dolls, and more. Even the youngest residents, Ellie, 14, and Katie, 10, have embraced the lifestyle, tucking chicken chores and plant watering among illustrating and writing. They too, love a winter afternoon tea, drinking their great-grandmother’s signature tea in an antique tea set by the light of beeswax candles. We try very hard, and sometimes succeed at keeping the conversation away from the less appetizing details of animal husbandry and on more appropriate topics, like the beauty of the crescent moon during last night’s dog walk and how it was bright enough to turn off the flashlight while the stars shone above. 

May you find many moments of joy in the holiday season that is upon us. Thanks again for your support of the Tudor traditions.