Recently I took A Stroll Through Homestead Heritage Village in Waco, Texas. Homestead Heritage is an agrarian community that focuses on the simplicity of life, sustainability, and quality craftsmanship.
DRESS DETAILS: Scroll through to the bottom of the page.
A Stroll Through Homestead Heritage Village
The village is home to approximately 1000 people. Members of the community look to Anabaptist traditions for their beliefs, lifestyle, and values. It is similar to Amish and Mennonite communities.
A wide variety of crops are grown on 510 acres of fertile farming land using traditional methods. Belgian and Percheron draft horse teams and mules pull the plows and perform other farming tasks.
Approximately 25 acres are used for the Homestead Craft Village.
The hand-hewn barn was built around 1820. It is in the Dutch style and still has its original threshing floor.
The Hope Farm barn contains numerous one-of-a-kind handcrafted items that are produced in the community.
The water-wheel-run gristmill is housed in a historic 250-year-old, hand-hewn, timber-framed mill. It was built around 1760 in the Long Valley of western New Jersey. It was found in 2000, neglected and in disrepair, and brought to Texas where it found a new home and renewed life.
Fiber Crafts
The Fiber Crafts building is housed in a restored barn that originally was built in Middleburgh, New York around 1830.
You can learn to spin, weave, knit, and crochet here.
The Homestead Baskets shop is located in a restored one-room cabin that was originally constructed by early settlers in Missouri circa 1830. Basketmakers weave various types of baskets using white oak splints, rattan, and even long pine needles.
The Potter’s House also provides classes to those who wish to spin the wheel.
There were so many lovely pieces that caught my eye.
The village also has a blacksmith shop, a cheese-making house, a woodworking school, and a fine furniture-making shop. We enjoyed a farm-to-table lunch at the cafe.
If you’re on the go the coffee house offers some fast fare.
There are pretty little farmhouses dotted throughout the village.
In addition, visitors can attend the annual Homestead Fair. There are demonstrations of barn raising, horse farming, hand milking, boat building, bread making, food preservation, and more.
Throughout the year there are also various seminars perfect for homesteading. Just contact the Ploughshare Institute for Sustainable Culture for the class schedule.
Simplicity 8646
It was so HOT when I visited the homestead. I had made a cotton frock from Simplicity 8646 that kept me cool.
This is a fantastic pattern! A beginner could sew it with a bit of assistance on installing a zipper.
This dress started out as the 1920s one-hour dress that went horribly wrong. I looked like I was wearing a big floral sack.
I kept the length of the skirt and added a ruffle to the bottom. The dropped waist top was taken apart and recut a more flattering style using the bodice, sleeve, and collar pieces from the pattern. The decorative fabric edging on the sleeve is my own touch.
This Week’s Video
There are a few country shenanigans in this week’s video. I talk to the animals and even sing a bit. Not well, mind you.
See you Sunday!
Laura
This looks like a wonderful place to visit!
Such a pretty place. I can’t imagine that many acres. You are a pretty model
What fun and educational to boot! I love learning how folks did things in the “old days”. Love the dress and yes, you are a pretty model!
I would find this spot fascinating. I love that it is a learning center and you can take lessons there as well as purchase what looks like very beautiful things. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. And the dress is perfect. Hat, too!