Repro Quilt Lover

Quilting and philosophizing

2012-01-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

Forgive me if I get a little introspective here. I was puttering in my sewing room (aka my corner of the laundry room) a couple of days ago. I took a small finished top off the "design flannel" and was rearranging some pieces that have been hanging up there for ages to make way for a new project when I spied a little rectangle of red fabric I've been saving for more than 10 years. It's from a BOM I bought when I really had no confidence to make my own color choices and live with them. Since the puttering included cutting pieces for more hand pieced houses I thought I would finally use that little bit of fabric. How special it was going to be to finally include it in something. Then, when I went to put the house together last night I realized I cut the darn thing backwards!

This started me thinking. What was so special about this little scrap? I like it a lot, couldn't get any more of it and it was the essence of the color sense I admired very much in my LQS owner. I used to rely heavily on her choices but using this fabric made me realize I am now making my own choices. If you aren't there yet then I encourage you to mimic those you admire but choose projects where you feel comfortable experimenting with some choices of your own and one day you will realize you have some quilting confidence.

Second, how did that fabric spend over 10 years stuck to the wall? It was literally right in front of my face and I no longer noticed it. I need to step back and reassess what I have and USE IT. I have a lot of fabric and plan on getting more (lots more). But, if I love it enough to buy it and live with it then surely I can make quilts with it. I spent some time today fishing around in my fabrics just to see what inspiration I could get from them.

Finally, it is now making me compromise on the house project. I was following the little pattern faithfully so I figured the backwards piece was trash and tossed it. Then, this morning it hit me...make one of the houses face a different way. Duh! So I fished my little roof out of the trash bag and it will go into my house quilt. Those will be the neighbors who thumb their noses at the home owners association rules.

That's a lot of thinking about one measley little piece of fabric. But, you are quilters and you can understand. There is something about the color, pattern and potential in cloth that inspires us, warms us and makes us smile. We just can't resist it. It even calls our name from the trash can.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to comment about my red basket project. The overwhelming favorite was the on point setting with the red alternate squares. The top is finished and it is ready for hand quilting. I will be donating this as a raffle for the Quilts in the Barn breast canceer fundraiser this coming fall. This is my small way of remembering and honoring my late mother-in-law, Barbara, who passed away four years ago this month from breast cancer.

We have a new neighbor in the "Building Houses from Scraps" project. I finished block #2 and #3 is well on its way to completion. I will be checking that template a little closer from now on so no other pieces come out backwards.

Sweet Tea with Lemon

2012-01-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

This is my version of Lori's latest quilt along (Pink Lemonade). I have been wanting to make a gold and brown quilt out of reproduction fabrics and this was just the pattern. Like Kathie, I reduced the size of the quilt to include just the whole blocks. The yellow is an old Judie Rothermel Baltimore Album fabric that I've saved for years and am now wishing I bought more of it. I love the drab kind of dull brownish cast it has. In case you cannot tell from the photo colors, it works perfect with the brown fabrics. In keeping with the beverage themed names I am calling this one Sweet Tea with Lemon 'cause of the browns. Although, I am thinking that since there is so much yellow I ought to name it Arnold Palmer after the half tea/half lemonade drink.

Here is one more Dear Jane block, L-1. I actually made it weeks ago but wanted to get a photo before I put it away. I was inpsired by the blog That Quilt and hope to make one of the "melon" blocks next. I hadn't noticed before, but there are quite a few melons in the original DJ quilt.

Little House from Scraps

2012-01-24T10:04:00.001-08:00

Note that scraps are plural and house is singular. I decided hand piecing these little cuties was the best method for me but it definitely isn't the fastest. I didn't want to go to bed last night without at least starting my first block no matter how tired I was. The problem with that was I kept dozing off as I worked on it. After the third time waking up with the threaded needle in my right hand the fabric in my left I realized it was probably safer to not stitch and snore and set it aside until this morning.

As soon as I saw Jeanneke's generous and brilliant project I knew I had to join. House blocks are, after all, one of my all time favorites. I definitely cannot make a house a day as Jeaneke designed the project but will endeavor to produce one a week - or maybe one a month. I will also try to work on my other house projects which are described here and here. Yikes, that a lot of unfinished dwellings! There are a couple of blue and white houses I'd like to start building, too. Does this mean 2012 is the Year of the House for me?

Need to go tanning

2012-01-10T19:45:00.001-08:00

No, I won't be squeezing into those funny space capsule things. I need to tan my stash. I knew when I saw this Courthouse Steps doll quilt here that I had to make one of my own. I've been doing a lot of piecing with color and had an urge to tone things down for a bit. When I went to the stash, I thought, with all the browns I have, I wouldn't have any problem finding fabrics for this one. Okay, I didn't, really. But, it is a small quilt and I definitely pinpointed a hole in the stash. Oh darn, I need more fabric. I have browns: madders, chocolate, light browns. But, I am very thin on the dark tans and who couldn't use more of the creamy light tans? I didn't have to rush to the quilts store and I am very pleased with the way this top captured the soft antique look I love (with that little pop of red right in the center. I am, however, back to visiting the fabric websites and will be keeping an eye out for tan reproduction fabrics when I get the chance to visit those great quilt shops that stock reproductions.

By the way, we are losing one of the great online reproduction shops...Sew Unique Creations is no longer selling fabrics. I got the email right after I placed an order. I appreciated the clearance sale prices but would rather pay full price and keep shopping. Tara, I know it was a tough decision and I will miss your great website.

If you like the Courthouse Steps block, I am listing the cutting instructions for one block below. The block is designed to be 6" finished. I played with some photo editing software and I hope you are able to see the labels on the photo above.

A: 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" (cut 1)
B: 1-1/8" x 1-1/2" (cut 2)
C: 1-1/8" x 2-3/4" (cut 2)
D: 1-1/8" x 2-3/4" (cut 2)
E: 1-1/8" x 4" (cut 2)
F: 1-1/8" x 4" (cut 2)
G: 1-1/8" x 5-1/4" (cut 2)
H: 1-1/8" x 5-1/4" (cut 2)
I: 1-1/8" x 6-1/2" (cut 2)

And finally, I have my first finish for 2012. I met my goal of hand quilting the little stacked bricks during the college footbal bowl game week. I just love that Jo Morton serpentine green fabric in the binding.

Is this cute, or what?

2012-01-06T13:31:00.001-08:00

The pincushion in a cup, not the photo on the left (although he is definitely adorable). Somehow, I wound up on Etsy last weekend and came across these "tiny world" pincushions made by a dollmaker named Mimi Kirchner. She uses old teacups and wool to make, well, tiny worlds. Love them. Couldn't resist so I bought myself one. It was a dear price to pay for a pincushion, but I love it so much it is gracing a shelf at work so I can take breaks and play with my tiny world. The house stays put but the trees, bush and snowman are on pins so they can move around. So cute. She makes some with lighthouses and boats so I plan on getting one of those for summertime.

Repros: they all play well together

2012-01-02T21:01:00.001-08:00

Don't you just hate throwing away any fabric scraps? Even the tiniest ones? Me too. When I was cutting out pieces for my tumbling blocks I had some leftovers big enough to squeeze out some squares in my favorite size, 1-1/4". I also was able to eek out some 7/8" x 1-1/4" rectangles which are just the size needed for my favorite tiny quilt. Before I knew it, I nearly had enough for another one. I cut a few more rectangles off some strips I had laying around and laid the top out before I went to bed last night. I blogged about this pattern in November 2010 and even had a giveaway for one of them. I put together the one on the right last Christmas. I always consider these Christmas quilts both for the time of year I make them and the border and binding colors I use (red and green, naturally).

Tonight, while my hubby watched football games and practiced his golf swing (don't ask, but if you ever drop by my house ask him to explain the divot in our ceiling) I sewed together the top. There's football all week so I hope to quilt at least one of them. I need something to keep me from stitching together all my tumbling blocks because I am saving those pieces for later. I also need something I can do while sitting in the same room as my hubby so I can make sure the golf clubs stay in the bag. After that I'll get back to the baskets project - I like to think of this little quilt as a quilting commercial. Once it's done it's back to the regularly scheduled project.

Mixing it up

2011-12-31T21:41:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 to all of you! I hope that you are spending the dawn of this new year with those you love and cherish. I suspect that I am not alone in choosing a quiet evening at home in the company of my sewing machine. My hubby initiated himself in Pilates on Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day flat out on the couch after working muscles that he never knew he had. This left me to my own devices all day and I indulged in applique, hand stitching and machine sewing. What a great day! I did feed him meals and tucked him back in as I skipped back to my sewing cave.

So, now that the formalities have been dispensed with, I must ask your opinion on my current project. I finished off 20 red and white basket blocks for a special project. They were inspired by a tattered old small quilt I own. I wanted them to look chunky and a little primitive.

After consulting with Kathie and Linda, I decided to emphasize the red in this project. But I am torn between two setting choices. I don't have much in the way of design wall so you'll have to ignore the clutter and imagine the 20 blocks without distractions. This one (below) is my on-point version.

Or, do you prefer the straight setting which actually places the baskets at an angle? I am thinking of a narrow sashing (perhaps 1"?) with a very slightly wider outside border. The actual quilt would be 4 blocks wide by 5 blocks long.

I would love to hear your opinion on these settings or give me other ideas if you have them. Again, I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year with loads and loads of time for quilting!

Get off the quilts!

2011-12-29T21:26:00.001-08:00

This year I decided to enjoy the red and green quilts so I stacked them up on a trunk near our Christmas tree for all the world to see. I try not to be fussy about "things" with my family but was compelled to mention to the gaggle of twenty-somethings (aka, my children and their significant others) that they were to steer clear of mom's "old" quilts. I even mentioned that some were over 150 years old and if they wanted to live to see a fraction of those years then nothing bad better befall the quilts. DS#1 was MIA and didn't get the memo. I found him SITTING right on top of the pile, beverage in hand, holding court with the girls. It is enough to say that mom went a little nuts. See the title of this post and repeat about 10 times, quickly and loudly. After that, no one approached the quilts.

Another new project??? Yes...but. It is a guilt free project. I always wanted to attempt a tumbling blocks quilt so I did. All the fabrics are from my scrap box which is filled to the top. It is so much fun digging through the box and I've only scratched the surface. I plan on hand piecing and am stockpiling the pieces for a time in mid-January when I will be forced to be away from the sewing machine, with time on my hands and in need of something to take my mind off "things." More on that later.

Giveaway winners!!

2011-12-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

I so wish I could send something to every one of you who took the time to send me such nice comments. I do appreciate all who take the time to read the blog and share your love of quilting with me. The lucky four winners are:

Kate - Empty Field blog - gets the Red and Green quilts book
Sue - I Sew Quilts blog - gets the red and white tote bag
Cathi - Shakerwood Quilts blog - gets the Next Door Neighbor kit
Ruth - Country Log Cabin blog - gets the Prairie Huswyfe kit

No, you didn't need to have a blog to win. I had one of Santa's elves (aka, my son) pull names out of a basket and that's just the way it worked out. They are some great blogs, though, so click on the names and pay them a visit if you haven't already.

Post Number 100 - Giveaway!

2011-12-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

It's been three years but I finally hit post number 100. I've planned for this and collected a few giveaways - 4 in fact - just waiting for this moment. Now, all you have to do is choose which you hope to win and leave me a comment. You can choose more than one but leave a single comment for each one. I will choose the winners on Tuesday night (December 20) so I can get them in the mail on Wednesday. I will ship anywhere, even international. So, I hope you leave a comment and help me celebrate.

This is my copy of the new Red and Green Quilts book by Kay Triplett. The winner's book is still wrapped in its plastic. I bought it from the Quiltmania booth in Houston. It is full of eye candy for red and green quilt lovers like me.

If you went to the fabulous red and white quilt show last March, you might have seen these great tote bags. But, they sold out before the first day was over. Fortunately, I visited the Folk Art Museum again a few months later and they were back in stock. So, I got one for this giveaway.

This is the back of the tote bag.

This photo doesn't do this quilt kit justice. The pattern is from the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle and is called "Next Door Neighbor." All the fabrics for the top are included. I got the kit from Temecula Quilt Company.

Finally, here is another kit and pattern from Prairie Women's Sewing Circle. This pattern is called Prairie Huswyfe. Again, it's from Temecula Quilt Company and all the fabrics for the top are included.

So, if you want to play, leave a comment with your choice from the four part giveaway and good luck!

Kindness of Quilters

2011-11-29T11:50:00.001-08:00

I've been under the weather most of November. I won't bore you with details or my downer attitude but, for a bit, I'd even lost my quilter mojo. At one point, I toyed with the thought of downsizing the stash. See? It was serious. Then, this past weekend I was having a bowl of soup and pondering life when I started studying the beautiful little quilt pictured above. It is a RAK I received in October from Kathie. Anyway, I was looking at the fabrics and thinking how much I like them and admiring the quilting pattern and the blocks and, presto!, it all came back. So, thanks Kathie, your gift is a miracle worker.

I knew there was a problem when I had to force myself to make one measly little nine-patch block and it took over an hour! Sorry for the blurry picture.

Usually, I break the quilting funk by starting a new project. This time, though, inspiration eluded me. Then I saw Lori's nearly finished Dear Jane quilt and decided that each of those blocks is like a little project in itself. I can't tell you how many blogs I've commented on saying, "I need to get my Dear Jane project out again." I started mine around 2002 and don't have very many blocks done. At last, I tracked everything down, took a day to remember how to sew, and started K-12 with fabric from my scrap box. $%#&! I ran out of fabric two pieces from completion! Was something conspiring to keep me from quilting?

After a good night's sleep and another peek at my little red and brown quilt I re-started and finished K-12 AND F-7. I decided to go with the brighter blocks for now. Don't want to take any chances with dark colors.

A quilter's wish list

2011-11-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

I went to the Baltimore Applique Society meeting last Wednesday and did a little shopping for myself. I thought I would share my goodies with you because they would be great to add to a personal Christmas list or make good gifts for the quilters in your life. BAS has reprint the Elizabeth MacCullough Hervey quilt pattern (above). For those who do not know about BAS patterns, the organization has made patterns from numerous antique Baltimore Album quilts. Some are used as BAS fundraisers and others are donated to a museum or historical society as a fundraiser for that organization - the Mary Mannakee quilt is one of these. The "Hervey" pattern is one of the most elaborate album quilts and was out of print for some time. Now is the time to get yours before it is gone again. Oh, forgot to mention, it includes a CD with excellent photos of each of the original quilt's blocks. You can view the pattern on the BAS website here.

Another little stocking stuffer or secret santa idea is these cards. The quilts pictured are past BAS raffle quilts. Each package has 4 cards of the same picture.

My favorite goodie is the 2008 Baltimre Album Quilt Calendar. I know, it is nearly 2012 but I didn't buy it for the dates. I got it for the pictures. It is a must-have for admirers of Baltimore Album Quilts! The spiral-bound appointment calendar book contains full photographs of twenty six antique Baltimore Album Quilts - many of which have never been previously photographed, displayed or published. This is more than just a calendar as it compares similar blocks, gives detailed descriptions and history based on current research of the twenty six quilts. You can order it here. Quantities are very limited.

I am just a member of BAS and lover of album quilts. I have no personal interest in promoting their products.

Scale

2011-11-07T12:00:00.001-08:00

This is an antique quilt I bought fairly recently. I bought it from photos but the dealer is excellent so when she says something is impressive, I believe her. I may have mentioned my affinity for Lemoyne Stars once or twice (or more) before so you can see why this quilt appealed to me despite the sorry state of its fabrics. That star block on top of the quilt? It is 3-1/2" unfinished and will finish to 3". The little stars in this quilt? They are a tiny 2"! Well, sort of 2". Some are 2" x 2-1/2" or combinations like that but I am not criticising the fact that they are not exactly square everywhere. They are tiny! I was gushing about the stars in this quilt on display at the American Folk Art Museum last year and they were a (relatively) whopping 2.5".

You can see the weakness in the red fabrics in this photo and the worst fading of the fabrics is in the blocks on that right side of the quilt. But, if you had made this would you have been able to hide it away? Me neither!

Okay, here's the photo where you can really get an idea of the scale. For those unfamiliar with American quarters, they are about an inch in diameter.

Of course, I love that this quilt has cheddar fabric and that's one of the few fabrics that stood the test of time.

Here's another detail shot to show you the pink because I love pink, too.

And, finally, I like the way the two stars with indigo fabrics just pop right out at you. How I wish I could have seen this quilt when its colors were new, don't you? The cheddar, pink, indigo and red triangle border makes me think the whole thing must have been quite bright and vibrant.

This last little beauty is made by my friend Alice Tignor and was in the recent International Quilt Festival in Houston. I just love it and had to include it here when I am talking about tiny quilts. Those little blocks are only 3" and don't you love the precision of her flying geese border? She doesn't do paper piecing! I noticed that many of the award winning quilts (large and small) in the show were machine pieced. Clearly, the judges didn't share my bias toward hand quilting.

Quilt Study and Houston bound

2011-10-26T09:44:00.001-07:00

I heard an interesting story when I showed this quilt at the most recent meeting of the Virginia Quilt Dating Club and someone spotted the lone gold square. See photo below.

She related a theory that women, who could not vote at the time, included a single gold square in their 1880's/1890's quilt as a political statement about dropping the Gold Standard as the U.S. monetary system. I am wondering if any of you who research quilt history can shed any more light (and quilt examples) for me?

Also, I am headed to the Houston quilt show (yes, I am so excited!!) on Thursday and Friday and would love to meet as many blog friends as I can. Let me know if you will be there.

Just can't let it go

2011-10-18T22:51:00.001-07:00

I cannot let go of the red and white quilt bug. That show back in March made such an impression on me. This is a photo of the antique red and white quilt I just bought. When I don't have time to sew (and I haven't for ages) I gravitate to antique quilt shopping instead. After all, I started quilting to reproduce the antiques I loved so much.

Here is a bit of a close up of the quilt. Did I mention I also love baskets quilts? Actually, I think these would be called Cake Stand. Who doesn't love cake?

Quilting makes the quilt and good quilting really makes me want the quilt. I like the double rows of quilting in this one. I must put that extra effort into my own projects.

One of the reasons I don't have time to quilt is work has taken me to great places like the Pacific Northwest. We don't have vistas like these on the east coast! (Squint to see the BIG mountain).

And, I treat myself to visiting great quilt shops like the Wild Rose Quilt Shop in Orting, Washington. The two best benefits to this shop? The wall of repros at the back of the shop and the uber friendly owners. Boy, did they ever make me happy to be there! Don't you love visiting a shop where the owners and employees actually act like they LIKE their customers?

Take along applique kit

2011-09-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

I love pretty storage. I guess that's because I have a lot of stuff and if it isn't stored well it is difficult to appreciate and enjoy that stuff. I found the perfect storage solution for my "sprigs" applique project at the Vera Bradley store. This is their Mini Hanging Organizer and it is just the right size to carry everything I need to take an applique block in progress with me everywhere. My silk thread, scissors, needle threader, a couple needles, my basting thread and some little applique pins are neatly stashed in the handy compartments. Then I can fold up the block in progress and put it on top and zip it closed.

It fits right into my purse and is ready for stitching no matter where I am. How do you like to organize your projects? I would love to see pictures.

I finished two more blocks while I was on the road the last couple of weeks. This red, yellow and green one is my favorite. That's because I am partial to those wonderful mid-19th century applique quilts in the same colors.

I like the way this brown fabric worked as stems in these two blocks. It's another Judie Rothermel fabric.

Who's cruising now?

2011-09-10T07:44:00.001-07:00

Me, that's who! I complained in my last post about how I felt like I was all thumbs stitching on my little sprigs applique blocks. When I mentioned to Janet (Quiltsalott) that I thought part of the problem was the silk thread I was using, she directed me to a Youtube video on how to knot the thread in your needle. What a difference a couple of minutes instruction makes!

Silk thread is excellent for applique because it virtually disappears and you only need a small range of neutral colors instead of the rainbow of cotton thread necessary to match every fabric you are using. But, it is barely bigger than an human hair and slippery as...well...silk. Stitching with it is a bit like running in flip flops. It's awkward and you keep slipping out of them. Because the thread is so very fine, you can put a knot right at the eye of the needle and it doesn't affect the needle going through the fabric at all. Once I was freed from worrying about the thread sliding out of the needle after every stitch I could zoom along just like I was using cotton. Janet has posted the video on the Glorious Applique blog. You can find it here.

I am also finally feeling comfortable with my sewing machine again. As I mentioned previously, it was feeling its 20 years and needed refurbishing to work again. After spending the summer at the sewing machine spa, it's back and humming along beautifully. Above are star blocks 7 and 8.

When I was searching for a quilt with a plain back to use as a background to photograph my blocks, I happened upon this little doll quilt I bought a couple of years ago. I think it is sweet and clearly has been cuddled by some dolls.

I have my next two Sprigs blocks prepped and ready for stitching. Now that I am a wiz with the silk thread I expect to finish at least one of them this weekend.

Applique is NOT like riding a bike...

2011-09-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

At least it isn't for me. I haven't ridden a bike in a couple of years but I could hop on one right now and cruise like a pro. Not so with applique. It's only been several weeks since I last appliqued but I was all thumbs when I picked up my first "sprigs" block. I prepped this block last weekend and had the presence of mind to stick it in my purse before we headed off to a family wedding on Saturday. When we ran into an hour long traffic jam I pulled out Sprigs 1 and stitched down the stems. Did I mention I was the passenger, not the driver? Anyway, it was a very relaxing (and productive!) way to pass the time. But, I am a s-l-o-w stitcher.

I also put together a couple more stars blocks today. After looking at the six I've done so far, I can see it's time to stop using pink.

Nervously riding out Irene

2011-08-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

I am trying to distract myself from the ferocious wind and rain outside tonight. These are my first four star blocks in the Stars and Sprigs quilt I mentioned in my last post. I would like to do an applique block but I am a bit too tense for that.

I am grateful we don't have it as bad as other locations and we still have power. But, I sure do wish this storm will just blow out to sea.

Giveaway winner and new project

2011-08-20T17:45:00.001-07:00

I did the random number generator thing on Friday morning and Annette is the lucky winner of the kit. I always felt like I was at a disadvantage if I was the first commentor on a giveaway but Annette's win proves that fear baseless. She was the first to leave a comment and she now gets the kit. For the rest of you, look for another kit giveaway soon.

"Stars and Sprigs" by Kim McLean

Available at: http://gloriouscolor.com

Today I was sorely tempted to order yet another block of the month program. Fortunately, that little voice in my head asked, "What? Are you nuts?" There is a U.S. shop that stocks a great variety of reproduction fabrics but is notorious for their high prices on block of the month programs. The "Stars and Sprigs" pattern by Kim McLean is so appealing in 19th century reproduction fabrics and the siren song of fabrics for six blocks/month was strong. At least until the 'little voice' slapped me around a bit and I saw the $18.95/month (for 18 months!!) price tag. The little voice also boldly pointed out that my stash contains plenty of such fabrics and if I wanted a block of the month I could make my own with fabric on-hand. So, that's what I am going to do. I ordered the pattern today and am headed to the stash to start pulling some of the boldest repros I own.

Look what came in the mail!! (and giveaway)

2011-08-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to open a squishy envelope and find this great needlekeeper from Teresa W. I have to confess something, though. She sent it about 3 months ago and I only just opened the mail. I've been receiving several block of the month, mini of the month and a quarterly (or something) shipment for the Prairie Women Sewing Circle. Since the summer has been super busy (and the sewing machine's been in the shop) I've been piling the envelopes up to be opened at a later date. Well...this morning I decided to attack the pile of mail and I found my little treasure.

I have long wanted to make one of these little cuties myself. But, if I don't have time to open the mail then you can imagine I am not getting any projects finished, either. Besides, as all of you who continually make things for others, it is always such a pleasure to be the recipient of another's handwork. So, thank you, thank you to Teresa W!

Another thing I discovered today is that I have too many kits piled up. I am now unsubscribed from any and all monthly kit mailings and am giving the one pictured above away this week. It is from the current Prairie Women's Sewing Circle series and is called "The Quilting Gathering." The kit includes a bit of history, instructions and all the fabrics to make the top. Oh, there is a photo of the finished top, too. You might have to squint to get a good look at it. If you want a chance at taking on this project, leave a comment and I'll pick the winner Thursday evening. Be sure that I have a way to contact you if you leave a comment.

Nothing Fancy

2011-07-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite summer quilt. Hands down. It is vintage but in good enough shape to use.

The Dresden Plate blocks are all hand pieced and the quilt is very nicely hand quilted.

This quilt is soft and the batting is thin. The blue centers and occasional red and white petals remind me a bit of the 4th of July.

Bernie's in rehab

2011-07-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

I also thought about titling this one "If it's a national holiday then something's going to break." I had Big Plans for doing some quilting over the Memorial Day holiday weekend at the end of May. But, our air conditioner went on the fritz at the same time Mother Nature sent us record heat for "so early in the season." Instead of quilting (I wilted at the thought of quilts) I imitated my late Golden Retriever and sprawled out in front of the fan with my tongue hanging out while I panted. The a/c is repaired and we are much cooler now. So, again, I had Big Plans for stitching over the July 4 holiday weekend. Friday night was good...I stayed up late starting another red and white project. When Saturday morning dawned, I slipped down to my sewing cave to stitch a few more seams...but...my Bernina would only sew...backwards. Believe me, I considered compensating by feeding the fabric in backwards but the little naggy voice in my head kept saying, "call 9-1-1; this ain't normal." I dropped Bernie off at the repair shop and got the news yesterday that she's slipped a cam and needs "refurbishing." I told the repaid wizard, "whatever it takes." She and I go way back and I hope to keep her around for a long time to come.

So, with no machine to distract me, I am working away on the next block from the Flower Garden quilt. I also took note of the amount of bright fabrics I have managed to accumulate. Impressive for someone who was only going to "pick up a few fat quarters." Who else needs some rehab? Hmm? I indulged myself with some photos of the ones I've pre-washed and ironed.

This last photo in the part of the stash that is still waiting on the pre-wash.

I missed you guys!

2011-07-07T17:27:00.001-07:00

It's been about a month since I posted and just as long since I've done some serious blog reading and commenting. June was a busy travel month - some of it was fun and more of it was work. The fun part was in Surfside, South Carolina with my family (see last post) and I also had the privilege of visiting New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC and Michigan for my work. I carried my fourth block of the Flower Garden pattern with me everywhere but never took a stitch. Finally, finally, I had some time at home over the Independence Day weekend (and some extenuating circumstances to be expounded upon later) and did some real hand applique work. Ta-da! I completed my fourth flower block. The funky shading in the background is the result of photographing this on a dark rug. This is my favorite block. I just love yellow.

In order to have more than just my one feeble completed applique block, I am going to include some graphic, gratuitous antique quilt photos. The Delectable Mountains design is, well, delectable. Or is that Delectible (no, I don't think so)? This is a pattern I would love to own but could never exercise the self discipline to do it myself. Doesn't this one have a gorgeous blue/white fabric?

I am seeing some quilts with complex patterns like this popping up in the blog world and I am so impressed with the skill involved in putting together a quilt pattern like the one pictured above. I also love the colors (soft and aged) in this one. Should I challenge myself to try something like this?

The quilt above is one I like because it initially reads as two-colore (and red and white, to boot!) but has so much variety of great, authentic fabrics. I keep peeking at it when I want to make something that says - oh, she just used what was in her scrap bag. Hee hee!

This is one I used to own. I say used to own because I bought it as a gift for one of my very favorite people, my sister-in-law. I think those legal formalities are so cumbersome. She is one of my longest and best(est) friends. I won't bore you with the details of why the butterfly is significant here, but it is. The pink on this one is quite overpowering but the hand stitching (quilting and embroidery) is quite nice. That is why I got it as one of those BIG DECADE birthday gifts for my great friend.

I have no good reason for this picture except you know I love house blocks and am playing around with this pattern. I can't decide about colors. Do I mix them up, how do I set them? Oh well, I'll come up with something.

Getting out of my own way

2011-06-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Excuse me, coming through, step aside, out of my way please. Boy, life can certainly get in the way. Work, chores, responsibilities all conspire to keep us from what we really want to do...quilt!! It all got so frustrating for me that I couldn't sew even when I did find a bit of time. To recharge, my hubby and a couple of my kids headed south to my brother's beautiful South Carolina home for our third family Crabfest. It was a welcome vacation and a delightful long weekend with my extended family.

A relaxing weekend must include some wine!

The party begins with the delivery of three bushels of those delicious crustaceans, blue crabs.

My brother assembled his set-up crew. The man was a born manager.

My niece is a master at gourmet cupcakes and this year she wowed us with cake pops. Let me tell you, I made sure I consumed enough to make sure I wasn't craving cake pops for at least a couple of weeks.

The night before Crabfest we warmed up with a "rehearsal dinner." Lots of shrimp and some great baked potatoes that I hope to recreate this weekend.

We swapped out the wine for a more festive beverage to accompany the crabs.

It wasn't all eating and drinking. We spent plenty of time at the beach, enjoying sand and sun and the antics of the newest generation.

It was just what I needed to kick back, eat and relax. Now I am ready to catch back up on what you all have been doing. This coming weekend is my quilt guild show and I need to stitch on a couple of hanging sleeves and then drop off the quilts I've finished this spring.

Another little quilt

2011-05-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is another finish thanks to the hand quilting service from Bellwether. This quilt is one from the mini of the month program (2010) at Temecula Quilt Company. It is a Lori Smith (From My Heart to Your Hands) design. I made a little change to the kit because I ran out of the colored fabrics used in the little churn dash blocks (I think they are 3"). I am a pre-washer and the pieces frayed and shrunk. Anyway, I was quite happy with the way the brown Jo Morton fabric worked as the corner blocks. I think I like it better than if the corners had each been a different color. I should have used it for the binding, too, but I had already cut the blue that came with the kit and didn't feel like digging through the stash for more of the brown.

The striped fabric in the borders really "makes" this quilt. Aside from the brown I added from my stash, I think the fabrics are all from a Bonnie Blue (Marcus) line. Dick Fries had the quilter follow the zig-zag line in the border and it turned out really cute. You can see it better on the back.

I also like the way the quilter solved the problem of the thick bumps where the points are in the churn dash pattern. She just skipped them. I think that worked just fine, don't you?

A little finish and a new camera

2011-05-23T11:25:00.001-07:00

I just finished binding the little quilt I blogged about previously (but darn if I can find when it was otherwise I'd link to it). It's another I had quilted by Bellwether. I hope you aren't getting tired of hearing me say that. I am on hiatus from antique quilt shopping (still antique quilt admiring, though) because the prices have crept up and the deals are harder to come by. Besides, I am finding it so much more fun to send my completed tops off for hand quilting and these little quilts don't have the storage problems of the big ones.

This is a busy quilt so it is hard to appreciate the hand quilting when looking at the front. I enjoy admiring the work from the back. Yes, I see those threads I still need to trim off.

Don't you just love the close cross-hatching?

I lost my camera when we were at the graduation in Florida. I thought I would be stylish and ditch the tote bag I usually lug around for a cute little purse. The family didn't get the memo and still dumped everything they were carrying onto me. My purse runneth over, as they say, and the camera escaped. It wasn't anything fancy but was blissfully simple to use. I am going to a quilty event this Wednesday and needed a replacement - fast. Wish me luck as I try to learn the new one I just bought.

That's three!!

2011-05-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

My DD (my baby, even though she's grown) graduated from the University of Miami last weekend and I could not have been more proud. She is the bravest of all of us as she is the only one to venture so far away for college. Her adventurous spirit has taken her all over the U.S. and even to Africa. The next stop is New York City. I am looking forward to being a frequent visitor. And...no more college tuition! Perfect timing, too, because I just saw the new Jo Morton fabrics.

Would you like cheese on that?

2011-05-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Of course! Everything looks better with cheddar. I've been saving 1-1/4" squares whenever I cut for a repro project and keep them in a little plastic box. When it starts to burst, I put together a little quilt. Many of my recent scrappy projects have been turning out a little too...well...scrappy. So, I tapped into the cheddar fabric hoard. The one I used is by Bonnie Blue (Marcus Fabrics) and it is a real favorite. Since most of the fabrics are from Judie Rothermel's lines I am calling this one, "Say Cheese Judie." Cheesey, I know.

This is my little storage box. Don't you just love cute little boxes? When I am cutting my stars (at the top of the photo) I cut a couple of extra 1-1/4" squares and stash them away for a quick fix project later.

Update: the fabric is already spoken for - Congratulations Teresa!

Finally, I've been culling through my fabric collection lately and have a stack of fabrics I am willing to send to someone who can appreciate them more than me. All of the fabrics in the photo above fit into a medium USPS box and I will send them to the first person who says she (or he, but I don't think I have a lot of male readers) wants it. Not a giveaway contest; you claim it first and it is yours. Sorry, I can only ship this one to continental U.S.

Surfing for inspiration

2011-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days (weeks, months) where, despite a stunning stash, inspiration just won't come? That's where I am now. Sure, I've got a few (dozen) projects on the go so I am still doing some stitching. But, the excitement just isn't there. I need to find a new project to start. I've been reading your blogs and so many of you have some exciting things going. I see quite a few are heading off or just returning from quilt retreats. Now, that is something that could restart the creative juices flowing. Thanks for sharing your pictures and reminding me that I need to spend more time in the company of quilters, whether virtually or literally.

In addition to surfing the web for a quilty kick in the pants, I also delved into my quilt photo collection. I am always impressed when I see a big quilt made of thousands of tiny pieces. Remember the incredible nine-patch I showed a couple years ago? The quilt above is from the collection of the Crists, a husband and wife team of avid quilt collectors. No, the rock isn't mine! Sigh...

Here's another amazing quilt full of tiny pieces - also from the Crist's collection. Leave it to a fellow quilter to travel with a tape measure so you can get an accurate idea of the scale of these blocks.

And, finally, another quilt I found inspirational. The double nine-patch is one of my all-time favorite patterns and you cannot beat it in red and white. Check out the quilting on this one. It is stunning! None of the hands in this photo are mine either. If they were, the next photo would have been of the owner trying to drag it away from me. I must have 20 pictures of this one quilt.

Flower Garden Block #3

2011-04-24T13:50:00.001-07:00

I am so glad to have this flower garden project. It is quick to prep - particularly when you compare to a Balimore Album or Civil War Bride block - and fun to stitch with its easy curves and fun fabrics. I really like polka dots and it is hard not to add some to every block. I went with some cool colors on this one but will be back with a bright yellow for block number 4. I don't know why I can't get a decent picture of these blocks, though. They all come out too dark.

Instead of getting all my small quilts machine quilted or using them as my own machine quilting practice pieces I sent some of my favorites to Bellwether. Below is one I am now calling Stacked Scraps and am loving the texture the handquilting creates. One of the drawbacks to machine quilting is deciding what to do about thread color because I prefer to see the texture instead of the thread in the stitching. Of course, the drawback to hand quilting on prints is a lot of the work goes unnoticed unless the light catches the quilt at just the right angle. Pardon the unattractive background in this photo. The light coming in my laundry room window was just right for capturing the quilting. Now, I need to decide on binding...

You can see the quilting even better in this photo. The patterns Dick Fries chose are really nice. I plan on using that straight feather in the outside borders again. Can you also see the cable in the stacked scrap blocks?

And, finally, I completed another row on the little "T" quilt. Each little block has five half square triangles which need to be squared up before I stitch them together. Boring! But, they look good togther so I must keep plugging along.

The sewing room is quite a mess right now. I really have to get into the mood to tidy things up but I am not there now.

Flower garden block #2

2011-04-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

I finished block number 2! That officially puts me on a roll. At least, if there were an official quilt block accreditation body it would definitely officially put me on a roll. Anyway, I did finish my second block and it is blissfully flat which always makes me feel like an accomplished appliquer. So, I annointed myself. Must sign off now. It is time to prep block #3.

Rouge et blanc; Rode en witte; Blanquirrojo

2011-04-06T19:58:00.001-07:00

Quilters love squishy envelopes in the mailbox. It is even better when the squishy envelope is a generous gift. Kathie sent some ecology cloth which I think is the perfect "white" for a vintage looking red and white quilt. Thanks Kathie!!

I saw an adorable doll quilt when I visited the Greenwich (Connecticut) Historical Society last year and have been wanting to reproduce it ever since. So, I washed my new ecology cloth, chose the perfect red and played around trying to make a small "T" block. The first one was pretty terrible, the second was better and I had it pretty much figured out by the third. I am pleased with how the colors reproduce the look of one of my vintage red and white quilts.

Here is the first row of "T" blocks. It takes a long time to make such a small block so I am even using the trial blocks. The original quilt wasn't perfect and neiher will this one be. I pulled the winners of the magnet sets from the Virtual Red and White quilt exhibit. Congratulations to: Elizabeth, Lynn, and Diane. Thank you to everyone who shared a quilt! I loved getting inspired by your treasures.

Time for some BLUE and white

2011-04-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

I have a finish!! This is the blue and white star quilt I first posted about here, but taken to a whole new level by some outstanding quilting. I can say that without blushing because it isn't my outstanding quilting.

I picked this little (I am considering 35"x 43" to be little) beauty up from Bellwether Dry Goods a week ago and finished the binding over the weekend. When I dropped it off, I was thinking the simple block pattern would make a good utilitarian look but Dick Fries, who does the marking for Bellwether, had a much better vision. He didn't think I should waste the open space in this quilt on anything less than dynamic quilting patterns. He knows I like lots of quilting so he included half-inch spaced lines in the star blocks and outline quilting on all the squares. Dick's choice of quilting design turned a very ordinary top into something very special and this will be a quilt I truly treasure.

I often pick patterned fabrics for my quilt backs but looking at old quilts made me realize that I was missing a wonderful opportunity to showcase the quilting. I almost like the back of this quilt as much as the front. It hangs really straight and I cannot wait to add a sleeve and get this little treasure on my wall.

Disclaimer: I have no commercial relationship with Bellwether besides that of a satisfied customer. I love the work they do and Jean and Dick are really, really nice to work with. For me, the ultimate in quilting is hand quilting. Unfortunately, I don't have the time (and some might say the talent) to do much of it myself. I love being able to work with a service that listens to what I like and translates it into something even better than I imagine.

"Welcome Home" to beautiful recycling

2011-03-20T08:09:00.001-07:00

"Welcome Home" by Barbara Burnham

When Barbara Burnham read that I love house quilts she was kind enough to share her masterpiece pictured above. Her quilt, titled Welcome Home, was included in Mimi Dietrich's book, Bed and Breakfast Quilts (That Patchwork Place, 2003).

"Welcome Home" detail

This quilt is the perfect combination of old and new. Barbara found the blue house blocks with the bright red chimineys in one antique shop and the coordinating nine-patch blocks in another. She brilliantly combined the blocks, adding new background fabric, four new 9-patches and the star stitched from antique fabric to create what is my favorite house quilt ever!

"Welcome Home" detail

If, like me, you've tried enlarging the photo above to see if that is hand or machine quilting, I'll save you some time. It is hand quilted - perfectly. Thank you so much, Barbara, for sharing this wonderful house quilt with us! It's time for me to get back to practicing my hand quilting.

Oh no she didn't!

2011-03-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yup, I did. Just a quick post to say I've been sucked into the gorgeous bright designs by Kim McLean and here is my first block for the Flower Garden quilt. I had to go with the brights as a way to put some cheer into what had become an interminable winter but now that we are tasting spring they cheer me up even more. The notebook is there because I've decided to do a better job of documenting my big projects. I thought I'd keep a record of what is going on (both personally and the world as a whole) as I worked on the applique. Block 1 has seen a lot--I started it last week and since then there was the horrible earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in Japan along with the developments in Libya. I hope block 2 has a happier tale to tell.

More Red and White Quilts - part 2

2011-03-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

I might have mentioned once (or twice) how much I love house quilts and when I saw Paula's version I started planning one like it of my own. Are these pieced mansions or perhaps multi-family dwellings? Her quilt pictured above is actually a small version of a Schoolhouse quilt made in NY or Pennsylvania around 1910.

She plans to make more red and white quilts, mostly in a reduced size to make them easier to display. I like that idea. I have some excellent antique quilts but am not able to enjoy them as much as I like because they are too big to display. My blue and white house quilt is an exception and I display it regularly.

Link to online Red and White Exhibit

More Red and White Quilts - Hooray!

2011-03-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

Paula (no blog) also sent me great pictures of her red and white quilts to share with everyone. I am putting them in two posts so they can both show up in the exhibit links. They deserve to be showcased - they're that good!

Reminder: Visit the Red and White Online Exhibit HERE

I almost could not believe it when Paula told me she has made TWO of the 1910 Kaleidoscope or Bullseye quilts (pictured above) as gifts. One is in North Dakota and one is in Germany. She is also making one more for herself. The applique is needle turn and quilting is machine. The original can be seen in the photo on the advertisement for the Infinite Variety Exhibit.

Red and White Gift

2011-03-08T11:13:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who has added links to their red and white quilts and also to those who have commented! I am thoroughly enjoying seeing your treasures and reading their stories. You can link to the post with the Red and White online exhibit HERE. Remember, you can keep adding quilts through March 30.

I am posting the quilt above for Laura (no blog). This quilt was designed by Susan Emory of Quilter's Corner in Midlothian Virginia and was featured on the cover of Quilt Sampler Magazine, Fall/Winter 2008. The pattern is called 'Making History' and combines two old blocks: Martha Washington star and sawtooth star. Laura first saw this quilt in Quilter's Corner the summer of 2008. It was made in blue and white (Alex Anderson's Never Enough Romance fabric). The quilt was striking, but she had no need for a blue and white quilt. The ladies in the quilt shop were very excited because this pattern was going to be featured on the cover of Quilt Sampler Magazine.

Laura usually designs her own quilts and picks her own colors, but when she saw the magazine cover, she knew the red and white quilt would be perfect for her mother-in-law. Her bedroom has red carpet and white walls. She has everything she needs and is very difficult to buy gifts for, so she decided to make this quilt for her for Christmas. This quilt is the first quilt she made using Eleanor Burn's Quilt In a Day flying geese ruler and triangle square up ruler. Paura says these rulers helped to match the points up and also made the piecing go fast. She was afraid that making a two-color quilt would be boring, but learning to use the new rulers and having a variety of red prints helped keep the piecing interesting. The quilt was professionally quilted by Valerie Schlake of A Needle Runs Through It in Maidens, Virginia has wool batting. Laura also made pillow cases and quilted pillow shams (with zippers in the back) to match the quilt.

Laura's mother-in-law loves the quilt. She put it on her bed the day she got it, and she went out and got new curtains to match the it. She says she tries to give handmade gifts only to those people who I think will appreciate the time and work I put into them, and I know my mother-in-law truly loved her gift.

I think this is a wonderful gift and I am so glad Laura's mother-in-law loves the quilt and the work she put into the quilt. Thanks, Laura, for letting me share this quilt for you!

Red and White Quilt Exhibit - Bloggers living vicariously!!

2011-03-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

It is an understatement to say that the quilt world is abuzz about the upcoming exhibit at the American Folk Art Musem in NYC, "Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts." I've read about quilters worldwide who are making a special trip just to take in this show (now that is dedication!). Others have committed to making red and white quilts this year. Red and white quilts for sale on Ebay are fetching a premium these days.

So, I am joining the celebration by compiling an online red and white quilt show. Do you own an antique red and white quilt? Have you made a new one yourself? Do you have a friend who will let you take a picture of her quilt? If so, I hope you will blog about your quilt and add a link to that post below. If the linky thing works properly, we will be able to compile our own virtual red and white quilt show. I will start things off with the quilt above which I recently purchased through Ebay and will be adding a couple more in the coming days.

To add some fun for participants, I bought three sets of magnets from the museum (that's them above) and will have a drawing among those of you who participate. So, to recap, blog about a red and white quilt and add a link to that post (directly to the post, not your general blog address). If you do more than one post you are welcome to add more links - it will get you an extra shot at the magnets. We will wrap up our online quilt show when the NYC exhibit closes (March 30) and I will draw 3 winners from the links. I will send them to you no matter where in the world you live. If you don't have a blog, send me your photo and I will post it for you.

Now, let's take a closer look at my quilt. The red fabric is in pretty rough shape but if you've heard the saying, "the quilting makes the quilt," this quilt will bring it to life for you. I also love the quirky arcs reverse appliqued into the borders and those corners were the piece de resistance, particularly when it showed up near Valentine's Day.

Here is a closer look at one of the corners.

As I said, this quilt has some terrific quilting. The large plain squares alternate with double cross hatch quilting (above) and a clamshell pattern (below).

Now, onto the show...

Applique is slow

2011-02-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

This is my contribution to the next Baltimore Applique Society raffle quilt. It is nearly finished. Good thing because I am already 10 days past the deadline. I had months to do it but of course waited until the last minute to start since it looked like a pretty easy block. And it is. But, I am a very slow applique stitcher. While I am often accused of not taking time out of life to "stop and smell the roses," I often take time while sewing to stop and admire the stitches - and the fabrics. The red from Mary Koval's recent Baltimore Album ca. 1847 fabrics is gorgeous and quite perfect for the flowers. Fortunately, I only have one last large flower to stitch down and then the main stem plus two weird little leaves. For some reason, they look to me like wads of chewing gum stuck on the stem. If the block was for me I'd leave them out or turn them into more buds. I like the buds. There is some embroidery embellishment to be done but fortunately that is someone else's job. I am not a big fan of embroidery on album quilts; just a matter of personal taste. I am sure I will like it when someone else does the work.

Above are the accumulated stars I've been making as "leaders and enders" over the last 3-1/2 years. I signed up for a BOM program through a retailer never mentioned here and which shall remain nameless. It is for the Carol Hopkins Designs pattern "Tribute to Judie." All the fabrics are Marcus Fabrics designed by Judie Rothermel. I thought the BOM would be a good way to do the quilt and get loads of different prints which is the charm of the design. There ARE many different prints but I think there is a preponderance of the ugly ones. Perhaps I am paranoid, but I often think shops use the scrappy BOM programs to unload the prints that don't sell. Please don't be offended if you are a shop owner and you DON'T do this. I have shopped with you and mentioned you with love on this blog. Plus, I sincerely appreciate the role played by the ugly fabrics in a quilt. They have their place. Not everyone can be a star (no pun intended) but a little contrast is appreciated.

These two blocks are my least favorite and really it is the one on the left that bugs me the most. There are others that blend into the background but when I finished this one I wondered why I bothered at all. Bleah. I also don't like the color rust. Of course, I am not holding that against the poor BOM program.

These two I really do like and would have preferred to see more with color other than brown/tan (and rust!).

Here are a bunch of them together. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be but once they are set together with the alternate squares I am fearing they aren't going to "pop" to my liking. The setting squares are brown, as are the border fabrics.

This is the quilt as it appears on the actual pattern. See? Lots of lively colors - not everyone is lively but there are lots. I know, I can certainly add in more fabrics from my extensive J.R. stash but I am complaining on principle. The fabric in this quilt, as purchased through the BOM program, cost close to $300 (spread over 24 months). Besides, if I swap out blocks from my stash I'll have a leftover pile of truly awful blocks. Then what do I do?

Here's hoping that once I do get the top put together I will love it and will be retracting all of the grousing I just wrote. Thanks for hearing me out.

Historical Societies are a treasure trove

2011-01-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) in Baltimore, Maryland, owns the largest collection of Baltimore Album quilts. Lucky me, I live just outside of Baltimore and had the pleasure of participating in an excellent quilt program there this past weekend. Actually, it is a two part program so I'll be back there next Saturday, too.

Phyllis Twigg Hatcher started us off with a lecture and show-and-tell of pre-1850 quilts (mostly from Maryland) from her own collection. It was heaven for a fabric lover like me. Then we took a walk through the museum's current exhibit of Maryland quilts plus some folk art and artifacts that are depicted in the album quilts. Following the tour was a slide show lecture about Baltimore monuments which were frequently depicted on the Baltimore Album quilts. We also received kits to make our own album blocks which include an inking of Baltimore's Washington Monument.

This quilt was a stunner! Called "Mathematical Star" because that is how these star quilts were listed in the records of the Maryland Agricultural Fairs, it is dated to 1835 and was likely made by Adeline Virginia Bartruff Darnall. It is one of the richest looking broderie perse quilts I've ever seen. Interestingly, I learned from Phyllis that this technique used to be called "cut-out chintz" instead of the fancier sounding broderie perse. I kind of like that straightforward descriptive title.

Above is a detail photo of the cut-out chintz work and the exquisite quilting and the photo below shows you in detail the rich colors that remain in the fabrics. .

The MdHS is rotating their quilt collection through a small, ongoing exhibition. There are only about 7 quilts currently on display but I think you can tell by these photos, it is worth visiting and savoring the selection. There were also some stunning crazy quilts that are truly examples of some Baltimore needlewomen's work of a lifetime.

Next week, we continue on beyond the Baltimore album era with more of Phyllis' collection and may include a little walking field trip to the actual Washington Monument (IF Baltimore's weather warms up to something higher than frigid).

Quilt Study: Pink and Brown Stars

2011-01-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

Join me in examining my newest antique quilt acquisition. I collect what I like without special regard to pattern, color or condition and am particularly excited by this one. It is the first antique I have that is in pink and brown. Just think, there was a quilter running around 100+ years ago who also liked stars and the pink and brown combo.

The quilt is approximately 73" x 77" and the blocks are just under 5". The binding is narrow, about 1/4", and is hand applied. Notice the one block that is three up from the bottom and three over from the left in the photo below? Oops! The Ebay seller stated that this quilt contained "a rare deliberate mistake." Excuse me? Did someone get a communication from beyond the grave? Who can really know if it was a deliberate mistake? It is quirky and quaint but who knows if it was intentional or just a boo-boo.

Here's a look at the quilting. Each plain square has that same flower pattern quilted into it. The star blocks are also quilted the same way except for the stars around the edges. Take a look at the direction of the quilting in the corner squares of star blocks below and compare it to the star blocks in the next photo.

See? The quilting in these corners below is in a different direction. All the stars in the outer perimeter have the same quilting which is very slightly different than the interior stars.

A pink star. Somebody cut off her star points. I'm just sayin...

I find a lot of antique quilts that include checks and stripes but not many reproduction lines include them. There is a little bit of this brown discoloration in this quilt but not much. I also like the shade of the background fabric. It definitely isn't snowy white. It has that soft patina that Jo Morton captures so well in her shirting fabrics.

Here's a brown star. I love this fabric. I've seen some repros that are similar to the print below but not exactly. Girlfriend needs to work on those star points.

And, another brown. Again, I've definitely seen some similar repros. This quilt has quite a few different fabrics which is one of its biggest appeals. It's a great sample of pink and brown fabrics.

There is one place where the quilt was repaired. Whoever did it was quite effective at hiding it. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see a rectangular patch (pretty much right in the center of the photo) that is hand stitched down. This is the back of the quilt.

This is the front side of the repair. The fabrics don't match too well - at least not compared to the match of the back - but she tried. The new patches are appliqued on top and were quilted through to match the original quilting.

One other acquisition is the book pictured below and what a fabulous deal it was. I bought The Quilt Engagement Calendar Treasury for less than $10, including shipping. It is packed with over 150 full page photos and a quick look revealed several that I have seen reproduced by contemporary quilters. It was so inspiring I bought another and will have the spine removed and a spiral binding put on so I can easily flip through and use it for design and color ideas. You can find used copies for as low as $1 (plus shipping which is usually around $4) on Amazon, Ebay or Abebooks.

I did not see this one coming

2011-01-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Last week I was pouting in my sewing room because my break from work was almost over and I had not done a lick of sewing. My mood was dark. I blamed the holidays. I blamed the family. I blamed work because I only had two weeks off instead of three. Reason counted for nothing.

While morosely staring around, my gaze lit upon one of my little packages from Temecula. The kit was made up of Jo Morton's Spice Chest fabrics and they are spicy. They almost smell like cinnamon. Well, they got my attention. I thought I'd just press a couple and cut a few pieces to see how they look together. Just a little taste, nothing more. Next thing I knew, I was 1/3 of the way through the top so how could I stop? I didn't want another UFO cluttering up the sewing space so I kept going. Now it is finis but I have ANOTHER little quilt top that needs quilting. At least the funk has lifted and I am ready to tackle one of the regularly scheduled projects.

Wool kit winner!

2011-01-03T12:47:00.001-08:00

Thank you to all of you for leaving such nice comments and I really wish I had a kit for everyone. I couldn't leave it to the impersonal random number generator and I couldn't take the pressure of picking a name out of the basket myself so picking the winner was the first duty of my new graduate assistant who started work today. So, without further delay, Quilting Jeannet is the lucky quilter. You can thank Everett who completely doesn't understand what it was I asked him to do (or why).

Bring on the resolutions and the stretch pants!

2011-01-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

What are the resolutions most quilters make every year? Complete the UFO's, use up more of the stash, don't start so many new projects, don't buy so much new fabric, right? I am right there with you, but I think we should all accentuate the positive.

Most of us refer to our piles of fabric as our "stash." Jo Morton says that word has negative conotations and prefers calling her piles of fabric her "collection." Personally, I view mine as my big box of crayons. No one ever wants to use up one box of crayons and then close up shop. You need to get new crayons if you want to keep coloring. Sometimes, when you don't have a particular picture you are working on, you just want to admire how the crayons all look together.

Quilt shop owners have gotten really clever in their packaging of quilt kits and I commend them! My favorites are the kits that look like wrapped gifts. Let's be honest, many of us have significant others who just don't get this whole quilting thing. At least that's the case for me. So I never get gifts like those pictured below. And, they look so darn cute all wrapped up that I am loathe to open them. So, that's resolution number one. To use something from my stash I will open just one of my personal presents and make the darn quilt.

In 2011 my theme will be "more is better" when it comes to quilting. See the example below from an old quilt? Nothing fancy, just lines. They aren't evenly spaced, they aren't particularly straight, but they fill the space. Hasn't it been said, "the quilting makes the quilt." My problem is, instead of actually doing the quilting, I spend too much time agonizing over what is the Perfect quilting pattern when I should just quilt the bejeazus out of it and call it a day. This goes for both hand and machine quilting.

I will continue to learn about this splendid legacy we call patchwork, the techniques and stories of our quilting foremothers. The UFO pictured below is a class I taught years ago at our LQS. I used traditional blocks and some new variations and combined piecing instruction with stories about Maryland women during the civil war. 2011 is the 150th anniversary of the start of that conflict so what better time to delve more into that era - particularly the stories about women. Barbara Brackman is beginning a fabulous new civil war blog that combines history and quilting so be sure to check it out weekly. It promises to be a real treat.

The red and green quilt below is one of many UFO's that were conceived from the desire to have festive Christmas quilts. As you can see from my last post, I found a new solution. Collect red and green antique quilts. This one stalled when I realized that I didn't like the gold I was using for the stars (see the one in row 3) and I had to applique 42 of them to finish the top. In an effort to keep it simple, I am going to skip the stars, get the top machine quilted and use it as next year's tree skirt. Unless I cannot get the "kids" to give up the one I made when they were small. In that case, I will save it and make it a Christmas gift when one of my kids gives me a new son or daughter in law. That won't happen in 2011 but I am open minded and optimistic we might see some action in 2013 or 2014. My DD told me to keep those desires to myself so you did not hear it from me.

I will acknowledge that the box of crayons has gotten quite full and might be tearing a little around the edges so I need to remove a few. That's where my blog friends come in. Below are the pattern and kit from a wool applique block of the month program I joined at Temecula Quilt Co. in 2010. Well, it's months 1-11. Number 12 will arrive later this month. I am going to get real and admit that I am not going to make this quilt. I hope one of you will take on the project. Leave me a comment - nothing fancy, a simple "add my name to the basket" will do the trick. The kit includes the pattern from Lori Smith, black background fabric and wool for each block along with a photo of what it is supposed to look like when finished. It is really great.

I will pick the winner on Monday morning (January 3) when I drag my unwilling self back into work and am looking for a distraction. I am guessing that will be about 9:30 am EST. I will pop what I have in the mail next week and will send #12 along when it arrives.

wool quilt kit giveaway (front)

wool quilt kit giveaway (back)

Phew!!

2010-12-27T21:10:00.001-08:00

Since my last post (the one where I said I would announce the little quilt give away winner) I was slammed at work trying to get ready to be off for two weeks, slammed by the realization that on December 20 I had not begun to get ready for Christmas and slammed by Christmas cooking, wrapping and reveling. Now, I am done...phew!

Without further delay, I congratulate Jen from The Quilty Home blog who the random number generator selected as winner of the little quilt giveaway.

Above is a little of my Christmas decorating. Frankly, the little tree on the table was almost our family tree this year. Since I was so late in starting the preparation the tree lots had closed up shop. Luckily, Whole Foods still had trees on December 24 so we got a big one after all.

This is a close up photo of my Christmas gift to myself. A couple of red and green quilts. I thought I'd take a chance and pull out some of my antiques to use in decorating. Might as well enjoy them.

Son of House Block

2010-12-12T13:10:00.001-08:00

House Block

Son of House Block

The house quilt currently in my blog header is one I've long wanted to reproduce but have only gotten as far as the single block at the top of this post. I was playing around with my red and green fabrics this weekend (cannot stop with those colors) and instead of making more blocks for my house quilt I decided to try the same block in a 3" version (oops, flipped the door piece upside down). So, voila, here is son of house block. Took me the entire evening last night so I won't be doing a whole quilt of these little babies. I think I'll check Pottery barn and see if they have a frame to fit it.

I also realized I never announced the day I am picking the winner of the little nine patch giveaway (see last post) so that will be this Wednesday, December 15. I will also be announcing my next giveaway and I think it is exciting so check back mid-week!

Guilty Pleasures mini quilt giveaway

2010-12-03T10:48:00.001-08:00

I have a confession...in December my work gets rather hectic and prevents me from truly savoring the holiday spirit. So, sometimes I will stop at Starbucks before I head home from work and buy myself a peppermint mocha or a hot chocolate in their festive holiday cups and sip it as I listen to classical Christmas music on satellite radio in my car. Another little treat I give myself is to listen to the Harry Potter book series while commuting or cooking or sewing. Yup, books 1-7, in order. While they aren't Christmas books, they all have a special Christmas scene and the theme of magic lifts my spirits while I participate in drudgery (i.e., commuting or the dull everyday kind of cooking - of course, the sewing isn't drudgery).

What is your guilty pleasure? Leave a comment and I'll put you in a drawing for the mini quilt pictured above. To give you an idea of the size of the blocks, take a look at the rather blurry photo below.

Please Jo, may we have some more? (and giveaway winner)

2010-12-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

My favorite remedy to stress is a session in my sewing cave with a good book on my ipod and lots of different repro scraps to play with. The result of such a therapy session is pictured above; my version of the Stacked Coins quilt from Kathleen Tracy's Remembering Adelia book. Most of the little rectangles are from the latest Judie Rothermel collection Civil War Chronicles. I think this is her best Civil War collection since her very first one. (IMHO) For the borders, I decided to finally cut into my fat quarter stash of Jo Morton's Crimson and Clover line from last year. Jo, if you happen to read this, I love, love, love this line and think it should be reprinted. To make you feel sympathy for my plight, picture me as Oliver Twist saying, "Please sir, I want more." I have three other projects in mind for these fabrics and I don't have enough. If any of you reading this have a local quilt shop that still has these fabrics in stock, please send me the name.

Loved how this one turned out so much that I have to include another shot of it. I also found this cute jar (at the back of the photo) at Pottery Barn and decided to capture a couple of my favorite little mini quilts in it.

And, finally, the winner of my mini quilt giveaway (it is the finished one above on the left) is DOROTHY from Dorothy's Threads of Life blog. Congratulations Dorothy!! Email me your address and I will send it off to you right away. Thanks to all of you for your nice comments and I truly wish I could send a mini quilt to everyone. What I can do is another mini quilt giveaway. Stay tuned tomorrow for photos of the next one.

The Wall of Tops is on the Floor

2010-11-24T11:47:00.001-08:00

My wall of quilts is still under construction. Here is an assortment of the tops I've finished. Looks like I need to get busy doing some quilting. For the particularly scrappy ones I prefer the all over little stipple. Lazy me would love to have a pro do it but the $50 minimum is steep for such small quilts. Janet did a good job teaching herself to machine quilt so I might have to follow suit. Drat, that means basting, too.

'Tis the season for a giveaway and other stuff

2010-11-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

'Tis the time to seize the season. I love the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year's because it's family time and it's quilting time. So, let's celebrate with some quilting giveaways. I am kicking off December by giving away the very mini but festive little quilt pictured above. I whipped this little top up this evening and will hand quilt it over the upcoming long weekend and will give it to one lucky blog friend on December 1 to kick off the Christmas season. Leave me a comment on this post between now and midnight on November 30. I'll put everyone's name in the cyber hat (a.k.a. the random number generator) and pick the winner on Wednesday, December 1. I will mail anywhere in the world. To get an idea of the finished mini quilt see the photo below of my first version of this little cutie.

You will call me a slow starter if you've seen Kathie's blog lately. But, I have finally gotten moving on my red and shirting Irish Chain. I found more yardage of the Seneca shirtings fabric pictured on this post and produced these blocks this past Sunday. I am not sure how big to make this quilt so we'll see how things progress. I am totally loving the fabrics in this project.

Finally, I appliqued these butterflies onto a block about 8 years ago and that's as far as I got. While cleaning up some clutter this evening, I happened upon the block and decided to make another mini from it since the "big" quilt just isn't happening. So, I chopped the block into four pieces, added some sashing and will also add a border. Hopefully, the addition of some hand quilting will transform an orphan block into a wall hanging that will be the perfect gift for my butterfly-loving sister-in-law.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone (because we all can be thankful) in case I don't make it back to blog land between now and Thursday. I am looking forward to the things I enjoy this year -- connecting with quilters and actually quilting -- and plan on having some more festive giveaways during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Check back!

Quilt Tastykakes

2010-11-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes if you want cake, you shop for ingredients, read the recipe, measure and mix, and wait for the final product to bake and cool. Other times, you just want cake, quick and easy. So you open the box of yummy Tastykakes (this is where I would put the registered trademark symbol if I knew how to do that) and munch away on the delicious cakey-ness. This little quilt top is the quilting equivalent of Tastykakes.

Temecula Quilt Company has a fun and satisfying monthly mini program where you buy a pattern by Lori Smith that includes 9 different mini quilt patterns. Then, each month you get a little kit for the top and binding, a photo of the finished quilt and cutting notes specific for the pieces in the kit or variations for the Temecula version of the pattern. This is a great way to whip up a very scrappy mini top without dragging out many different fabrics and lopping off a little bit of each. Plus, you don't have to take any risks with the fabric choices. You just go with what you get and if the quilt includes that gastly aqua print then that's the way it was meant to be.

The fabrics in the mini quilt top I just made (from the Civil War Ladies line by Pat Nickols for RJR Fabrics) reminded me of one of the quilts in the book Gone to Texas by Betsy Chutchian. Early last month I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Lone Star House of Quilts in Arlington, Texas, and met Betsy there. I am really looking forward to the line of fabrics she has coming out based on the fabrics in the antique quilt pictured below. She promises there will be three of the wonderful poison greens we can never get enough of.

In the meantime, I am really itching to make my own version of the quilt pictured below. I think I'll do this one the old fashioned way...shop for the ingredients, mix it up and wait for it to bake and cool. See, I've already started assembling the ingredients.

Okay, I am ready to cut the red fabric

2010-11-10T17:35:00.000-08:00

Last month I was able to visit many wonderful quilt shops around the U.S. and bought lots of reproduction fabrics. Maybe I should even say I bought LOTS and LOTS of reproduction fabrics. Hey, no time to sew but plenty of time to stock up. Fat Quarters Quilt Shop in Vista, California had a good selection in stock of Judie Rothermel's Quaker Quilts collection. Alas, I don't think I bought enough of the background and I cannot remember where I bought it and which Jo Morton shirtings line it came from. I've had the quilt below in mind for some time and I took advantage of the opportunity to buy enough reproduction reds that I could even finally bear to use some. Oh, and I visited Common Threads Quilting in Waxahachie where I bought the book pictured above. They had several patterns they reproduced from some wonderful antique red and green quilts.

Don't you just love the variety of red prints (plus a sprinkling of different backgrounds) in this old quilt?

Whimsy, Wacky or Whatever?

2010-11-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

What do I do when I want to post about all my quilting endeavors but the quilting endeavors are scant? I show you an antique quilt because those are what this blog is really all about anyway. You know the saying, "nothing new under the sun," right? Well that is particularly true when one is a fan of the quilts and quilt art of a prior era.

When I think of nineteenth century quilts I don’t usually think of polka dots but Barbara Brackman certainly has noticed the dots if you read her posts here and here. This is a crib quilt I really treasure because a) it’s a crib quilt (can’t resist small), b) it’s pink and brown (the perennial favorite), and c) it is so darn cute with all those dots. As I often do with scrappy antique quilts, I wonder about how those fabric choices were made. Clearly, in most of the blocks the fabrics look planned, but on others they are mixed. Did the quilter only have enough of that funky aqua fabric for just two triangles in the whole quilt? There’s another block that has two brown dot pieces and two black and white stripe pieces. Was that all that was left? Do you think she laid out the blocks before stitching them together or did she pick them up randomly as she went along with the stitching?

For those of you who make scrappy quilts, do you spend time trying to lay out your blocks to make them look like they weren’t planned? I do and don’t think I miss the irony in that exercise. If you are a fan of that scrappy look I encourage you to study the full quilt picture above. It is a great exercise in crafting authentic reproductions of 19th century scrap quilts.

See below for the latest shameless plug about my progress on my Lemoyne Star quilt. Nine more blocks stitched and all while I was one the road. Three cheers for my little hand piecing kit (see here for more on that). I am well on my way to my next 9 star blocks.

Star of LeMoyne, LeMoyne Star, Lemon Star

2010-10-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Whatever you call the traditional eight-pointed star, it's delicious. I am still working on hand piecing my own "Lemon Stars" (I love that version of the name) but progress has slowed - more on that below.

Thanks to Kathie and Victoria, I found out about the quilt exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum when I was in New York city earlier this week. Luckily, I had a break between my scheduled events and was able to squeeze in a quick visit to the AFAM. The "Year of the Quilt" is an exhibit being done in two parts. So, if you are able to get to NY, you can catch part 1 until mid-April and part 2 opens in early May. There are supplemental exhibits at AFAM branch locations. "Super Stars" opens in November 2010 and there is an exhibit of red and white quilts scheduled for one short week in March 2011.

There were many excellent examples of old (mostly traditonal but not all) quilts. One highlight was seeing the quilt top that inspired the "Civil War Bride" pattern and quilt. The photos I've seen definitely did't do that one justice. My particular favorite was this quilt that has something like 405 (math in my head so pleased don't hold me to the exact number) "lemon stars." My best guess is that these little cuties are about 2.5" each. Oh my!

As mentioned, I am still plugging away at hand piecing my own 3.25" stars. Let's see, the goal was 1 per day but it's taken 42 days to make the nine pictured below. More math in my head and I think that means I am only making 1 every 4-5 days. Oh well, you do what you can.

Moda has new "Collection for a Cause-Hope" fabrics out that are based on an antique quilt. Frankly, I am not crazy about the way the reproduction fabrics on this one turned out but they have a kit that comes packed in this adorable tin lunchbox that carries an image of the original quilt. Too bad you have to buy the kit to get the tin--I'd love to own that. It would be perfect for storing my completed Lemon Stars.

Baltimore Album redux

2010-09-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I must be channeling Kathie. Like her, the red and green quilts have been whispering in my ear lately. I've been pouring over my books on red, green and applique quilts and they are so inspiring.

I used to scorn applique both because I had failed in several attempts to master it and the examples I'd seen were not impressive. Beginner applique patterns tend to be rather simple and crude. That all changed when I went to a quilt show presented by the Baltimore Applique Society in 1996 called "Quilts and Cuisine." I have to admit, at the time it was the cuisine part that drew me to the show. But once I got there and saw both vintage Baltimore Album quilts and new creations from BAS members I forgot all about the food (although the lemon bars were quite tasty). I left determined to learn to applique (well!) and to make one of those quilts. In 2000, I signed up for Mimi Dietrich's year long Baltimore Album class at Seminole Sampler in Catonsville, MD.

Mimi was a great teacher and we learned all different methods of applique. Those of you who have tried it know that it is not a one-method-fits-all art form. Once I found the method that works for me (it's a toss-up between back basting and freezer paper underneath) I knew I could tackle any block.

But, once I gained applique confidence, I developed doubts about my colors and block choices. Paper cuts were easy, but I have a roving eye and the one fabric blocks got boring. I did not finish my BAQ for the class and just have blocks that don't thrill me anymore.

I found I really was liking the two color red/green blocks so I thought I would go with that combination. Unfortunately, I only got as far as this one crossed laurel leaves block. One day I'd like to make a whole quilt of these (as pictured in one of the books above). I have plenty of background but these two red and green fabrics are long gone.

Then the class moved onto the fancier blocks and I decided that THAT was what I really wanted for my quilt. More pieces, more fabrics, more colors. But, my white roses kind of disappeared into the background.

That whole BAQ attempt has been scrapped. I found a new background; something that looks "old" but will really show off all different fabrics and colors.

And I've found some exciting new fabrics. The BAS just published a brand new pattern called Lady of Victory that is taken directly from a BAQ owned by Mary Koval. Mary's latest line of fabrics by Windham is also taken directly from that antique quilt. Having seen it in "real life" I can attest that the colors in the antique quilt really are that vibrant. There are even more fabrics than those I picture below so this single line is a great start to creating a colorfully satisfying BAQ. I plan on combining favorite blocks from many different album quilts.

The spice of life is planning new quilt projects but it's fun to make progress on other WIP's. My Ohio Stars are together and I am deciding between adding a border or leaving it off. Here is the top on an old quilt just to get a little idea of what it would look like with a wide, plain quilted border.

And here it is up against the edge of a quilt bound in indigo (right side and bottom) to get an idea of what it looks like without the border. I think I like it this way best. The result I am trying to achieve is something that looks like an old utilitarian cradle quilt.

A sewing weekend - process report

2010-09-13T15:34:00.001-07:00

Well, Mother Nature had plans for me this weekend that did not include a trip to the Sully quilt show. You might say, she sullied my plans by sending us rain. (It's a terrible pun, I know) So nice of her to bookend a dreary rainy Sunday with two perfectly beautiful days.

Okay, it was disappointing but my wallet is probably better for it. Insead, I did the only thing a quilter can do on a rainy day. I planned a new project. I have long coveted the old 9-patch doll quilt pictured in the Celebrate With Little Quilts book. I even bought some new fabrics to reproduce it. But, I knew they could not reproduce the patina of the antique. Soooo, now I have these old blocks and I am going to pick them apart and make 9-patches out of the pieces. Take note of this photo...there's a giveaway that will be coming out of it soon.

I also figured that if I am starting yet another quilt I should make progress toward finishing something. I finally basted my Cheddar Cheese and Crackers quilt top from Humble Quilts' January quilt-a-long. I tried the Hera marker tool for marking the straight lines in the cheddar squares and it works like a dream.

And there's more! I finished all 20 indigo Ohio Stars blocks AND pieced them all into a top. I am deciding whether to add borders or not so look for a photo and query for your opinions on that one. Yes, I know, there are not 20 Ohio star blocks in this photo but I promise, I did make that many.

Oh, nuts.

2010-09-10T13:59:00.001-07:00

It has been a goal/dream/fantasy of mine to create a wall of little quilts (several blogs have featured photos of these but I can't find them right now-sorry!). So I've worked my way to that goal by making quite a few little quilts. The problem is, most have been scrappy with dark colors being dominant and, while pleasing to me individually, all kind of "read" the same on the wall. In other words, they look boring. I am getting impatient and just want to get something I finished displayed on the wall. So, I followed the suggestion Lori Smith gives in her patterns and bought an inexpensive, ready-made frame from a craft store. I made this little quilt, took the time to hand quilt it, and was excited to pop it in the frame and call it "art."

But it didn't fit.

It didn't dawn on me to check the size of the little quilt pattern I chose and compare it to the size of the frame I have. The former is 11"x14" and the latter is 10"x13".

So now it is living on the edge...of this basket. I think I'll roll up the other "wall of quilts" wannabes and stick them into the basket, too.

And, since I did take so much time to hand quilt the thing, I have to show off the back so you can see I really, really made an effort on this one. By the way, this quilt is from one of Lori Smith's "fit to frame" patterns. I recommend trying them, but make sure to compare sizes so when you're finished it will actually fit the frame.

Red, Light and Boo Hoo Hoo

2010-09-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day weekend (ceremonial official start of summer in U.S.) I decided I wanted to make a new red, white and blue quilt for summer. On the July 4 weekend (ceremonial peak of summer in U.S.) I decided to name it "Red Light and Blue." Now, it is the Labor Day weekend (ceremonial close of summer in U.S.) and I am looking at my pile of fabrics wondering "Where did summer go?"

We had a brutal winter and I was looking forward to reveling in warm weather. But, that warm weather turned to HOT weather and my motivation was shut out when I turned on the air conditioning and shut out summer. Mother Nature is smiling on us this weekend (thanks M.N., better late than never) and as my windows opened, so did my mind. At least I did some hand piecing so I have a little something to show for my summer.

I'll have to thank my lucky stars! Terrible pun. I couldnt' help myself. 29 down, 270 to go. Yikes, that's intimidating.

Anyway, this weekend I figured if I couldn't embrace summer anymore, I could at least still eat it. No pictures, but I had a delicious breakfast of summer zucchini, chives and onions scrambled with eggs and topped with a chopped tomato. Yum! Now, to those fabrics...

Sewing kit giveaway WINNER and new (old) quilt

2010-08-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who left such nice comments on my Lemoyne Star post. I wish I could send all of you the little sewing kit but I only have one (for now!) and I did the random number generator thingy and it came up with number 16, which is the comment from Gayle from The Middle Sister blog. Congratulations Gayle and send me an email with your address.

I had so much fun that I ordered more boxes from Tupperware and when I get more needle keepers I am going to do this one again.

Today I want to share a log cabin quilt that I just got. It is actually polluting the air in my office and I cannot wait to get it home and send it for a swim in some Oxy Clean. Whew! Someone was a smoker. Despite the malodorous aspects, the shirting fabrics are wonderful and the reason I could not resist this quilt.

I am also impressed by the neat, even hand stitches that the quilter used in her foundation piecing method for this quilt. She hand stitched the logs to the foundation and then machine pieced the blocks together, BUT, then hand whip stitched the seams closed on the back with a tiny french seam. It's hard to describe and also hard to photograph the muslin backing but I gave it a try above.

Sully Historic Site Quilt Show and Sale is September 12!

2010-08-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy Sully Historic Site)

September in the Washington, DC area brings some of the best weather of the year and one way to really enjoy it is to see brightly colored quilts waving in the breeze at the Sully Historic Site's Annual Quilt Show and Sale. This year's show is scheduled for Sunday, September 12 from 10am to 4:30pm and I highly recommend you go if you are in the area. This is the largest outdoor quilt show in the East and merchants from all over will be there with antique and new American quilts, antique linens, baskets and more.

(photo courtesy Sully Historic Site)

Above is a snapshot of some of the antique quilts available for purchase. How I wish I had that house quilt!! Also at the show, you can see early examples of quilts in the historic house's period rooms. These quilts belong to private collectors and reflect the theme: Great American Quilt Designers, 1830-1930. A big bonus (in my humble opinion) is the chance to have an appraiser evaluate your heirloom quilts for $10 per quilt (limit two). There are also living history interpreters who will be demonstrating spinning, weaving and hand sewing as it was done in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The photo above is a detail of an antique quilt I bought at Sully around 2004 or 2005. I loved the lush quilting on it and always appreciate precision pieced diamonds! If it uploaded the way I want, you can click on it for a closer view of the quilting.

(photo courtesy Bellwether Dry Goods)

When I go to the Sully Show, the first booth I head to is Bellwether Dry Goods! That booth is a quilt show in itself and I spend a lot of time there just taking in the beautiful quilts, admiring the workmanship of their quilters and just generally getting inspired and motivated to improve my quilting. As you can see, their style is traditional, which I love.

(photo courtesy Bellwether Dry Goods)

If you are not familiar with Bellwether, they sell completed quilts (some are made from vintage fabrics) and also offer a hand quilting service. The quilt below is one of mine that was quilted by them. I apologize for the wrinkles. It looks like I need to refold this one and get it out from the bottom of the pile for awhile.

I hope you get a chance to visit Sully this year! I'll be there checking out all the antique quilts and getting inspired to make reproductions of my own.

Touch the Stars

2010-08-20T16:59:00.001-07:00

And a giveaway (read to the bottom to see what that is)! Despite the fact that I haven't sat in front of my sewing machine yet this summer, I found a project that lets me enjoy the creative outlet and relaxation that stitching allows me. I am hand piecing 3.25" Lemoyne Stars. My goal is 1 per day and I have barely missed a day since I started in late July. Of course, my project requires 299 star blocks so check back with me next summer and see if I am ready to put the top together.

I like the precision I am able to achieve with the hand piecing and it is interesting to fussy cut the pieces and see how they turn out.

I still need to work on getting those even hand stitches. I have the same problem when hand quilting.

The organizing system that mades it easy to take the hand sewing along everywhere I go is something I learned from Jo Morton when I took her workshop (on piecing Lemoyne Stars) back in February. The plastic box is the "Sandwich Keeper" by Tupperware. It is just great because it is all one piece so you can keep everything right in your lap while stitching (no lid to misplace). The boxes come in sets of two so you can have multiple kits or share with a friend (yes, the giveaway is coming). The other part of the kit is the Wool Needle Keeper from Cindy Blackberg. Fill it up with your thread, pins and needle, tuck it into the box with your fabric pieces and scissors and it all fits right into your purse or computer bag.

Finally, the giveaway. I ordered an extra Wool Needle Keeper and box so that I can share this excellent portable hand piecing kit with one of you. Just leave a comment on this post between this evening and Tuesday, August 24. I'll use the random number generator to draw the winner's name on the 25th. See below for photos of what might be YOUR hand piecing kit.

She's back

2010-08-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post today to share a few photos from DD's trip to Ethiopia. The photos above and below are the reason she made the trip...she loves children and hopes to be a pediatrician one day. Much of the trip was devoted to helping with the children in a couple of orphanages as well as bringing 4,000 books to stock two libraries and helping with construction of a library in a village about an hour outside Addis Ababa.

Blue and White quilts

2010-08-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

I love blue and white quilts--especially those that are hand quilted. A few posts ago I showed my start on an smallish Ohio Star I am making out of indigo and white. I made a little progress (at last!) but my camera is currently on a trip to Africa (see last post). Instead, I am browsing my quilt photos and thought I'd try a Picasa collage to spice things up and highlight my blue and white color theme. And I'll share some of my blue, white, plus a splash of color quilts. The Hole in the Barn Door (some may say Churn Dash) quilt below is what is affectionately called "a country quilt" which means it isn't too well stitched or quilted. I always find it charming when things aren't matchy-matchy like the piecing in the detail in the second picture below.

The blue basket quilt below is an example of finer workmanship and yes that is hand quilting you see in the detail although the basket handles are machine stitched onto the background.

This is another old-ish blue and white quilt in my collection. A simple pattern (is it Shoo-fly?) but excellent hand quilting.

Finally, who can resist blue, white and RED. This is actually a quilt I made. It's from a Black Mountain Quilts pattern. At least, I am pretty sure that is what the pattern was. I am a very naughty quilt documenter and rarely put labels on my quilts. I learned and perfected the back-basting applique method when I did the 100+ stars on this one. It was machine quilted by a local lady named Linda Newsom. I think she did a fabulous job on the quilting. I just love machine stippling.

Hi! from Africa

2010-08-11T08:35:00.001-07:00

No, not me, but my DD is participating in an awesome experience in Ethiopia this month. She is part of a literacy mission organized by the Davis Moon Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to building and supplying free children's libraries in Ethiopia and to bringing a small measure of hope to its children. You can read more about the DMP and its goals at their website. One of the 2010 mission group's members, Heather, started a blog about the mission so I am sure we'll be seeing some pictures soon. I just heard from my DD today and I wanted to share her message:

Hi mom! I miss you loads!! I hope your week is going well and you and dad aren't missing me tooooo much. Its been a great trip so far, but it's so heartbreaking to see the kids like this. The first day we went to the orphanage and that was pretty much how I expected it to be. The kids were very small for their age and so understimulated but they were really sweet and obviously really enjoyed being played with. Yesterday and today we went about an hour out of the city to Dahley where the kids live in huts and have very little if anything to eat. Some of the kids didn't even have clothes and some of the ones that did their clothes were so ripped it didn't make much difference. A lot of them didn't have shoes and had to walk in mud and stand on rocks. It poured so badly yesterday we almost couldn't get back across the river we walked across to get to where they're building the library. We helped make a stone pathway yesterday and today and planted trees...today the kids helped us and it was so sweet. I have some pictures but everyone has been taking so many plus the camera crew I've kind of stopped bothering with it just so I can focus on spending time with the kids. I have lots of stories though and there will be lots of pictures for you to see. Thanks so much for making sure I got this opporunity. Love you lots and I'll talk to you soon.

What she said

2010-07-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I was holding off posting hoping to finally have a finished (by me) quilt to show but this has been a no-quilting summer. Sigh. So, I thought I’d cover my inadequacies by pulling out my celebrity look alike quilts. When I saw Kathie's latest published quilt it made me think of this red, green and tan quilt of mine. I am not sure of its date, but it's an oldie. Only half of the quilt is shown because I only had one quilt holder to press into service for the photo session. The block also brings to mind Strawberry Fields by the queen of the quilt-a-long, Lori.

The crib quilt above reminds me of an applique quilt posted by Lori today. The applique borders have a similar "zig zaggy" look. The stitching on the applique is nearly invisible and the quilting (see below) is perfection. Too bad most of the fabrics in the flowers have faded to white and are so thin you can see the fabric beneath.

On Ann Hermes' blog today she posted a picture of an adorable brown doll quilt so I thought I would pull out my brown doll quilt. I don't have an old doll bed on which to display it but I thought I'd photograph it on my cutting board so you could see its diminuitive size--approximately 8"x11". I think this one could really use a bath but I haven't yet plucked up the courage to douse it.

Quilting Diary

2010-06-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago, Barbara Brackman wrote on her blog about sewing diaries from the 18th and 19th centuries. How pleasant to find women from 100-150 years ago who love fabric much like I do. For almost fifteen years I have been talking to myself in the pages of my own quilt diaries. It is fun to “think out loud” when planning a new quilt or inventorying my UFO’s or muddying through life’s issues. Looking back at my older entries, there are times when I listed every project in progress with the hope that its length would convince me to stop adding to it and “focus” my energy, times when I gloried in a particularly productive period and finished quilt after quilt and times when I didn’t mention quilting at all. Life can be shocking sometimes. Those times I just wrote whatever came out. It is enlightening to look at myself years after some of those shocking moments and see that life does, indeed, go on.

Most of the time, I write about quilting. I paste fabrics I am using and fabrics I just like. I plan blocks and tops. I audition colors. I write about quilts I admire and lament I’ll never be as good as those quilters. And then I paste in more fabrics and realize I quilt because I love it and I quilt to satisfy myself. My quilt diaries pale in comparison to the sewing diaries depicted on Barbara Brackman's blog but, hey, mine aren't 150 years old. It's fun to see how my fabric and quilt tastes have changed over the years. Although, after looking at the old sewing diaries, I think I could take all of their fabrics and make a stunning quilt from them today.

Do any of you keep quilt diaries? I would love to have a peek inside of yours if you want to share.

I have been getting a little stitching done so I thought I'd include a couple of "process" photos. I saw a fragment of an old Ohio Star and decided to reproduce it in cradle size. Here's a shot of the blocks done so far. I prefer the blue print on the right so I am waiting for more to come via mail order. It is available for just $4.50/yard at Whittles Fabrics!

And the fabrics below are bits of another mini of the month. That's the program I am doing with Temecula Quilt Co. Those little pinwheels are pretty small and there are 14 of them in the top. That's the part that slowed me down. I am happy to report that I did finish the top late last week.

I 'heart' house quilts

2010-05-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been seized with the urge to run away? That is what I want to do right now. I want to pack my favorite things (I am sure you can guess what those are) and tie them to a stick and march off with my rotary cutter sticking out of my back pocket. Spring is a busy, busy time both professionally and personally. I haven't touched my own quilting for weeks. I haven't even indulged myself with a long lunch hour reading blogs. Well, enough, I say! I packed up my laptop and am outside in the shade, blog reading my brains out. Since I don't have any of my own work to share, I thought I'd post some pictures of some of my antique quilts. House blocks and quilts are my favorites. The red and white one above is my most unique quilt.

The blue and white one below was larger at one time, but was so damaged on the outside houses the dealer had them cut off and rebound the resulting smaller quilt with the original binding. It still has some nasty gouges, but they are on the back and don't affect the display qualities. The new compact size makes it much more versatile for hanging.

This is a top that is still in excellent shape. It appeals to me because the houses all face the same direction and don't make you feel like you want to stand on your head when looking at it.

Finally, this is another antique house quilt. I love the hand quilting on this one which you can see in the block detail picture at the bottom of this post. Interestingly, both side rows of house blocks are machine quilted. Did our quilter of old get a machine late in the quilting process or did she say, "@#$% this quilt! I'm finishing it today!"

Chicago 4 - Chips and Whetstones with Oak Leaves - And a Really Cute Border

2010-04-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I added that last part about the border. This quilt is my particular favorite. I just like the colors, pattern and the novel border (and the poison green fabric).

Here are detail photos of the applique on the borders of this quilt. This is my favorite part...looks to me like little girls jumping rope.

Below is a bigger piece of the border in detail. I bought a small square of that red fabric from Mary Koval when I was there in early March. I'd love to find more of it at a price less than $200 a yard.

Each corner was just a little different. It seems like it was compensating for running out of room, but I am not sure.

19th C. Folk Art - Chicago 3

2010-04-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

Narrative wise, there isn't much I can add to this one. The descriptive sign read: "19th Century Folk Art by Maker Unknown. Hand pieced and appliqued using a huge variety of natural dyed fabrics." There's a tragedy. The maker has disappeared to obscurity and the gorgeous fabrics are simply called 'natural dyed.' This one was at the back of the exhibit as if to say, "you thought we were winding down?" I have been a lover of the American style of patchwork for many, many years. I would say this beauty is English all the way. I will do my best to keep my editorial comments to a minimum and allow you to scroll through the detail pics.

Oh yes, squeezed that American patchwork touch into the corners. And then draw in the hexie lovers! (see below)

Here's a detail of one of the baskets. They had embroidery over the fabric. Some have deteriorated. Looking at that flower, can you resist saying, "loves me, loves me not..."?

Another basket detail. This one embroidered and fussy cut. Don't miss the hexies and stars.

And...another close up of the variety in this quilt.

Star of the East - Chicago Antiques part 2

2010-04-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is the second of the two magnificent quilts that greeted us as we entered the Chicago quilt show. It is titled "Star of the East" (c. 1870) for the spectacular fabrics from which it is made that are likely from the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The information sheet says that the fabrics are likely from the period 1830-1875.

I was so taken with this collection of antiques I just started snapping pictures immediately and then realized I wasn't taking time to just view the quilts. So, I went through once taking picture after picture and then put my camera away and went through again just to look and look and look. I love old quilts. I am sharing my photos in small bits. If you want a look at both these beauties visit "What a Load a Scrap" blog and if you want a more comprehensive view of the show visit "A Sentimental Quilter" blog. By the way, who let that woman with the coffee near the quilts?

Here's a closer view of the center of the star medallion. It appears this quilter did not quite have enough of every fabric to complete each color round. Notice the cream and yellow in round 6? There are just a few diamonds of yellow and they are in two separate areas. Was this planned out? If so, why not space the yellows out in a more balanced way? There are other rounds with the same differences in fabrics.

I am guessing there may have also be a stash issue with the gorgeous chintz background fabric. See the panel in the lower right corner above?

It is different than the fabric used in the rest of the quilt.

I am going to end this by being a noodge. Given the perfection of the rest of this quilt, including my suspicion that it was either stored or rarely displayed to keep it so pristine, I have to think that the piece I am going to show you was a true boo-boo. See the second from the right green diamond above? It looks like our mystery quilter missed two sides of that piece in her quilting. I love it. You know how you work meticulously on a quilt and think it's all perfect and then the first time you show it to someone they say, "you missed a spot"? Should I be smug or say a silent apology to our unknown quilter for being that person?

The fabrics in these quilts have me longing for the days of the RJR/Smithsonian collaboration. Do you remember those collections based on the Benonie Pearce Album quilt called the Groom's Quilt, the Littler Sister's Quilt and the Rising Sun Quilt? Click on the links for photos of more magnificent 19th century quilts from the Smithsonian Museum. Finally, here is a link to a photo of the fabrics based on the Rising Sun quilt. I am hoarding some of them still, but would love for RJR to reprint them.

Chicago Int'l Quilt Festival 2010

2010-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

I made my second annual trip to the Chicago International Quilt Festival yesterday. It's a treat I give myself as my super busy time at work wraps up on the 15th (no I'm not an accountant). I kiss my family goodbye and turn off my phone and email and head to the quilt mecca of the midwest. Last year I went for the quilts but this year I was going for the vendors. At least that's what I told the women standing in line with me while we waited for the show to open. Then the doors opened and I walked in to see some of the most stunning antique quilts I've ever seen.

The special exhibit this year was "America Collects Quilts: International Quilt Festival's Antique Quilts." On display was a selection of rare, antique quilts from the Festival's private collection. Many are mid-19th century works and "feature incredible hand craftsmanship." Good thing I brought the extra large memory card in the camera. I will post pictures over the next few days so you can see the whole quilt and the detail photos I took.

This one is is called "Star of Stars" and is dated around 1845. I would be amazed if these fabrics ever saw the light of day. The medallion star design has inset panel prints (which are dated 1815) surrounded by pieced diamonds. The fabrics are an outstanding collection of ombre, French and English chintz, Indiennes prints and others.

Below is a close up of one of those amazing inset 1815 panels. Notice, too, the interesting scalloped border that follows the scallop in the blue print.

Check back tomorrow for more pictures of wonderful quilts.

Make it work

2010-04-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I go through periods when I buy fabric. Sometimes it is a lot of fabric. I blame the designers. They make pretty fabric. And then those fabrics go out of print. So it makes me worry. What if...I come up with an idea for the world's most amazing pattern? Don't I need to have all of the fabrics just to make sure I have that exact one that will make my pattern into the world's most amazing quilt? So, I have to buy those wonderful fabrics until...shopping guilt. Well, maybe it's not so much shopping guilt as wondering where the heck all that fabric came from that's overflowing every surface in my sewing "studio" and I just bought two new plastic tubs and they're full and...geez, where am I going to put all this stuff? (An aside...are you noticing how close the words "guilt" and "quilt" are? Those two words do not belong together.)

Anyway...when it all gets a little too frantic, I look to the past for a reality check. Above is an old top I bought that just makes me smile. This is one quilter who did not take it all too seriously and just "made it work." Of course, she never finished the top into a quilt, but that's a guilt trip for another post.

I have to say, these are not the prettiest fabrics I've ever seen. But, I love the way the quilter used scraps and created "make do" blocks.

Do you love poison green (I do)? Well, throw it in there with that rust paisley. Was this supposed to be a brown quilt? It is! Except maybe for that poison green corner. Oops! Make the brown alternate squares all the same to tone it down. Or not. Just keep those setting square fabrics out of the 9-patches. Or not.

Love that pink and brown so throw some of that in.

Of course, the alternate squares are all chocolate brown. Like these...chocolate brown and white. Just lightening things up, right?

Did I say the alternate squares were brown? Well, maybe no one will notice a little electric blue if I put those plaid pieces on the bias. Flashy! Whoops, the stripes didn't exactly line up either. Was this deliberate? Do you think she cared?

I would love to know what went on in this quilter's mind when hand piecing this top. Where did all the pieces come from? Was the cheddar the "hot" color that it is now? Did she laugh at the riot of patterns and fabrics in this quilt? I am glad I have it to enjoy now.

The funnest weekend

2010-03-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

When my younger son was little, he would sometimes say at the end of a very good day, "Mom, this was the funnest day." Well, back at the end of February, Jo Morton came to town to teach workshops and speak at my guild - The Annapolis Quilt Guild. I had the pleasure of meeting Jo at dinner on Saturday night and taking two day-long workshops on Sunday and Monday and then listening to her talk at the guild meeting on Monday night. At the end of it all, the thought that popped in my head was "This was the funnest weekend."

I have long admired Jo's books, patterns and the fabric she designs for Andover. How wonderful to meet her in person and to discover what a lovely (and fun!) person she is. Above is my almost finished class project from the hand piecing workshop. Both classes (I also took hand applique) were full of great tips in addition to instruction. Some of my favorites were "no knot" piecing, her little travel storage box and her method for making plastic templates. Thanks Jo!

Jo also shared how she cleverly accumulates her hand pieced stars in a primitive wooden bowl. I thought the idea was charming -- you could actually turn a WIP into room decor. So, I bought a wooden trencher off Ebay. Clearly, I did not pay attention to dimensions because when I put my little star in the bowl, I realized (gulp) I was going to need a whole lotta stars. See below.

Well, that was easily remedied. I just went back and got a smaller bowl. Now, that's more like it.

Little antique doll quilt!

2010-03-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today's post is just a quickie to share my new little treasure. I couldn't resist buying this little 20"x21" cutie. It appears to be hand pieced and is machine quilted with no batting. I don't think it was cut down because the binding is the same fabric as used in the top. I think it could use a bath so if anyone has expert advice on bathing old fibers please leave me a comment. Below is a photo of the great shirting stripe on the back. Such soft and lovely old colors. I have a special weakness for LeMoyne stars because of a recent event I attended. I'll be ready to post on that one this weekend. I hope spring is springing where you are!

Excellent suggestion, Mr. Amazon

2010-03-15T13:35:00.001-07:00

If you shop for books on sites like Amazon or Barnes and Noble, you know they provide helpful book suggestions based on the titles you view (yeah, it's a bit stalker-ish) and also some "package" deals. After my visit to Mary Koval's house, I had an insatiable urge for some new books about antique quilts. While searching Amazon, I was provided with the choice of buying all three of the books above (Philena's Friendship Quilt by Lynda Salter Chenoweth, Classic Quilts from The American Museum in Britain by Laura Beresford and Katherine Hebert, and American Quilts: The Democratic Art, 1780-2007 by Robert Shaw) when I was viewing the Shaw book. I took a gamble and ordered the lot. Let me tell you, this gamble paid off. Talk about eye candy! When I flipped through the books, all I could think of was the line from Father of The Bride 2, "Bye, bye, George. See you next Thursday." I am not going to get anything done except pour over these books.

My interest in the Chenowith book (2009, Ohio University Press, 90pp.) was piqued by my purchases from Mary. I cannot resist red and green and signature quilts and bought the top above plus the signature blocks below. The top is a small one and I hope it is sound enough to hand quilt and finish. Then I'll have my very own antique red and green quilt (yay!). I have absolutely zero information on the signature blocks except they were the best examples from at least 30 blocks. They had all been together as a top at one time because you can see the stitching holes around the edges. I just like the color and the writing and plan on getting them framed. Their story will remain a mystery. The book details the author's research into the Quaker community whose names were inked on a lovely mid-19th century signature quilt from Ohio that she purchased from an antique dealer in California. (How do people find these things? I never get that lucky.)

The Shaw book (2009, Sterling Publishing, 376 pp.) is a coffee table book, but definitely not just a pretty face. It is packed with information and pictures of quilts from museums and private collections. The history of quilts ranged from Chapter 1: Old World Traditions and American Beginnings, 1780-1825 to Chapter 5: A Nation Divided, 1840-70, right up to Chapter 14: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, 2000-2007 (and everything in between). Do you see that blue and white Burgoyne Surrounded quilt with the eagle border on the right below? I held that in my own two hands. I thought that striking eagle border looked familiar and then I remembered where I saw it. Mary Koval has that quilt in her home. Sure enough, the caption states the quilt is from her collection. Now I know why she had this book on her coffee table.

The Classic Quilts book (2009, Scala Publishers, 128 pp.) is another stunner in terms of pictures. It relates the story of the American Museum in Britain (who knew!) and its quilt collection. The photography is outstanding and many photos are full page. You can get an idea of the detail and size of the pictures from the photo below. For those of you lucky enough to be taking a trip to the Victoria & Albert show this summer you should plan on an excursion (and don't forget to tell your story to make us all jealous).

There is more!

2010-03-10T08:28:00.001-08:00

This is the first quilt you encounter when you enter Mary's home. Don't you love the bench she has in front of it? Since her home (an old restored church) has an open plan, you can also see this work of art from her second floor office. What an inspiration!

This old broderie perse beauty is starting to crumble but the workmanship is exquisite. The stitches are so close it is hard to tell from any distance that it is broderie perse. Below is a close-up so you can appreciate the stitching.

Here is another great example of applique. Aren't those colors still amazing?

As you know, Mary has designed reproduction fabrics for several different companies. This is a close up of a quilt that is full of ideas for her. I just love old quilts that contain loads of different fabrics.

Here is another source of inspiration. I think there are something like a gazillion pieces--or maybe it was just something over 7,000. I had tabled my 30's triangles quilt because I was really tired of making triangles. Do you think this quilter ever tired of them?

Again, here is a detail of the triangles quilt. I just love the border on this one. She really stuck in there by making her four color border out of MORE triangles instead of copping out and adding solid stripes. Three cheers!

Is this heaven?

2010-03-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

No, it's Schellsburg, PA and the home of Mary Koval (expert on antique quilts, collector, dealer, author and fabric designer for Windham). Last Saturday I joined members of the Baltimore Applique Society (BAS) at Mary's home for an exclusive look at some of the exquisite quilts from her collection and a chance to shop from her vast inventory of vintage fabrics. I took loads of pictures, but no notes so forgive me if I have little information about the quilts pictured here. The red applique quilt pictured above is from Cecil County in Maryland. I think some of the BAS members present will be doing some research into the names inked on this beauty. I can't wait to see what they turn up.

The fabrics in this pieced quilt are the same fabrics in the applique quilt above. Mary has designed some great 19th century reproduction reds from these two quilts.

This is another treasure that Mary has used for fabric inspiration. I just love the soft colors of these browns, blues and pinks.

Here are two more very old 19th century quilts. The backing on the one above is a homespun but is of very nice quality. Mary gave me the dates on both of the quilts and, unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact dates but am pretty sure they were pre-1850. I am amazed at the quality of the colors in both.

What a treat to see the origins of some excellent reproduction fabrics. Mary also gave us a preview of a new line of Baltimore Album reproductions coming out this August. For those of you who love mid-19th century applique it will be great. Seeing the document quilt and the fabrics she was spot-on with colors and pattern. Even more exciting quilt news...Mary is opening a shop in Bedford, PA, where she will be stocking both new and old fabrics! Look for that later this spring.

The winner is...

2010-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Janet from Mrs. Sew n' Sew blog wins my extra kit for the Cheddar and Crackers doll quilt. Congrats, Janet! Email me with your address and I'll post the kit to you in Canada this week.

I was on a stitching and quilting roll last weekend but I hit the wall with this little project. When I finished my "9-Patch Fun" top in repros, I knew I wanted to make a version from a charm pack of Bonnie Blue shirtings and indigoes I had. I put nine of the 12 blocks together and took a look at how things were progressing and it was...boring...and blue. I love blue, but I just wasn't feeling this one. I guess all the snow we've received has me wanting more white--go figure. So, I spaced out the blocks with some sashing and thought I'd put a hint of another color in with the gold cornerstones. Then, I could not find the ninth block. Since I've been on a use what I have tear this week, I figured I would just substitute a gold block for the missing blue one. I am not sure I love this one, but I hope some heavy quilting will make up for what is lacking in color and design. The fabric feels lovely.

I could not resist one more gratuitous snow photo. As you can see, it almost made it to the top of our fence. I felt sorry for the little birdies and went and bought a feeder in between blizzards. It is looking lonely in the photo but the birds discovered it after a day or two and ate the whole tube of seeds in one day.

Since I was feeling a little blah about the results of my blue and white project, I thought I'd pull out that project from Jo Morton's Cinnamon and Spice line I mentioned a few months back. These colors have warmed me up and, once I pulled all the triangle papers off, the project is going together nicely. I just love an easy scrap quilt and you cannot beat triangles for that. Tomorrow I finally go back to work so I know there won't be much stitching time for the next few weeks. At least I can sit and quickly sew a row of triangles together in the evenings.

Snow days = Sew days

2010-02-08T14:42:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Mother Nature I've enjoyed three days (and counting) of quality time with my quilting. I finally finished "Leftovers," a Jo Morton design. This is made from, what else, the leftovers of the "Somerset" pattern that was a Jo's Little Women club project a few cycles ago. I made the big top (see picture back in a May 2009 post) just to have the little pieces to do this small (11"x13") quilt. Yes, it's an obsession. What is exciting to me is I finally tried single fold binding and it works great on the small quilts. I found a great tutorial at The Little Red Hen blog. I am an old dog so it's nice to learn a new trick.

I also finished this little quilt. As I mentioned back in December, I signed up for the mini quilt of the month program at Temecula Quilt Company. I finished the first kit and decided to make a Christmas version so I'll have some fun minis to decorate with next December. This one is machine quilted the same way as the version from the kit. It lays nice and flat so I haven't washed it to crinkle it up yet.

I can't resist including a few photos of the weather that has provided me the time to stop and sew. This is DS#2 who graciously went out in the blizzard to start breaking a path out of the house.

And this is a photo that shows how futile his efforts were. Beneath the white stuff are bushes, a grill and a car. It stopped snowing late Saturday afternoon and our road STILL hasn't been plowed.

This is mini of the month number 2--top done. The patterns all come from "Fat Quarter Quilting: Reproduction Fabrics Two" by Lori Smith. I am a little stymied on how I should quilt this one. It will definitely be by machine because I left a lot of seams under those wrench blocks. I was supposed to use the wrench fabrics as the cornerstones in the sashing but the kit for this one fell a little short. I substituted the brown and actually like it much better than using the colors. I like the fussy cut stripe for the borders, but it also fell short (I pre-wash and the kit was cut to the EXACT measurements) and is kind of wonky. I hope it quilts out. I have the Christmas version of this one planned in my head but I think I'll leave it there for awhile.

This little one is my new favorite for the weekend. It is called "9-Patch Fun" from the pattern "Fit to Frame: Set Eleven" which is another Lori Smith pattern. I also have another color combo for this one in my head and if I'm stuck here tomorrow I am making it.

Let me close by urging all quilters to never, ever, lament the size of our stashes. All my projects this l-o-n-g weekend have come out of my stash. It was fun to have an idea and head to the stash, root around, and come out with fabrics that worked and pleased me. When you're in the quilt shops, buy what you love, what you like and some of what makes you say, "ehhh." When the 'snowpocalypse' hits, you'll be glad you did.

Cheddar Cheese & Crackers top done and a giveaway

2010-02-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

My Cheddar Cheese and Crackers doll quilt top is done! This was fun and easy (especially since I went with the same colors as Lori used) and entirely from my stash. It took me longer to figure out how to get a picture of it that wasn't blurry than it did to make it. I don't know what's wrong with my camera but every shot I take looks like there is a grey film in front of everything. I cleaned this up a bit using "enhance" in my Kodak software. Don't I wish that was an option on my bathroom mirror in the morning.

Now to my giveaway. I knew I wanted all the prints in this quilt to be different so I used 5 different pinks, 7 different blues and 24 different browns. Whenever I cut so many different fabrics I always cut enough for two quilts. So, I am giving away my extra set of strips, plus enough cheddar and shirting for the rest of the quilt top. Just leave me a comment by next Saturday (13 February) and I'll pick the winner (randomly) on Valentine's Day. I am happy to ship worldwide.

If you want to throw in a comment about how to get beautiful, clear, digital pictures and what kind of camera you use I would appreciate it. Mine is a Kodak EasyShare M380 (second one since the first broke in my tote bag). Is it worth spending the big bucks for a very nice digital camera? How often should I replace the memory cards if I keep taking pictures and then deleting them?

Thank you Lori for such a fun project to kick off the new year. Time to get back to sewing. We have nearly three feet of snow on the ground and I am having a blast finishing little quilts and starting new ones...all from my stash (and hopefully will get my little Cheddar Cheese and Crackers basted)!

Civil War workout

2010-01-15T13:25:00.001-08:00

This is a pattern called Civil War Star by Bits 'n Pieces. It is a project that I started years ago and I can only call it "a mission." A guild I belonged to adapted it as a raffle quilt and when I saw it I was smitten. The prints are from the first Judie Rothermel Civil War line and the background is Benartex, I think. None of the fabrics were current when I set about to reproduce the quilt and the internet was not as sophisticated as it is now so it is a testament to my investigative abilities that I tracked down pieces of ALL the Civil War line AND the exact shade of Benartex background fabric. I was like a possessed bloodhound. You would think that level of intensity could translate into a finished quilt.

But, this is as far as I've progressed. The pattern is complicated because the rows of stars are kind of interconnected and my version is larger than the one pictured. You really have to be on top of your game to keep from screwing it all up. A big design wall would help, but mine is more like a design section of wall. Not enough to lay the whole row out. So, I have to use my bed, which is two floors above the sewing area. It's a workout running from sewing machine to design bed and back. Plus, I have to make notes to ensure I don't mix up the rows after I lay them out and pick them back up.

I think I started this sometime around 1999. We all need goals so this year will be the year I finish this baby. I think I better go get warmed up.

Path of Peace - praying for Haiti

2010-01-14T10:03:00.000-08:00

"Le Chemin de Paix" - from Haiti Peace Quilts

The pictures and stories coming out of Haiti are heartrending. Like many, I immediately wanted to know what I could do. But, after speaking with a Haitian friend, he urged me to remember that the Haitian people are going to need an enormous amount of help for a long, long time. Right now, countries and organizations the world over are pouring aid and experts (thank God!) into the country. My friend urges you to work through trusted organizations (list here) if you wish to contribute. The picture above is from an online gallery of an organization called Peace Quilts that collects and disseminates fabric and supplies to Haitian women so they can build themselves a life through creating and selling their art. Quilting will be the last thing on their minds for the foreseeable future. However, the time will come when the crisis subsides, but need still remains. Please remember the Haitian people in the months and years to come.

Not much getting done here

2010-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

January means no more fun with family and back to work. Not much sewing going on right now, but I did make sure to start my new projects for the new year. Here is block 1 of my calendar quilt and I am almost done the first part of Lori's doll quilt project.

How did I let such an opportunity to stay home and sew slip right through my fingers?

And they're off...

2010-01-01T10:09:00.000-08:00

Do you make New Year resolutions? I like to tell myself I do not. After all, I smugly tell myself, I am not one of those people newly jamming the gym in January. I started back to exercising two weeks ago. Hmph. Do you promise yourself you will use more fabric from your stash instead of buying new so often? I think that's why the fabric companies put out a whole bunch of new lines in September, October and November and hold back in December and January while our resolve has a chance to weaken. Did you swear to clean and organize your sewing space and promise to NEVER let that mess happen again? I do that about once every three months and the most recent was early last week so I am not counting that as a New Year resolution. (Yesterday's picture of the little quilt in progress was the fruit of the reorganized sewing area, but the border dilemma has created a new mess.) Are you committing to finishing those UFO's this year instead of starting so many new projects? Nope, not me. The one thing I do commit to on January 1 every year is to start a new project. I am told this is a new decade so I think I'll celebrate by starting two.

Above is a project I've been thinking about since January 1, 2009. It is the April quilt from Lang's Great American Quilts calendar. I saw these rolls at a quilt show I happened across while in San Francisco last October. I swapped out my calendar this morning and started drafting my blocks so this is new project number 1 for the new year.

Lori at Humble Quilts is sharing her pattern for a doll quilt she calls Cheddar Cheese and Crackers. She is a Weight Watcher Leader so I am thinking that name is a hint to feed our souls more and our stomachs less. Hey, it is New Year's Day so where else would my mind be after two weeks of no restraint in the food department. I am going to stick with Lori's colors and pulled all of the above candidates from my stash (the fabric store is closed today so I can't buy new...except online, hmmm). Visit her blog if you want to join in the fun of this little quilt. My cheddar options are darker and orange-er than Lori's solid. I know I have a solid that would work but, as I mentioned, I organized and cannot find where I stuck it. Drat. New project number 2 is ready for cutting.

Happy New Year to everyone! I don't like to resolve, but I do like to recommit. Therefore, I am redoubling my efforts to make time to include something creative in my life regularly. I hope you are able to do so, as well.

Blog you very much

2009-12-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

About one year ago I discovered the many joys of the quilt blog universe. I just want to thank all of you fellow bloggers for your inspiration and ideas you share on your blogs and for your comments on mine. I didn't even know blogs existed when I was googling images for a scrap quilt I was making for my sister and typed in "sister's choice quilt." Up popped Nicole's "Sisters Choice" blog. Whoa! I spent hours linking to blog after blog after blog. I couldn't wait to join this online quilt community and began my own blog. For awhile, I was happily talking to myself and then Kathie kindly mentioned me on her wonderful "Inspired by Antique Quilts" and I made new friends! Again, thank you Kathie and thanks all of you who've taken the time to leave a comment. The work in progress above is another inspiration I got from Kathie and I would welcome your comments to help me decide on the border. I've mentioned before how much I like pink and brown so I thought I would try this combo. I think it might just be too much of a good thing.

These squares all came from the tiny leftover scraps saved from the pieces for these star blocks. I had over 100 light and dark 1-1/4" squares so it took no time to put the center together.

I think I like the blue print fabric for the border on this quilt a little better than the brown and pink print. Should I go with a solid border?

Or...should I add these four patches in the corners?

I also put together a small Christmas top using the same Lori Smith pattern that Temecula Quilt Company is using for their little quilt a month program.

I finished the other top and am ready to enjoy some tea and scones. This is an easy and tasty recipe.

Raisin Scones

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut up

1 cup raisins

2 tablespoons sugar

Yolk of 1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

White of 1 large egg

Additional sugar for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put flour, baking, powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt into large bowl; stir to mix well. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture looks like fine granules. Add raisins and sugar; toss to distribute evenly.

Add egg yolk to buttermilk in a measuring cup and whish with a fork to blend. Pour over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and give 10-12 kneads. Cut dough in half. Knead each half briefly into a ball; turn smooth side up and pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut into 6 wedges, but do not separate wedges.

In a small bowl, beat the egg white with a fork until just broken up. Brush the top of each scone with egg white and sprinkle lightly with sugar. With a spatula, carefully transfer the two cut circles to an ungreased cookie sheet. If necessary, reshape circles so that the 6 wedges are each touching. (This will keep the raisins from burning.)

Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until medium brown. Cool on a wire rack; after 5 minutes pull the wedges apart and cover loosely with a dish towel.

Enjoy!

Repro fabric glamor shot

2009-12-11T13:42:00.001-08:00

I've been waiting for the fabrics in Judie Rothermel's Civil War Tribute line for a l-o-n-g time. A lot of these beauties were first printed as part of her Civil War I group and I started a quilt with them many years ago. They were the subject of one of those frantic fabric hunting expeditions because the group was not a current line and I had decided that no other fabrics would do for that quilt. Are those fabric companies diabolical? They limit the printing and turn fabrics into "collectors items." I admit it; I fall for it every time. Anyway, I now have to dig out that partially completed top and introduce it to its new siblings. Reproducing these is like fabric clones. At last, I have them.

I just had to share the fat quarter stack in all its beauty. I got these from Z&S Fabrics (which has a 10% off everything site-wide sale this weekend) and they were as reasonably priced as 50 quality fat quarters can be. Plus, they have a really clever way of folding them together and they are tied with a very usable strip of fabric from the same collection. I think I'll use them as sewing room decor for awhile. If you are ever looking for bundles of fat quarters, I urge you to shop around. I looked at a lot of sites for this group and the price varied between $100 and $142 for the same number!

P.S. I do not have any connection with this business other than being a very satisfied customer.

A little of this and even littler of that

2009-12-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

I love to make little quilts. Note, when I refer to little quilts I do not mean miniature quilts. I admire the skill and precision involved in making miniature quilts, but I prefer something that looks more like a piece of the full-size quilt as opposed to the exact replica of the big one wrought miniscule. I can finish small quilts pretty quickly and mistakes become "design choices" not disasters. Little Quilts, Lori Smith and Jo Morton are sources for small quilt patterns.

Here are my "top ten" reasons for making little quilts: (1) You can at least finish the top before quilters' A-D-D kicks in, (2) You can work outside your color comfort zone without wasting a lot of time, fabric or money if your choices don't work out, (3) You can artfully arrange them around your house and it looks like you have a lot of quilts, (4) You can make enough to decorate with quilts seasonally, (5) They are a good repository of orphan blocks, (6) You can even make one out of a single block--if it's quilted, it's a quilt, (7) You can indulge your urge to buy that gorgeous fabric with only a fat quarter and still make it work, (8) You can make a whole quilt back out of a fat quarter, (9) It's a great way to use up those fabric scraps you just cannot throw out, and, finally, (10) They are so gosh darn cute!

I treated myself to Temecula Quilt Company's (check out their blog for lots of great small quilt pictures) little quilt of the month program using one of the Lori Smith patterns and the photo above is the fruit of my labors from this past weekend. What a great treat to get a squishy envelope in the mail that included a glossy photo of their completed version of the little quilt and four quarter yards of fabric. I opened the envelope and headed straight to the washer to pre-wash the fabric and then got busy sewing. See how quickly you can finish a little quilt top! The "worse than forcast" winter storm even knocked out our power for five hours on Saturday and I still finished the top. Kathie at Inspired by Antique Quilts blog is doing her own little quilt of the month and her recent post inspired me to do something with the tiny scraps I've been saving from a scrappy star quilt I am working on. The quilt top below was made one day during the Thanksgiving holiday and I basted it for hand quilting last weekend.

Let me sleep on it

2009-11-16T11:42:00.001-08:00

I was a total grump this weekend. Let me blame it on six straight days of rain, too long away from my sewing room and guilt. As you can see from my last post, I went on a bit of a fabric bender the last few weeks and months and had no sewing to show for it. My "studio" (aka the laundry room) was a disorganized mess, there were mounds of new fabric that defied categorization and dust had accumulated everywhere. Besides that, my car was in the shop, the bill was adding up and the loaner they gave me was the equivalent of a tin can with wheels. And its radio didn't work.

I growled at the family that if I didn't get some quality sewing time nobody was going to be happy. They concurred and left me alone. But...cleaning is boring and I was uninspired which only added to the guilt because I did have all that new fabric. I finally cleared most of the clutter (still have to buy more new bins--I need feedback about storage solutions) and was able to cut strips of my new Jo Morton fabrics from the Cinnamon and Spice line and a recent Jo Morton shirtings line whose name escapes me. More guilt because I thought I was being creatively lazy by leaving my color choices up to the fabric companies and looking at the assembled fabrics wasn't really exciting me. So, I gave up and took my bad attitude and two Tylenol pm capsules to bed.

The next morning the sun was shining, I was well rested and I looked at my assembled fabric strips and I think I heard angels humming. Time to get busy and cut some triangles.

Fabric-ation

2009-11-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

Most of my days consist of dozens of emails, telephone messages, meetings, questions without easy answers and talking, talking, talking. This doesn't leave much time for myself and I know many of you are in the same situation. While we are more connected to the rest of the world than ever before, our minds and spirits cannot possibly keep up. In order to cope, I find myself creating my individual world that nurtures my own priorities and limits. Late last month I treated myself to a solo excursion through some fabulous southern California scenery and outstanding quilt shops. Currently, I have no time to quilt, but I was able to set aside time to be inspired (and to shop). I am calling it my Fabrication.

My first stop was at Temecula Quilt Company in Temecula, California. This shop was featured in the most recent issue of Quilt Sampler Magazine (their's was the cover quilt). Located in the wine country of southern California, this shop features two of my favorite quilty things: repro fabrics and small quilts. During my visit, there was a group of ladies working together on their individual versions of a very scrappy quilt. I'd love a bright, fun, inspiring shop like this close to where I live. They have some great rolls of fat eighth cuts of fabrics (and smaller!) that enable you to add a lot of variety to your stash without breaking the bank. You can see below that I still did some damage in the breaking the bank area.

The next day I drove to the San Diego area and was blown away by the Country Loft. This shop was a combination of quilting fabric (with a specialization in fabrics suitable for primitive quilts) and country decor and accessories, including some antiques.

Lucky me, my visit was timed to see the shop decorated for the Christmas holiday.

I took advantage of the reasonable prices on old baskets and a great wooden box. They were less expensive than the same items (IF you can find them) on the east coast, although shipping stuff home from the UPS store was outrageous. Here are some beauty shots of most of the quilty goods I bought on my trip in my great new baskets and box.

Last stop, but definitely not least, was Fat Quarters Quilt Shop in Vista, CA. This shop has A LOT of bolts of fabric. They have an entire room dedicated to Jo Morton and another dedicated to Judie Rothermel fabrics. I appreciate all the online fabric sources, but how I wish I had easy access to a place that bought entire lines of all the Jo and Judie fabrics so I could get up close and personal with them. This shop has an exceptional website with loads of pictures so you can get a good taste of the shop experience.

All of these shops had wonderful, helpful staff members which really make these a "fabrication destination." I cannot wait until I get a chance to go back to California!

I am in control of this fabric!

2009-11-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

Years ago, I took an excellent Baltimore applique class from Mimi Dietrich. The most memorable lesson for me was when she was demonstrating how to handle that excess fabric that bunches up at the points of leaves. She showed us how to stitch up to the point, take a single stitch at the point and then to poke that needle into the excess fabric and s-w-e-e-p it around and under the leaf and say to yourself, "I am in control of this fabric." The control freak part of me loved that lesson.

What the control freak part of me does not like are hospitals and surgery. Nearly two years ago, my hubby suffered a serious heart attack and both of us had to learn that sometimes we have to yield control to medical professionals. It was recommended to him that he have an ICD implanted as an "insurance policy" against sudden cardiac death. Other than the whole serious heart condition thing, this man is a thin, active runner. It took awhile to come around to accepting and agreeing to having machinery stuck in his chest particulary since the need for it wasn't obvious to us, the lay people. Anyway, four weeks ago he finally underwent the procedure and I gathered together the bits of fabric for the first block in the Civil War Bride quilt.

Here's the part that really offended my inner control freak...Hubby was told to eat nothing after midnight and to arrive at the hospital by 11am. We complied and then we waited...and waited...and waited. I felt like we were waiting for the firing squad. Finally, they called him around 2pm, prepped him and then let me come wait with him. So we waited some more. Around 3:30, they moved him to the hallway since he "was almost next." What that means, I am not sure, but I know it does NOT mean you are next. After an hour in the hallway and everyone in the pre-op being taken in for their procedures, the kind (but a bit silly) nurse came to tell us he'd be taken "within the hour." Translation: You are going to be waiting ANOTHER hour. First, I told her how incredibly happy that news made us and then asked for her to kindly move him out of the hallway for his own comfort and to make it easier for the UPS guy to get back and forth. Since the pre-op bays were empty at this point, you'd think she could have figured that one out without me asking, but apparently this was premium real estate so I had to quietly suggest that one of us was going to flip out (hint: it wasn't patient hubby) unless he got some privacy.

Finally, they took him and then I got to go sit alone in the waiting room (the chattering masses we'd met earlier were long gone). Then I was really out of control since I could not hover over him and question everyone who tried to touch him. That's when my Mimi Dietrich lesson kicked in. I was in control of the fabric. Never before had I appliqued with such intensity. My pieces lay flat, my curves were smooth and my points were pointy. I forgot about the time and actually appreciated the fabulous hospital lighting. When his very kind and capable doctor came out to tell me she was finished, I was able to be mature and civil, armed as I was with scissors, needle and tweezers.

I didn't finish block 1 that day and I still have those two funky pieces left to go. But I appreciate the sense of control that applique gave to me.

Are you ready for some football?

2009-09-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have football (American) watching husbands will find my title phrase familiar. I get excited when the weather turns cooler and college and professional football comes back to television because that means quilting time for me! The hubby likes to spend a Sunday afternoon relaxing in front of the telly watching games and napping. He likes for me to join him and I am happy to keep him company. Not because I am a football fan, but because I can stitch for hours without interruption. How sweet is that? Time with my favorite person and my favorite hobby.

The one drawback to stitching with the telly is the lighting in that room isn't too great. That wasn't a problem until recently when my eyesight decided I was...ah-hem...middle aged. So, I am finding this wool project to be a solution to the poor eyes problem. The pieces are big, the style is primitive (i.e., the occasional crooked or big stitch is "design"), and the colors are bold. So, here is what I will be doing today and I can't wait. If I get tired of hearing football talk I'll pop in my ipod and listen to a book (wink).

Home Sweet Home

2009-09-19T14:51:00.001-07:00

Today was a great day. It was a beautiful, cool, sunny day and I just put on my sweats and a t-shirt and played with my toys (a.k.a. fabric and scissors) all day long. I recruited my son to go get me Starbucks for fuel so I didn't have to leave my home. It has been ages since I just enjoyed myself doing what I want, in my house, with no one to answer to. There are many days I find myself just wishing I were at home. To paraphrase Dorothy, there's no place like it. Perhaps that's why I like house blocks so much.

I always wanted to make a big house block quilt. I started them, but can't seem to finish. The closest I've come to finishing is the bright house quilt above. See, I don't always work with repros. I am happy with the way these look put together, but have been pondering what to do for the border for years. I am thinking about a checkerboard effect with a rainbow of the colors I used in the blocks alternating with black.

I did finish a small house quilt. This one is an adaptation of a paper pieced house quilt I saw in Miniature Quilts magazine many years ago.

This was a quick and easy small quilt pattern from a Little Quilts book. It was an early effort and I was not very successful with contrast.

This is the same Little Quilts block pattern. I was just playing with my scraps and am happy with the way this turned out. I am not sure where it will wind up.

Last spring, the local theater group asked my quilt guild to make and donate a quilt for their production of the musical "The Quilters." We actually made two as raffle quilts (one for the theater and one for our guild) plus individual blocks to be used in the production. I made the house blocks for two of them. I really liked the pattern, so I am using it in my long dreamed of big house quilt from reproduction fabrics. I am not very motivated to accomplish anything today so I played with background colors and made up some house block kits.