Monday, May 10

What's on the line?

Last week, I brought you just one quilt on the line but this week, I have many things on the line! Sunday afternoon there was a bit of sun and not too much wind so I filled a basket full of goodies and headed out to my clothesline in the trees. And since today is National Apron Day..........

I thought I should hang some aprons on the line! I picked three from the little collection that I have . That first one in orange may look like a child's apron but it's not. I made the apron in 1969 for me to wear as a young bride/happy homemaker in the kitchen. :-) And I really did wear it. I was 19 and weighed 98 lbs. For obvious reasons, I no longer wear this apron. :-)

The middle apron is one that my mother gave me a few years ago. It's done in Seminole patchwork and she bought it at a garage sale.
I took a close-up of it (double-click for a close-up view) so you can see all the tiny patchwork and all that tiny rick rack! I've never used this apron, but it's owner did as there are a few stains on it that would not come out when I laundered it.

The last apron is just a little cotton paisley apron that my mother gave me, another vintage treasure. I love it because the fabric is the kind of print that my mother would use to make aprons for my Aunt Bell. My mother would buy the fabric and make large bib-front aprons for Aunt Bell (she raised my mother). I would love to see this fabric reprinted today. I just love it!





As I was getting out the aprons, I came across the yellow pillowcase that holds this quilt....... You may look at and think - wow, that has been "well-loved" and you would be right! This is the first quilt/comforter that I made and I did it in 1970 when our daughter Collette was born. We were stationed overseas at the time (near Tokyo, Japan) as my husband was in the Air Force. I had a very, very small fabric stash then. I loved to go to the shops and look for fabric but we didn't have a lot of extra money then, so I used scraps from some of my clothing and the small bits from my stash. I used an old green blanket for the batting and backed it with an old green sheet. I made it for her as a baby but it was always on her bed right up through her high school years. The quilt was so important to her that when she went off to college she wanted to take it with her. The fabrics hadn't worn away on the quilt top then but the backing was in shreds so I gave it a new green sheet and then repaired the seams on all the blocks. Then I added the rows of rick rack to hide all my repairs. When she graduated from college five years later, this is what was left of the quilt. It will never be thrown away, too full of memories. :-) (And yes, I know that technically this is not a quilt because it's "tied" but to her it was a quilt!)

This next quilt that I hung on the line was made by my mother. Her work was much finer than mine........embroidered blocks and all hand-quilted!She made this one just before I made the patchwork one for Collette. She embroidered the blocks using patterns she had used in the early 1950's. When it was finished, she sent it off to us in Japan. It hit me yesterday, that it must have been very hard for her to send the quilt off knowing that she would not see the granddaughter that would be using it for almost three years. I remember well, just how exciting it was when we finally returned home to the states!
Here's the last thing I hung on the line to share today..............it's a Sunbonnet Sue made by mother!
She made this little wall-hanging for me this past winter. It was a long, cold winter and there were many days when she just couldn't get "out and about". So she sewed to "pass the time".
She also made the hearts and the mini wallhanging in the photo on the left. And when winter continued to stay cold and snowy, she made the St. Patrick's Day potholders and then used an Easter panel to cut and make coasters. She had stitched all of them for me and gave them to me when I was home at the end of March.

And since I'm sharing things my mother made, here's another piece that she did several years ago and gave to me as a Christmas gift. She found the hat pattern in a magazine and she used her "stash" to make the hats and then embellished them with bits of lace and trim, ribbons and buttons. I may have shared this one before but decided to share it again. My dad loved this one. He was always really proud of whatever my mother made. :-)
It hangs in my sewing room where I can see it every day because when I look at it, I can remember my dad describing how my mother worked on the quilt and it's just a very pleasant memory. :-)

That's the end of "what's on the line" for today but I have one more picture to share. First, though, I said I was going to sew on Mother's Day but I never got to it. I did get the fabric pressed and cut out for my rick rack project so it's ready to go for today. :-) What I did do on Mother's Day was to finish a good book (more on that later), wrote a letter and then our son, Devlin, and his girlfriend, Stacia, came over for supper. I asked him to take a picture of me wearing an apron since Monday was National Apron Day. And he laughed and said......"oh, so you can show you cooked on Mother's Day" which made me laugh. Yes, I cooked on Mother's Day but I didn't mind because my husband treated me to dinner the other night so it wasn't a chore to cook last night. Since it was unseasonably cool outside, I decided it was a good time for a Sunday night breakfast. :-) That's right....scrambled eggs, French toast, bacon, hashbrowns and biscuits. It tasted realllllllllly good, if I do say so myself. And the apron I'm wearing in this picture.........it was a Christmas gift from my friend, Pandora, and I really use this one. It fits me a lot better than that little orange number at the beginning of this post!
Have a great day!
Sandi

Sunday, May 9

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to Moms, Daughters, Grandmas, Great-Grandmas, Aunts, Cousins, Girlfriends..........all the women who are important in our lives!! Here's a picture of my mom that I've shared in a previous post...........
It was taken last December after she had finished stitching up a whole bunch of little doll quilts. You can read about it in that previous post here. My mother taught me to sew and I am so thankful for that. I love to work with needle and thread. :-) I'll be doing that on this Mother's Day. Just something fun for me and it's going to involve that rick rack I showed you a few days ago. :-) It will be a couple of weeks before I can share any pictures of the project. Stop by on Monday, though, and I'll have some fun things "on the line". Til then, have a lovely day!
Sandi

Friday, May 7

Crocheted Ladies

I thought I'd share something vintage today so I went to my box full of "pretties" and pulled out these little treasures..........three crocheted ladies.

I was thinking of Mother's Day and what I might post that would recall "mom's" and this was it. My mother didn't make these, though. She bought them in a box of needlework items at
one of the many auctions or farm sales that she and my dad enjoyed going to in their later years. I think these pieces are really lovely. I can't crochet but I can certainly appreciate the work that went into them. In the photo, I placed them on the reverse side of a vintage pink and white baby quilt. I think that the two smaller ladies were meant to go on pillowcases but then was the larger lady for a bedspread? They are too pretty to continue to sit in a box but I am just not sure what to do with them. Tell me what you think. :-)

Some of you asked what was in those birthday gifts for my "Tuesday Crazies" friends and so.......there was a FourSeasons tablerunner pattern and pretty blue fabric for Adella, and for Kate there was a Schnibbles pincushion pattern and red and blue fabrics. I stitched up a purple tulip on a yellow tea towel for Pandora and included a packet of flower seeds and a little garden journal. In only a month, Pandora will host another "Quilts in Bloom" event in her back yard. (You can see photos from last summer here and here .) Laurie's package contained a cute kittie fat quarter (she loves cats), hand creme in a zippered case and a pair of my favorite tiny sharp scissors that I like to buy for gifts. And in Sue's little package there was a Kansas Trouble Charm pack which had an extra special meaning because we met Lynne, the designer of Kansas*Troubles fabrics, at Heidi's Retreat in March. So that's what was in all those fabric wrapped packages! And guess whose birthday it is when we meet in June? me :-) As noted in my previous post.......our little gifts are just "icing on the cake" of a really great friendship group. :-)
It has been an interesting week here as my husband has been home on vacation. Let me translate that......as he is not laying around the pool (we don't have one) or anything like that.....no, he's been working in the basement hanging ceiling tile and stuff which is not my idea of a vacation. However, I convinced him we should enjoy at least one night out for a shrimp dinner and so Wednesday night we drove over to Emma*Krumbees and did just that. I do love it when someone else cooks! Now he's moved on to staining trim boards and he'll finish that just in time for a Saturday trip to celebrate our grandson's birthday!
I'll be sewing today.........trying to catch up......never happens.....but I keep trying. :-)
Have a good day!
Sandi

Wednesday, May 5

The gift of friendship

Yesterday, I showed you birthday gifts I had wrapped for my Tuesday Crazy stitching friends. They were simple little things chosen for each friend but as I drove home this afternoon, I thought once again that the true gift we all share is friendship! The little gifts are just "icing on the cake". :-) Being friends and enjoying time with each other.......that's the real gift!!
We all enjoyed our lunch and caught up on the latest news. Then the birthday girls opened their gifts and we had a bit of "show 'n tell".
Here is some of what we shared..........Kate is all smiles because she finished embroidering this tablecloth. She bought it at a thrift shop five years ago and has been stitching away at it for several months now.


Pandora shared this little wallhanging that is almost finished. She used a new technique called "Fabulous Fractures" and if you go here, you can find it on Amazon. She shared a bit on how the fabric is cut and pieced to get this neat look. I have some fabric that I would like to use and give this a try, so I think I will have to get the book. :-)

Adella has been busy making things for her Spring fundraiser at her church...........
like these gorgeous totebags........
and this cute little "mock dress" to hold clothespins or plastic bags.
Adorable!
The afternoon flew by, as it always does. How comforting, though, just to be able to sit and stitch, chat a bit, enjoy the gift of friendship. Makes me smile. :-)
Okay, so I got a little sentimental but that's just me. I get sentimental about a lot of things..........even rick rack! LOL! See all these pretty colors of good old-fashioned rickrack.........reminds me of the 50's and 60's and so many dresses and crafty projects! I love real rick rack and by that I mean........100% cotton rick rack. I found all of these at the thrift shop over in Arlington last Wednesday, the day I was out running errands. I was looking for a teacup for a pincushion swap and I didn't find one but then I noticed a bin filled with rick rack. Sometimes there are a few cards of rick rack but this was like hitting the rick rack lottery!
I bought almost all of them at 25 cents a package. There were so many colors, that I immediately saw a project. I only needed some linen to complete my good find. My luck was still with me when I stopped at JoAnn Fabric's a couple days later and found a beautiful beige linen on sale at half-price! This is my Mother's Day treat to myself! Come Sunday evening, I'm going to start the little project that I can see in my mind. It will be fun and I will share it when it's finished.
I'm headed to Arlington today for my yearly exam so I might just have to "treat" myself to another stop at the thrift shop. A girl just has to have fun ya know. :-)
Have a good day!
Sandi

Tuesday, May 4

It's Tuesday......time for Crazies!

That's right......it's the first Tuesday of the month so I am off to join my "Tuesday Crazies" friends for lunch and some stitching fun! We are meeting at Adella's today and it's also a celebration of her birthday which was yesterday, and Kate's birthday which was May 1st. There are gifts for them in the picture below. There are also gifts for Pandora, Sue and Laurie because I forgot them when we met at my house last month. I was so busy worrying about lunch and getting my house clean for their visit that I totally forgot birthdays. I mean, totally! Got it covered this month! ........Now,......... Pandora, Sue and Kate read my blog, so gals..........I didn't put the cards with the gifts so you will just have to guess which package is for you. :-)

All the gifts are wrapped in birthday print fabric that I found at JoAnn's on clearance, of course. So was the ribbon. I got three reels of ribbon that have 100 yards on each reel for just $1.00 each. I had to ask the store clerk if the price was right and she confirmed it was! I love it! Wait til you see the deal I got on rick rack at the Thrift Shop last week......wait that's for tomorrow's post.....

So what am I taking to stitch on today? I'm taking this piece of vintage wool work. Over on Pat Sloan's blog last week, she featured Jo Ann Mullaly who has authored the book "Wool Crazy". If you go here , you'll find Jo Ann's blog and lots of information on her book and groups who are doing her project. I've not seen her book in any of the shops I've been in recently but when I do, I'm sure I'll buy the book. I have every title that is currently available on crazy quilting and share them with my Tuesday friends and our evening crazy quilt group. So, as I listened to Pat interview Jo Ann last week, I remembered this piece of vintage wool work and I had an "a-ha" moment. I remembered that my mother had given me this piece (another item that was in a box of fabric items that she purchased at auction) and it was unfinished. It's all wool and the maker handpainted those leaves and the tiny flower. The pieces are stitched on an old flour or feed sack and I can make out the words "Waseca, MN" and that's it. I never knew quite what to do with this piece.....should I leave it as is or should I embellish it and make it a finished piece. After listening to Pat's radio program, I knew it was time to make this a finished piece!! Thanks to JoAnn and Pat for the inspiration needed to get this piece out and start finishing it!

The floss colors that you see laying across the wool piece are from Gentle*Art*Threads. I love their floss and use it on my penny rugs and wooly things. Once I found it, I was hooked on it! The floss in the photo is all wool and the colors are just perfect for this ..... just like they were "meant to be". I recommend their threads to my students and demonstrate stitches with their cotton floss when I teach. This will be a nice piece to demonstrate working with the wool floss. I'll get this started today and will be able to share it at my "Wooly Wednesday" class next week. I folded it up, then tucked it and the floss in my covered sewing box and I am ready to go..........

The box is just one of those paper-mache boxes that I painted, then my husband added grommets for the rope handles. I covered the top with wool-felt scraps that I stitched together by hand, then added it to the lid of the box. This could be a tutorial so I'll add it to my list. I could use a new one as this one is beginning to look a little worn as I have carried it to classes for several years now. I can grab this box and this will be my "take-along" project for the next few months .... no pressure, just plain stitching fun!
Later then........
Sandi
P.S. I have some blog comments that need answers and will be replying to those in the next few days. :-)

Monday, May 3

What's on the line?!!

After last week's experience with the wind, I didn't think it could get worse. I don't know what my mind was thinking because, of course, the wind got worse!! It really rattled doors and windows! I was planning to take a certain quilt out to the "line" for photos yesterday but the wind was still so strong that I didn't even bother trying! I'll get to that quilt on a calmer day. In the meantime, here's a quilt top that was "on the line" last summer..........
It is so fun with all those nine patch blocks and then that crazy 1950's kitchen print! I shared this top in a previous post and mentioned that I'm going to turn it into a tablecloth. I was going to do it last summer and never got to it but I am going to get it done soon because I want to use it at our family reunion in July!! This is one of many quilt tops that my dad and mom bought at auction a few years ago. The blocks are stitched together well but just not real accurately. :-) I am thinking of some type of binding and give it a wavy look "on purpose" to cover up the fact that the rows are uneven. :-) Now here's a question.....since I'm going to use it as a tablecloth, should I use batting and do some simple quilting on it or just tie it? Share your thoughts, if you would.
A little info on that "Hearts and Flowers" quilt that was pictured in my previous post..........that quilt was handmade by Delores Jebron from Dayton, Iowa in about 1951. She made it with her mother and they hand-pieced and hand-quilted it together . She told me she thought it was from a pattern that she had seen in a magazine or newspaper but couldn't recall for sure. I have searched many books including Barbar Brackman's Encyclopedia of Quilt Blocks and have never quite found this block. I did reproduce the block pattern when a good friend and an excellent quilter, asked if she could make a reproduction of the quilt. It was beautiful when it was finished! If I can verify the pattern is not a design that is still copyrighted, then I will include it in that book I'll write ....... sooner than later. :-) Thanks for your encouraging comments on my desire to write a book. I have moments when I'm sure that I have a book that others might want to read and then moments when I'm sure they wouldn't. Your responses and those of the women who have enjoyed my classes and programs this past year, have encouraged me to follow through with a book proposal. If anything ever materializes......nice pun, huh?........I'll be sure and let you all know. :-)
Have a wonderful Monday!
Sandi

Sunday, May 2

Blowin' in the wind!

The wind was so strong today that I was almost blown away!! Well, almost. :-) As I drove to the church this morning, I was surprised by the strong gusts of wind that almost seemed to grab my car!. And I was even more surprised that when the program was over, the wind was even stronger. I thought we might be blown away or a quilt might be whipped out of a basket and blown across the cornfield never to be seen again! I had lots of help loading and that didn't happen. :-)

In spite of the wind that blew outside, the ladies of Trinity served up a wonderful brunch. It was worthy of a photo ...... several varieties of egg-bakes, fresh fruit on skewers and creamy sweet dip for them, muffins, juice and coffee. I was hungry and thoughts of picture taking went out the window when I saw what was on my plate. :-) I enjoyed meeting so many new people, especially Melissa who played the piano and her mother. It was just a lovely event.

I took this photo before I saw the food. I arrived early enough to set up all my quilts and penny rugs, plus for this program I brought more of my miniature gift boxes.


While I made my first quilt in 1970 for our daughter, I didn't make another quilt until 1976 for our son, and the next ones were done until the 1980's. That's because I put all my creative energies into miniature making from the early 70' through the late 1990's. Once both my kids were grown and gone, I really went back to quilting in a big way but folks always enjoy seeing the little miniature items that I've made. I fashioned them from clay, bits of jewelry, upholstered chairs from cardboard, all sorts of odds and ends that become something useful! The ladies in the photo below are studying a little clay Jack-o-Lantern scene.


All of my miniatures and dolls have a connection to the family quilts I own and the newer ones that I have made. It's all part of the story that I share in my programs. One day maybe it will all be in a book. Ya never know. :-)
These ladies are studying a floral applique quilt that is always a favorite. I have yet to discover a pattern for it in any vintage quilt pattern booklet. It's owner and maker, Delores, called it "Hearts and Flowers". If you seen or know of this quilt block, I'd love it if you would e-mail me.

Once again, I enjoyed sharing my quilts and stories. Each time I present my program, I think I get better at it. I mentioned afterwards that I thought it needs more "polish" but one lady said she thinks it's just right and it was "wonderful". It made my day. :-)


Now onto something totally different.......

I was heading home and as I was driving down the hill into Henderson, I see flashing red lights on a police car parked in the middle of main street and an officer directing traffic..........as in ...... lots and lots of motorcycle traffic!

There were motorcycles and riders all up and down Main Street! I had to stop at the grocery store for bread and several cyclists were there so I asked what the purpose was of this ride. .......because there were so many cycles that they had to be on some sort of mission.

Sure enough.........the mission was the annual MS fundraiser ......the CarverFunRun . The little town of Carver is north of Henderson and the riders drive down a route that is known as "the ScenicByway".......and that it is! The road winds and curves along the river, up and down hills, past beautiful banks of trees.....it's just plain scenic!! That's part of what I like about living out here. I love the river......the sunsets......the cornfields......the people.......everything about living in a small town. :-)

I don't usually post to my blog on Sundays, and in fact, I'm trying not to blog on weekends at all. I need time away from the computer! However, I just had to post yesterday and again today because when I'm having fun, I love to share so that you can enjoy it, too. Here's to a lovely Sunday for you, wherever you are! Have a great day!

Sandi
"Peace can be found in the piecing of a quilt."
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