Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Thankful







































Today I am thankful for…

the hope of spring when all I can see is snow
hot showers and good coffee
God's word
friends who make you smile
winter boots
fabric and yarn
a family who loves me
paw prints in the snow
lotion that nourishes skin
a pot of simmering food
pieced double wedding rings found at an antique store
blogging friends.

Smiles,

Monday, February 25, 2013

Bluebird Notes







































Happy Monday, friends!  The sun is gloriously shining today and if it wasn't cold and snowy I might be sitting in a lawn chair right now.  I have been happily awaiting the arrival of this book, "Everything Goes With Ice cream" by Koralee Teichroeb of Bluebird Notes fame.  Not only is Koralee extremely talented in photography, cooking and crafting but she is truly beautiful inside and out!  We have been blogging friends for a long time.  I love everything she does!  A daily visit to her blog brings such a ray of sunshine into my day.  I was so pleased to know she was writing a book and this one does not disappoint.  The recipes, crafts, photographs, styling…you name it, are amazing!  When I went to take a picture of it I started grabbing things in my studio, the fabric I'm currently working with, the thread and buttons I love, my pincushion and my favorite vintage salt and pepper mice, and it dawned on me that they all have the same color scheme as Koralee's book!  She is a girl after my own heart!

Happy Day,

Thursday, February 21, 2013

More Vintage







































I have three more vintage quilts to share with you today.  This first quilt is a baby quilt my friend Joanna dropped off to me the same day I received the other vintage quilts.  Oh what a fun day that was!  This quilt is square with nine blocks.  Six blocks are the same fabrics and three are different.  Joanna asked me why that was.  I told her a very resourceful quilter used what they had on hand to fashion this quilt.  The pale yellow background adds a lovely touch.  It appears to be bound with a red handkerchief, how creative!







































This tulip basket quilt is just so pretty!  The rows are facing each other like the blue basket quilt showed you previously.  This one has a couple of bad stains that won't budge.  One actually looks like paint, the other black ink.  It is still so very pretty and the applique and quilting are award worthy.  It's a nice dose of spring today!







































Last of the bunch is a rectangular crazy quilt.  Made up of mostly silk with a few other textural fabrics, this one is completely stitched with red thread in a feather stitch.  The size would make a nice topper for a piano or an accent at the foot of the bed.  Some parts are beginning to shred, but all in all, it is in good condition.  I did not soak this one because of the speciality fabrics and all that red.  

I hope you have enjoyed my stroll through vintage quilts this week.  I am so blessed to have friends and family that gift me with such treasures.  It is making me take a look at how I quilt.  Not everything needs to be "quick quilting".  It seems the quilts I love the most are ones that were more involved and took more time.  Each type of quilting has its place and I do both, but I encourage you to have something more challenging to work on along with your other projects.  Have a great day!

Smiles,

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Baskets







































Hi friends!  The next vintage quilt is a throw-size beauty.  Little blue baskets surrounded by the most fabulous hand quilting.  Notice the unusual arrangement.  There are six rows of baskets but they face each other.  I have not seen this before!







































Looking closer I found one block that is different from the others, can you see it?  It was common in Amish quilting to purposefully place a mistake in the quilt thus acknowledging that the Lord is the only perfect one.  Most of us would agree that we don't have to "purposefully" put a mistake in, they happen on their own!  I do like the whimsy of the block in a quilt with rather precise points.







































How wonderful to find a name on the back of this quilt, Enid Burrows.  Well, Enid, you did a fantastic job!  For those of you who asked about the vintage textile soak, go here.  I can personally say that it works wonders on vintage quilts.  All the yellowing and spots came out of these quilts.

Smiles,

Monday, February 18, 2013

Aged to Perfection







































I want to share with you the vintage quilts I received from my Aunt Beth Ann.  These quilts were in her family.  The first one is a twin size pink and white quilt.  The hand quilting on this is super tiny.   I am in awe of the stitching.  It is a simple pattern of two different size squares.  The pink has mellowed to a lovely shade.  I have a fun story for you.  After I got the quilt I soaked it over night in a vintage textile soak to remove the yellowing.  Almost immediately I began to notice hard dark bits in the batting which were rising up to the backing.  These fragments were everywhere.  I decided to open up a seam and take one out.  This is what I found…








































…a tiny leaf with a stem (I put it in the shell so you could see it better).  I removed another one that was a hard seed.  So I began to explore vintage quilt batting on line.  What I discovered was so interesting. Before the invention of the cotton gin, around the late 1700's, cotton was picked from the field and batted by hand.  Often times all the cotton debris (leaves and seeds) where not removed entirely.  It also said that quilters who lived in the south where cotton was grown continued to make their own batting at least until the 1940's because it was less expensive.  I have no idea how old this quilt is, but I'm thrilled at this discovery.  When the quilt is dry, you can't see the debris at all.  The other two quilts I soaked did not have this in the batting.  I will show you the next one tomorrow.




On Saturday I was bored out of my mind!  I started playing with scraps of fabric and this was the result. I made a simple envelope back for the sham.  The pillow is a standard bed size pillow.  I was craving color and I got it!  Blessings today, friends!

Joyfully,

Friday, February 15, 2013

Vintage Stitches







































I have been given some wonderful vintage quilts.  The kind that make your heart soar!  I will work on getting some pictures for you.  Today the sun is shining, yea!  I am out the door to enjoy it while it lasts. Have a most blessed Friday!

Hugs,

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Scrappy Trip Along


My Scrappy Trip Along quilt top is finally finished.  After not being able to come up with a satisfactory arrangement on my own, my 18 year old daughter helped me take the blocks, arrange and rearrange for over an hour.  There was too much red here, not enough pastel there.  I was about ready to throw in the towel when she suddenly had the strangest look on her face.  She took all the squares and began to quickly arrange them.  She kept shushing me whenever I asked what she was doing.  At the end, this arrangement appeared.  I took one look at her and knew then, a quilter was born.

Smiles,

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Pretty Spools





Little spools of thread all in a row~
This is Row 11 of Lori's Row-a-long
It was easy breezy and I love it!

Blessings,

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Be Still






















































































































































I have often said that winter in Michigan is like living inside a snow globe.  The past few days have been frosty white and penetrating blue.  I could not get over the color of the sky yesterday against all the white.  Winter is best displayed in sunshine.  This morning everything is glittering like diamonds. The more snow we get, the quieter it becomes.  It feels like God is gently shushing us, telling us to "Be still and know that I am God".  Looking at it with a quilter's eye, I see color and texture, light and dark. It makes me want to sew with blue, gray and white.  I finished my scrappy quilt along quilt top and plan on taking pictures of it in the snow and sunshine for you.  Sweet blessings today, friends!

He has made me glad,

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Hill Farm







































The sun started shining a few minutes ago so I ran to the porch with quilt and camera and took this photo.  Hill Farm is completed.  Can you see the beautiful flowers Mary stitched into the quilt?  I am thrilled with the way it came out.  The binding is scrappy using all the Hill Farm fabrics.  This one looks like its vintage, so soft and pretty.

Details:
Pattern:  Carousel from "Simply Fat Quarters" by It's Sew Emma
Fabric:  Hill Farm by Brenda Riddle for Lecien and neutrals from my stash
Dimensions:  74 x 89

Have a blessed day!

Hugs,

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Row-a-long Progress






































I'm all caught up on my row-a-long quilt just in time for row 11 which comes out tomorrow.  This has been so much fun!  It's not too late to join in.  Take a look at Lori's blog here.  Have a great day!

Smiles,








Monday, February 4, 2013

Little Houses







































I set out on Saturday to sew little houses for row ten of Lori's Row-a-long.  I loved the process of building each one.  Lori can take a block that looks so complicated and make it so simple.  This block is a good example of that.  This block would make a darling baby quilt using scraps.  







































It continues to snow here.  There has not been much sunshine.  I grabbed my camera when some appeared briefly.  I love how it looks against the soft colors of my living room.







































I hope you have a wonderful start to your week.  May God richly bless the work of your hands.

Smiles,