Wonderful new History of Dutch Quilts book!

Mailman brought my new book yesterday (ordered Dec 7).....perfect day for receiving it!  It was a day off so I sat in my rocking chair beside the woodstove to read it in utter comfort!  Anyone interested in this book may email me for information to order it.......can use a Paypal account or your own checking account to pay for it!  I found it to be easier than I had thought to deal with a foreign company!

Maybe I should show a Finished Quilt!

It occurred to me that I mostly show WIP's and that it might be thought that I never finish anything!  It is very true, that I have MANY WIP's, as I do tend to start anything new that appeals to me....often thinking, oh I can do that in an afternoon, or a day.......hah!  Doesn't happen that way!  From now on, I shall try to show one of each!  This is a darling little triangle quilt from a book "Bits and Pieces"......used the Dargate Botanical collection for my shop sample...have a few kits left I think.

And what else have I been doing?

This time of year I love to have the smell of balsam around the house and the shop so I ordered 25 pounds (did I really need that much?) to make little balsam pillows.....this one is made from an older Judie Rothermel "Spirit of the Season 2" scenic fabric.  Next to it is a little 4" log cabin block that did not come out exactly the right size to use in my quilt so it is becoming either a Christmas ornament or a Coaster.  I handquilted it close to the seams.  If I do use it as a coaster, I will only place my coffee mug on the back side!

Current Project on the back of the sofa...........

I try to keep works in progress requiring handwork handy on the back of the sofa so I can work on them while watching TV. In this photo are my Carol Hopkins' "Lizzie's Tents" quilt from her Civil War Legacies collection.  This quilt is larger than some of her patterns, measuring 32" x 37".  I am quilting 1/4" along seam lines as I like to quilt with a minimum of marking.  Next to it is the "Keystone Medallion" from Jo Morton's Club 9.....just needs binding handsewn.  At far right is my little ebay-inspired quilt that I have been handquilting for way too long!  Stitched down the center of each round.......and there are 17 of them!!!  Love the feel of a closely-quilting quilt!  I am quilting "Lizzie's Tents" with my oval hoop......I like the looks of my handquilting better when I use a hoop.  However, when I quilt small quilts, it is too bothersome to be constantly changing the hoop position, so I have been quilting without a hoop...seem to be improving with each little quilt.

The Rest of the Tablerunner Story

When you make the Striped Tablerunner, there are four triangles cut that are not used.  I cut two more triangles and put them together to make this Table Mat.  While this type of project is not typical for me, I was fascinated how the angles matched perfectly with hardly any effort at all!

Antique Quilts

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When you are a Quilter interested in Quilt History, you also become a Quilt Collector!  Something else to fill every corner of the house!  Can't help myself!  This poor Red & Green Quilt was brought to me by someone who got it at a lawn sale in the Rumford area.  I bought this quilt for the excellent workmanship and exquisite handquilting on this quilt!  The design is like no other I've seen; unfortunately, the reds have deteriorated; however, the greens are in wonderful condition, and such gorgeous prints!  No idea who made this quilt, or where.  But sure would have liked to have known her!!    I have been asked to show more photos of this quilt....too windy to photo outside on the clothesline today so I folded it into fourths and took a couple closeups.  Quilt is 96" square.  The pattern is Carpenter's Wheel and surrounded by an applique border (separated by a narrow 1/4" border).  The reds are disintegrating but the greens have held up very well. 

New Books!

Always new books and magazines to read!  When you are a Quilter who is also interested in the History of Quiltmaking and the Women who made them, you buy every book available on the subject just to see if there is a quilt that you have not yet seen somewhere else!  These two books, huge books, are wonderful!  Photos are often full-page.  In "Quilts Around the World" I found that quilts are made in some form in unexpected places.  This book also delves into history as well as contemporary work "from Alabama to Zimbabwe"!  In "Quilts:Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum" are 200 of the most important quilts in their collection.....full-page....can see the handquilting!  With books aplenty in my home, I'll Never be bored!!  And another new one is ordered.....the new An Moonen book on Netherlands' Quilts which I am sure will have closeup photos of old European fabrics I've not yet seen!

Small Applique Blocks!!

It occurred to me today that I might get a handle on my WIPs if I had some place to look at them all in one place!  Soooo, I will begin, in no particular order, with these three little 3" Posey Packet applique blocks from Froncie Quinn at Hoopla Patterns in VT.  My Dream in the world of Quilting would be to stay in my sewing room and sew all day.....can't happen right now!  Well, if I can't do that, I would like to be able to make one of these little applique blocks per evening!  I'm too slow.....more like two evenings!  Too, I would like to be able to make just one little log cabin block, one little Shoofly block, one Path to the Civil War block each day......eventually the quilts will get done! Good thing I am a "process person" who enjoys working on quilts every bit as much as finishing quilts!

TABLERUNNER

As if I didn't have more than enough to do today (supposedly a day off!), I put this runner together that I cut out a few days ago.  Just wanted to see it finished, I guess!  Karen Montgomery's "Easy Striped Table Runner" is impressive-looking....especially when the stripes from a Jo Morton fabric matched!  My runner is a little shorter (36" x 16")than originally planned as I cut the angles wrong on the ends of the center!!  Spent the afternoon listening to 50's music and sewing (and a little "organizing" too!)......

FINALLY FINISHED DOLL QUILT TOP!!

This is a little quilt top that I made because I lost the real antique one on ebay.......think it went for about $178!!  I wanted it because it was from Maine, but it was not be.  So I made one........love the simple design!!  Am now handquilting it...........will never be worth the time I am spending on it!  But it is relaxing to quilt in the evening!

Hanging Squash

I grew a few squash plants this summer from seeds saved from a particularly good-tasting squash from last year.  The vines went everywhere and I let them...........one even climbed a tree!  The photo is not too clear, but the squash is hanging more than a foot off the ground!!

PATRIOTIC PILLOWCASE FOR JENI

I made a shop sample pillowcase using an end of Jo Morton's banner fabric.  Then I made another to send to soldier granddaughter, Jeni.  Now, DGD would like me to make 7 more for Christmas gifts for her unit!  Oh what we Grandmothers get ourselves into!!  Looks nicer now that Suzanne rotated it vertically for me!

Mailman brought Goodies today!

The Mailman brought me all these Goodies today!  The book about Toiles is new from the V&A in England.........wonderful study book with detailed closeups of the fabrics.  The "Uncoverings" book is the collection of the research papers read a couple weeks ago at the American Quilt Study Group's annual seminar.....this year in MN.  Next year it will be closer in NJ!  A friend did a paper on "Potholder" quilts so I took the day off (between customers!) and read her paper and looked at all the photos in the Toile book!  On the right are the diamond template and pattern collection #1 from Ann Holte in PA who is doing a reproduction of a quilt made about 1860.  Each block is different and very scrappy!  Read about the quilt in QuiltMania #78!  Hope I can make a practice block tomorrow along with making Applesauce and cooking squash to freeze, work on a Civil War Legacies quilt kit sample, pin-baste two Jo Morton quilts, try to find shelf space to store the new fabrics that have been arriving and maybe even clean a little bit!  Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see the PA quilt pattern better!  Clicking twice is even better!!

Leaders and Enders

I've been cutting 1.5" squares from scraps and strips for quite a while and now they are piling up nicely! Using them and "Leaders and Enders" when sewing. Alternate squares are Jo Morton's background fabric from her "Crimson and Clover" line......a nice light that has faint lines to simulate "linen" or "homespun". I have been making them into little 5" Twenty-Five Patch blocks from Judie Rothermel's "Reproduction Quilts from the Civil War Era" seen in the photo. Of course, I have to be "different"!! Her blocks (inspired by a single little block she purchased) each contain only one fabric with the light...........mine contain 13 different prints alternating with the light! I am not the fastest quiltmaker in the world so it is nice to be able to occasionally make a "free" quilt that just happens!!

This is a not-very-good photo of the whole quilt. Measures 51" x 64" and likely contains 3000 or so different fabrics.  You will laugh when I tell you this.......I first made the little quilt that has 63 squares and I quilted it with no batting, as the antique quilts often were.  Thinking that would be good for the larger quilt, I pin-basted it together (320 pins) and began quilting (no hoop, tho I usually use one).  Did not like the feel of the quilt (felt empty, not cuddly), so I took out the 320 pins, layered with Quilter's Dream Request batting, and re-pinned the 320 pins!!  Then I was happier with it!!  Photo is from MaineQuilts2010.  View all the quilts in the show here.

Log Cabin Header

Finally got around to choosing a photo for my "header"!  It is from a log cabin quilt I finished this spring ......blocks are about 3" with 1/4" "logs".  I saw one in the Wenham Museum (Wenham, Massachusetts) in 2005 and fell in love with it.  Worked on it off and on for 5 years.  Here is a close-up one of of the blocks.  The quilt contains 320 blocks.  Instead of ties in the red centers, I handquilted around them.  The quilt was so cuddly as I quilted on it!

Flock of Geese Quilt

Feels so good when a quilt gets finished whether it is bedsize or dollsize!!  This Flock of Geese quilt is one of Lori Smith patterns, a most prolific designer!!  My quilt is brighter than hers.....used mostly Windham reproductions.  Bet you can't guess that I love to make Triangles!!  I have found that my photos actually enlarge twice if you click on them a second time...might be because I have my camera set to a higher resolution than what is used for normal email.

Finished Binding Corner

This photo shows my finished corner of the binding on the doll quilt.  Someone asked what to do with the "tail".  Fold it in so it is even with the finished edge of the beginning binding.  Finish sewing the binding in place and when you get to the end, blindstitch the folds together.  I have seen quilts from the 80's in which each of the four sides were bound separately and the corners were finished in this manner.........probably before someone printed the directions for the mitered corners we commonly use now!

A couple of antique doll quilts

These are two little antique doll quilts I made using fragments bought on Ebay.  Left just as they were, crooked edges and all, I quilted and bound.  The detail photo shows how I now do many of my bindings......a method we found during our documentation of antique Maine quilts that was widely used.....it actaully makes a lot of sense!  Start and end on one corner and miter the other corners!!  The first photo appears to have been made from fabric samples as the same design appears in several different colorways.

The quilting is actually my basting.  I handquilted three lines on the last quilt with the small squares and decided it did not look right.  Took out the quilting and left my machine-basting in place......looks more like old doll quilts I have observed in the past!!  I used Hobbs Heirloom batting and if I wash the little quilts, I think they will wrinkle nicely!

Magazines

There's been a lot of discussion recently on some of the Yahoo Groups that I am on about re-organizing and even culling (gasp!) old magazines.  Can't bring myself to do that yet.  This is part of my quilt magazine collection on shelves in my "office".....really "storage"!  Nice and orderly in chronological order, I can find issues easily.  This is only part of the quilt magazines......more are in the house.  Now we won't discuss yet the others I have collections of: Country Living, Colonial Homes, Country Home, Early American Life, etc.!!  Books will be another story!  Fabrics will be another story!

Finally have a Few Minutes for my Blog!!

Thought I would add a few more photos of my shop.  This is one of the book racks with the Alliance line by Moda below them.  Just got an order from Kansas City Star......they are my most important book source right now!  Off to the side is an overflow of Judie Rothermel fabrics!!   These three boxes are Jo Morton fabrics that I get on an AutoShip so as not to miss anything!!  Love these little wooden crates that I had made to display the 1/2 yard cuts........they are scattered everywhere around the shop!


Many little quilts are hung around the shop.  Foremost in the photo is what I called "Baby Chain", a copy of a quilt from late 19th century in the book "Small Endearments".  The little 8-point star above it is made from a box of little scraps from the 1950's that someone gave me.

These little quilts hang above my head at my checkout.  The little Shoofly is from a previous Jo Morton Club called "Chocolate and Cheddar".  Two of my favorite colors!  The little Flying Geese is from a Lori Smith pattern.  Lori's patterns are wonderful.......9 patterns in one package!!!

More Fabrics

Brackman/Thomspon corner.  Can't wait for the new Brackman line "Arnold's Attic"!!

One shelf of Toiles....over 30 different ones at last count!

Homespun corner........probably 300 bolts of Moda brushed Homespuns.......LOVE plaids!  Have a comfy sofa quilt made from brushed homespun plaids.  Now I need to take another photo of Jo Morton's Homespun plaids!

Little Quilts

Here are two little quilts that I enjoyed making.  The Log Cabin logs are 1/4" and 4 on a side.  Inspired by a couple quilts seen at the Wenham Museum, Wenham MA.  This little quilt is made from the leftover blocks from a larger quilt that will be ready to be seen soon!  I have started to make blocks again for another one with 3/8" logs that will allow room to handquilt.  Took me nearly 5 years to make 380 blocks and assemble the quilt tops!!  I always have lots of things in the works......will never be bored!  One of these days I plan to show some of them.......heard recently from two different sources that one should try to make just one block per day!  Excellent Theory!    The 9-patch quilt was inspired by a Jo Morton club pattern......she made 3 little quilts with the 1.5" Nine Patches but I wanted to do a bit larger one so just kept making blocks until I ran out of the leftovers I was using from a very colorful Broken Dishes quilt top.

More Shop Photos

This is one of my 3 "Moda" corners......this one is Brannock/Patek and Misc.  Brackman/Thompson and Kansas Troubles are the other two.  Photo is kinda dark....may take another later.

More New Fabrics!!

I no more than got the new "Complements" line by Jo Morton  cut, folded, rolled and bundled when another new line arrived today! This is the "Attic Shirtings" by Jo Morton.  Some friends and I were saying just yesterday that new shirtings were needed and here they are!  Another new fabric line that arrived is "Rural Jardin" by French General for Moda. 

I live on an old farm in Maine with my quilt shop on the property.......this farm pond is the view from my kitchen window.  Before anyone gets too excited about the little shed that looks like it might be an Outhouse, I need to tell you that it is a Wellhouse for the spring water pump!  If you enlarge the photo, you will see the cows taking an afternoon siesta!!!  Glad I took this shot of the lovely lilacs as today after 3 warm days, they have gone by....don't last long enough!

Some Little Quilts I've Made

This is a wall of mostly little quilts...the Broken Dishes on the left is from a Jo Morton pattern but I changed it so it is unrecognizable from hers!  Two quilts are from Carol Hopkins Designs.  She,  Lori Smith "From My Heart to Your Hands", Kathy Tracy, and Renee Plains  are also favorites.  The Triangles quilt visible in the upper left corner was inspired by a quilt on the cover of an LLBean catalog ; I used only Judie Rothermel reproductions.

Quilt Shop Photos

Here are two photos of my Jo Morton Corner.  She's one of my favorite designers and I've carried her fabrics, books and Little Women Club for many years......about 400 bolts in stock!  If you look closely, you will see that some of the fabrics are displayed on an old Clarion cookstove.....nice to burn wood when it's really cold, BUT this year it had to hold fabric!!  The photo below shows more Jo fabrics.

Love the little baskets from "When the Cold Wind Blows" by Blackbird Designs.  Only two finished and one prepped at the moment...long-term projects con't really bother me.....I enjoy the process!

Five little stars waiting for Jo's new line "Cocoa Express" to come so they can become a little quilt and little 4-Patch made from Leftovers from another of Jo's quilts.

Quilts in Progress...too many to count!

Bittersweet Stars from Jo Morton's current club, ready to handstitch the binding this evening.

Let's see if I have figured out how to post a photo!

Small Quilts

Have been working on small quilts lately, both my own design and for Jo Morton's Club #9.  Will post photos as soon as I figure out how!!

The Beginning

Having had so much enjoyment from reading other Blogs, I decided to take the plunge and try to create one of my own. More later when I learn the Ins and Outs!!