Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas and Cascadia QAL

Here is my version of Lori's QAL"Cascadia".......loved making this and look forward to another one!!  Thanks for doing this, Lori!!  I machine-quilted in the ditch between the rows and May go back and handquilt later!!  




There is a new baby eaglet at one of the Florida nests!

And another likely hatch tomorrow!

Found this lovely postcard reminding us of the Reason for the Season!  It was mailed in 1911 from Boothbay Harbor to Bath, Maine.



Not much posting lately but I have been working (and spending too much time relaxing!)  Made 56 stars for my Colonial Medallion, needed only 36, so have enough for a small quilt of scrappy stars!  Enjoyed doing that while listening to Ken Follett's third audiobook in the Century series, "Edge of Eternity"  and am now listening to "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr about WW2 occupied France.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!!!!  May 2015 be the year of Peace on Earth!!

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone Everywhere, celebrating in whatever manner you choose!

One of my favorite things to do on the computer is to watch Eagle nest webcams (and an webcam for an osprey pair here in Maine who return from their winter migration in April).  Two nests in FL have laid eggs and the more Northern eagles will lay theirs in late winter/early spring.  Our family will be together today (even tho an overnight Northeaster left us a foot of snow!) save for two granddaughters serving in the military in FL and CA who will be in our thoughts.   Sharing this photo from the American Eagle Foundation...............



Thursday, October 30, 2014

Antique Quilts, Trip to the coast


On Sep 29, Wendy and I traveled to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA for a quilt study group meeting and to see the exhibit of Rhode Island quilts.....saw lots of early quilts.....and some Potholder Quilts which I hope Wendy will write about!!
Let's start with this wholecloth using a bird fabric ........




Sorry for the blurriness!  Operator error!  We could not use flash so the photos are a bit dark sometimes.   I enlarged them hoping for better viewing....  This is a patriotic print from early 1800's that was wonderfully re-printed by Moda several years, called "Georgetown" on the selvage but it was before Moda began printing designer names on the selvages.  Moda printed it in 3 background colors: white, tea and light brown.



A small piece of the white background Moda reprint is in the lower right corner below, next to a piece of old fabric.
Love this "Yankee Puzzle" quilt......lots of scraps!  Border is another famous bird print from about 1815 that was done in several colorways.  A friend and I shared a 2.5 yd length of it that she found in an antique shop here in Maine. Think it is the brown colorway.....haven't looked at it for a while so I'd better look for it soon!





This is a reproduction that Fons & Porter did for Benartex several years ago.....line was called "Savannah".



Lovely Ohio Star with a gorgeous pillar print Chintz border!  This section looks like a "blended quilt" with its low contrast........






Isn't this bird print beautiful!  Sometimes there are two birds and sometimes the tree is similar to this palm tree and I've also seen plum trees. 






Recently-received fabrics include "Rue Indienne" by French General for Moda.....love their designs, and colors!
Nice solids were included in "Rue Indienne".
And this is the latest from Jo Morton, "Caswell County". ......nice Paisleys!






Columbus Day weekend was picture perfect here ......guess it would be Indian Summer.....warm days after having frost.  My daughter, granddaughter and I ventured to one of our favorite spots on the Maine coast, Pemaquid Lighthouse.  Water was deep blue and the sunshine was very warm!  Walked on the rocks,p Poked around the gift shop and had lunch on the way home in Wiscasset.........a most memorable day....
Sure wish I owned this house!  
As we drove through Damariscotta, we encountered their annual "Pumpkin Festival" unexpectedly.......a Very Slow Ride the length of Main St to reach the route to Pemaquid!  But is was Most Enjoyable!  I wish I had taken more pictures of the creative uses of large Pumpkins, but this "Pincushion" is most appropriate for me!  

One day as I was climbing the steps to my door, some color caught my eye.....the rosebush blooms in June/July so this must be the Last Rose of Summer for us!!  

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Another Book in the Mail!!


Another new book in the mail!  Greatly anticipated revision of one of the "Bibles" of fabric history (Printed Textiles by Florence Montgomery in the 1970's).  As wonderful as her book was, it is now Wonderful to have the photos in color!  Have looked through most of it and am Really Reading this one (have several books going at once as well as an audiobook on Elizabeth I).  Will never live long enough to read all my books, but that's okay....won't use all my fabric either!!!

 Froncie Quinn designed "In the Time of Toile" and included the chintz print that graces the front cover of the book!  Her fabric line was based on a specific quilt in the Shelburne Museum collection (VT).


This gorgeous fabric filled a whole page!  Isn't it truly amazing the designs and colors used 150 to 200 years ago and that many have survived so well?!


This fabric is found on page 258 and was printed in Britain in 1808.......

This reproduction below was found, until recently, in my shop!  Part of the Cadet Paisley line by Andover Fabrics.


Arriving the same day was also the latest issue of Quiltmania......nice LONG spread of photos from the Melbourne Australia show!  Those Australian ladies make the most wonderful quilts!!  And I found a pattern idea for a quilt I want to make.......as if I need to begin anything at all until I have some Finishes!!



Sampling of some 3.75" log cabin blocks from the recently completed batch of 82!  Now I need to cut more red center squares and start all over again!  Can't really say it is Work because I Enjoy making them so much!  Will need 400 and have 177 .........223 to go......don't think I will even need to cut more strips as the shoeboxes are still pretty full!

This is the stack of 82 blocks......4.5" tall!

AND, I finished another batch of Railfence Leaders and Enders.  Need 576 of these little darlings.....have 268.......so need 308!  Sounds daunting but sometimes I just sit and sew them.....think I will finish sooner than if I just use them for leaders/enders!!  These 24 blocks would make a sweet little quilt and if I had not already made one in Jo's Club a few years back, I might be tempted to do just that!

Love looking at the stacks in the box but will love them even more when in a quilt!  Time to separate them into two boxes....this one is full!

This is my little Reminder that I keep handy......haven't worked on the little Shoofly blocks for a while.  There are other WIPs .......too many of them!  But, that is what keeps life interesting.....


And new fabric!  This is from American Jane (Moda) and maybe not intended as a reproduction but it is.......looks French provencal!!




Customers have said they would love this stripe for tablecloths!  

Have been writing this for several days with several life interruptions and finally have most all paperwork caught up so will reward myself for the rest of the day with some sewing room/audiobook time!  Fish chowder for supper will need only re-heating!

When I was in the fifth grade, I had a teacher whom I dreaded getting as I had heard she was strict.  Well, she turned out to be my favorite all-time teacher......no one was more strict OR more fair....you could hear a pin drop in her classroom and if someone acted out, a look from her was all that was necessary.  She had us memorize a new poem each month and I always loved the one from October  (December was The Night Before Christmas....a long one!)  Helen Hunt Jackson also wrote a lovely poem for September that I will try to remember time September rolls around!

October's Bright Blue Weather
O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather;

When loud the bumblebee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And goldenrod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When gentians roll their fingers tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather.

O sun and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather. 


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

New Blog, New Books, New Blocks!!

First up is a New Blog you will want to check out from my friend, Wendy!


UPDATE on the basket quilt shown in previous post from Edyta Sitar's book "Handfuls of Scraps".  Potholder Pam wrote to the owner who mailed her the quilt to study.  Quilt has writing that is not readable except for one notation-------"Freeport Maine!  Pam is writing a book on potholder quilts.

Lots of new books recently arriving and more on the way!!  This Heavy book "Four Centuries of Quilts" from the Williamsburg collection is Wonderful!  Very nice, and numerous, photos and closeups and very readable text!


One of my favorite parts of the book are the photos/biographies of Quiltmakers!
Learning about the lives of those who have gone before us intrigues me!  Love the little window into their lives!!
Amelia's quilts are out of this world gorgeous! Amazing what could be accomplished without the equipment and gadgets available today!
The quilting is stupendous!

And "The 1718 Coverlet" by Susan Briscoe!  Nearly 300 year old Quilt!!!!


Have not posted anything for a whole month, but I have been busy......getting fabrics chosen and cut for the 36 stars border of Colonial Medallion.  I know I have more than I will need, but I don't want to leave out any great fabrics that I love!  




This is what I have assembled so far.....will have lots of choices, and probably enough for another Small Quilt!



I have gone back to the Rectangle/Square Method of making the Flying Geese units.  Feels like the chain-piecing goes faster and do not have to square up.  See the little Half-Square Triangle units I get as a Bonus!!!

 I am taking the time to sew that extra little seam line about 3/8" away from the star point line to yield some tiny Half Square Triangles for some future project......no plan yet but I know I will find a use for them!!!
Got into my box of 1-1/2" squares that I was using to make 25-patches (hers are 16-patches but I like 25's better) for a quilt in Judie Rothermel's "Reproduction Quilts from the Civil War Era" and decided to put some together for a runner for my church craft show in November.  





This border print fabric was from a line called "William and Mary" by Concord (now Andover) from the early 1990's........I had Favorites back then that are still favorites!!

And a runner from Karen Montgomery's "Easy Striped Table Runner" and a Jason Yenter fabric called "Splendor" (2009).
Back later with other things I have been doing.....finished 82 more little 3.75"log cabin blocks and 3" railfence blocks that are my Leaders/Enders.  Also making Half-Square Triangles as Leaders/Enders.  Have to feel like I am accomplishing more than one thing at a time!!