Monday, December 14, 2015

Winner of the Fabric Samples, Stars and Fabric

The winner of the box of fabric samples is Nancy D. who lives here in Maine just as does the last winner!  No hanky-panky here I swear!  I ask my husband to choose a number and then go down the list to #36!  Simple as that!  Send me your mailing address, Nancy, and I will mail the box of 100 packets of sample fabrics.  I think there is enough for one more box and then I will go back to giving away boxes of scraps from the shop and my own sewing.

Sorry to see the Stars in a Time Warp end........it has been most enjoyable and I pretty much kept up with it.  Ended up with 97 stars.  Here are my shawl and stick prints together in one star and the cracked ice as background in the second.  Now the job will be to find that special fabric for the plain squares...........if that doesn't happen soon, I will probably go with plan B which is to use all different squares that will result in a very busy quilt but that's okay.....I like busy!  




We are having a special exhibit for the antique quilt display at Maine Quilts this year (last weekend in July).  We put out a call for people to make small replicas of a large antique quilt of their choice.  Some of the antique quilts will be included in the display when available.  I have chosen to replicate (term used loosely!) an 1843 potholder Sampler quilt from Bristol, Maine in the Maine State Museum collection.  Forty blocks..........many very different , original blocks......some a bit complicated.....especially in my block size of 6" (originals are 13").  I marvel at the complexity of some of the blocks designed in 1843!  The sawtooth star is not difficult as it is the Same as Above!!  The little Orange Peel or Robbing Peter to Pay Paul was not as hard to design as I had anticipated since I had done a similar one in a Jo Morton club.  These are smaller, however, at 2".  Back-basting applique made fairly quick work.  These two blocks are quilted and bound.  

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This block (quilted but not yet bound) was more fiddly and time-consuming and there is another like it that I will tackle soon......it will have the rows of diamonds but the 2-1/2" squares in the corners will be tiny 8-pt or Lemoyne stars. Handwork for sure!!  Plan to make the most difficult blocks first and save the easy ones for last!


Recent fabric arrival of "Color Daze" by Edyta Sitar for Moda.  Now this wonderful Indienne design appears to be a re-coloration of "Kashmir5" by Sentimental Studios.  I loved it then and I still love it!!



These motifs would be great for broderie perse!  




Nice backgrounds too.....love the top print for an applique block background.  




 This is a cheater fabric from "Color Daze"......isn't is wonderful?!?!?  I just wish prints used in the little Sunbursts could have been made in YARDAGE!!  
 


Aren't they great designs?!?!  Reminds me that I want to draft a little 6" sunburst for one of the surprise blocks in a 9-patch I've been working on.......for quite a long time!  Unless someone knows of a 6" pattern somewhere out there in cyberland!!?!












Lastly, I finished block #9 of Elegant Garden by Edyta Sitar (Laundry Basket Quilts) ......one of her early pattern designs.  While I like the background I chose (a cream solid....creamier than the photo shows), I wish now that I had used varied tan subtle backgrounds as the top fabric in the photo of the stacked bolts above, but they weren't making so many of them back when I started these blocks (Long Time Ago)!  Too late now.......not going back and re-do nine blocks!  I do plan to change the original pattern from just blocks to a Medallion Style.....so I will just be satisfied with that!!  



That's it from a Winter Evening in Maine......unusually warm temperatures and no snow yet!  Think some kind of record has been set for the latest first snow date!  Hope we have snow before Christmas but it does not look too promising!

Monday, December 7, 2015

Stars and Green Gables


Found that I had lots of seaweed/coral fabrics but was short on clouds/storms!  Getting close to having to decide on an alternate fabric, or should I use Many Fabrics, for a really busy quilt!?!?  Will probably have enough to make two quilts .....will have to lay them out and see what pleases me!!   




I've had in mind to make this Evening Star Quilt from the LACountyMuseumOfArt.  It was on the cover of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine in October 1993.  Have been thinking about it for a while and always looking for a fabric that I could use for the border.



Have a new Facebook page for the shop here.  It is called "Busy Thimble Maine" as there are two other shops with nearly the same name....one in Ohio and the other in Australia!  Not sure how well I will be able to keep it up, along with this blog and I love Pinterest too!!  Time will tell!!  


A YouTube video you might enjoy!! YouTube link for "So God Made a Quilter"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJwGLEAkJgQ&feature=youtu.be



Photos of Green Gables, Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada for the Anne Shirley fans!!  This is my traveling companion and first granddaughter.....hope there are many more trips in our future, Jeni!!!




This is the path to the "Haunted Wood", down the hill from the front door.  All the paths are well-marked and very well maintained for easy walking.



Always looking to the skies for Birds....Canadian Geese heading south!!!  Beautiful sky!  A Picture-Perfect Day!


 Signs like this all along the way...........




Coming back up the hill from the "Haunted Wood", the schoolhouse, church and the little shop near the MacNeil homestead which is owned by descendants of Maud.....bought books.....always more books!  I never did get a good shot of the house (people in the way) but I bought a placemat so I can see eat every morning at breakfast!!


Back door from the kitchen.
Front doorway...had a photo of Jeni and me here......will look for it.

The pantry.




A very different stove than I ever would have pictured in my imagination when I was reading the books Many Years Ago!  Looks very efficient!


This little room was called the "dairy" ....next to the pantry.




Note the raspberry cordial on the shelf............

Matthew's room next to the kitchen.....perhaps had been the "borning room" in days gone by?




Dining Room

Parlor to the left of the front door.



Entry hall and stairway....what do you think of the wallpaper?

Upstairs hall....Anne's room on the left and Marilla"s on the right.


Closeup of the wallpaper.........it is Busy and Colerful,  but I love it and could live with it! 



Anne's room....very dainty wallpaper.


Anne's dress with the puffed sleever that Matthew bought for her......I thought I remembered it as being blue............

Marilla's room across the hall from Anne.







Huge barns!

Back side of the house (wellhouse is different shape than I have ever seen before!) with the path leading to Lover's Lane.








Floorplan of the first floor of the house.


Lovely Beaches for long walks!



Have another box of 100 packets of fabrics samples ready to mail next week!  Leave a comment and they might be coming to you!