Going through some old photos today while enjoying the peace and quiet of a day off due to Snow!! This is a doll quilt that I reproduced from a baby quilt photo in "Small Endearments". The center Toile is from the first Smithsonian line by RJR called "Rising Sun"...remember those great old fabrics! I still have lots of the 4 Smithsonian lines as well as the 4 Shelburne lines and I still love them even after all these years of more and more wonderful reproduction fabrics being produced!!
Made this little 4-Patch quilt (2" blocks) from charm squares of the New England Quilts from Olde Sturbridge Village collection by Curator Aimee Newell. The Whites were way too White for me, so I used "Distress It" for the first time and am very happy with the results. I sprayed lightly a couple times until I was happy with the color. Check the Before and After photos! "Distress It" is a spray that was recommended by Jo Morton, having been developed by a Rughooker to age her hooked rugs. Am using a wonderful Pemberley floral (early 1800's reproduction fabric) for borders. Plan to handquilt it and use wool batting.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
