patchwork stories

For a recent project I needed 3 vintage buttons.  I gathered my button collection, 3 glass jars full.  Some buttons were from the early 1900s belonging to my grandmother, some from my mother, and others I have purchased through the years.  There are some unusual ones, like these made from coconut shells. 

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Other buttons have odd shapes and designs.  I can almost recall some of these old buttons on the front of my grandmother's Sunday best dresses, popular in the 40s and 50s.  She was always dressed to the nines for church and outings with coordinated gloves, purse, hat, shoes, and jewelry.  I loved to play dress-up in her clothes when I was young.  

About 12 years ago my youngest daughter received her engagement ring.  One day she discovered that one of the smaller side diamonds was missing.  Her fiance had insured the ring and the stone was replaced in time for the wedding.  Fast forward a year or so later.  My young granddaughter was keeping me company in my sewing room, playing with a tin of her favorite buttons.  She was on the carpeted floor and somehow noticed a tiny, shiny object in the carpet fibers - the little lost diamond.  I would have thought I put the stone in my jewelry box at the time, but we have moved since then and in the shuffle I still don't know where all my treasures are hiding.  But now we have the little diamond, securely stored in a small wooden box on my roll-top desk. 

​I wonder when I will discover the diamond again?  Old ageing can sometimes be the pits.  Can't wait to see what I find in my needle boxes.​

​I especially like the crocheted edging I added in three colors to compliment the variety in the quilt.  My grandmother and mother loved to crochet and working on this border reminded me of their many hours of thread labor, something they loved to do.  

I entered this quilt in our local show this year and no one seemed to notice it as far as I know.  No matter. It now hangs near my computer so I see it everyday.  Happy Scrappy is just for me and I LOVE IT!

Unbelievable beauty made by Simon Beck and his snowshoes.  Some designs take several days.

Cheery throw pillows made at the last minute.  Stitched felt snowflakes from Dollar Tree onto white background, added Dollar Tree tea towel for backing, inserted a zipper and fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. 

Job 37:5,6 "God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding.  He says to the snow, fall on the earth."

My mother and maternal grandmother enjoyed crocheting.  Most items that I remember were doilies, placed on top of buffets and tables and on the arms and backs of upholstered furniture.  Mother and I enjoyed perusing all the home and craft magazines we could purchase such as Needlework & Crafts, Workbasket, Family Circle, Woman's Day, and Better Homes and Gardens.  Every year we made something together for Christmas decorating or gifting.  Neither of us was fond of the crochet Granny Square because we dreaded the process of changing yarn colors and joining the squares.  It was just too fiddly.  I do recall making this type of slippers.  Walking on the textured yarn squares was really not that comfortable and they weren't particularly warm. 

In the years after I left home, Mother continued to crochet small Christmas ornaments.  I didn't hang all of her pieces this year but I know they are securely stored in my bin of vintage items.  The stockings were a folded square.  The wreaths were made around the cap ring from milk and juice bottles I think.  She wove contrasting yarn through the wreaths, just like this.  These patterns must have been popular at the time.

I entered my version of my Texas themed quilt in our city quilt show in September and was surprised to received 2 ribbons:  Best Hand Quilting and 2nd Place for Theme - A Salute to Texas !  This was the first time I used Depression Era quilting, or Big Stitch with size 8 perle cotton threads.  I loved it, and may never go back to traditional quilting. The perle cottons are yummy, coming in many beautiful colors. I ordered them online because my local stores carry only the basic primary colors.  This quilt was hand appliqued, too, so I spent many hours bonding with this project.  It's so big I don't have a spare wall in the house to place it and I dare not put it on the 'cat scanned' bed.  My favorite block is the Twisted Rainbow Lone Star.  A rainbow is such a hopeful thing.

 "And God said...I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." 
                                          Genesis 9:13

I entered our guild challenge to design a Texas themed quilt for our 2017 show raffle. Yea! I won! Ooh! That meant I had to draft 13 actual sized patterns from my 8.5" x 11" graph paper drawing. It took a lot of calculating and redrawing for this process, but it was worth it.

The quilt blocks were made by many members and then assembled and beautifully machine quilted. It turned out very close to my drawing layout - I may be the only one to notice a few differences. I think my barbed wire border is most unique to the quilt.

Already many raffle tickets have been sold. The money raised helps fund our many community charitable projects.

The raffle committee chairman attached a zippered label pouch on the back that contains my explanation of the meaning behind all the blocks as related to Texas (star - Texas state seal; state flower - bluebonnets; state nickname - Lone Star; etc.) and a photo of me and all the quilters.

​Yee Haw!

                       "As each has received a gift,
        use it to serve one another."  1 Peter 4:10

Those who know me know that I appreciate old quilts and quilt blocks. I try to find a way to save or reuse the fabrics. This year at our local guild auction one of my projects turned into a little beauty.

I received about 15 very aged Sunbonnet Sue blocks from a friend.  The blocks were stained, the muslin was turning brown, and there were a few holes. I salvaged the best blocks and soaked them in Orvus, Retro Clean, or the Vintage Textile Soak. The muslins became clean and bright again.  Next I trimmed the blocks to size and added bright purple and green small print cotton sashes and cornerstones.  Another guild member quilted Sue and the revived little quilt was happily purchased by an admirer.  

So glad to say...another save complete.

        "He reworked it into another..."       Jeremiah 18:4

After taking test drives on every company's longarm at Houston last fall I decided on purchasing the Brother Fabric Frame.  It is meant to be 'the last of my lifetime' sewing machine purchase.  I was attracted to the smaller size that fits exactly where I had a twin bed in a former bedroom, and the ability to sit down while quilting regulated stitches. But, finding support for my questions has proved difficult.

I've contacted The Grace Company who makes the frame and they refer me to Brother who refers me to my local machine shop. The local shop has not yet seemed to develop a SME... Subject Matter Expert, nor do they offer classes specific to this frame and it's quilting process.

I would like to start a blog and hope to find others who can share their insights and tips and tricks.  I have a few already, but I'm anxious to know more.  Anyone else interested?  

We have many wonderful memories of living in Europe, and Fasching/Carnevale is one of them.  The fabric stores began carrying a fantastic assortment of beautiful fabrics and patterns for creating costumes to wear at celebrations prior to Ash Wednesday. I made several fun items for my girls when they were young - capes, fru-fru dresses, etc.  

Above are this year's pictures of my friend who still makes fabulous costumes for herself and family and friends to wear in Venice at Carnevale. She collects some of her specialty fabrics on trips to Turkey.  She takes suitcases packed with a variety of hoops, skirts, masks, and headgear so everyone can wear more than one costume.  Her work is so gorgeous she is often photographed for posters and caledars.  

​Enjoy some more scenes from this year's Venetian Carnevale...