Strawberry Preserves

Summer is quickly turning to fall, but I’m just not ready for the change of seasons. I’m smitten with this summer’s project and can scarce think of anything else. It's a small quilt that features a vintage embroidered strawberry. Maybe you remember it from here.

Typical of the 1930s-40s, motifs like this one embellished household linens such as tea towels, tablecloths and pillowcases. This particular berry came from a vintage napkin. When it came to choosing fabricswith calico, polkadot and gingham check prints also popular at that time?

I set the project aside years ago when I gave up doing handwork, but . Fortunately, my friend Ruth offered to hand quilt and bind it.

seems the weakness and lack of dexterity in m. A sweet quilt like this deserved better, so I showed it to my friend, Ruth, who's an , she offered to finish the project for me!

Just look at her beautiful stitches. When the perle cotton catches the light, it adds a subtle sheen to the overall design.

 

As it turns out, making a doll quilt was the perfect way to preserve that vintage strawberry! Thank you to Vicki Haninger for the inspiration and to Ruth, of course. for seeing the project to fruition.

Strawberry Patch Preserves

15” x 17”

machine pieced, hand quilted

2019

Midwinter Blues

I had a birthday recently and with it came this marvelous quilt from Barb. You may recognize it as Midwinter Blues, a pattern designed by Lori DeJarnatt for her 2014 Humble Quilts sew-along. 

Aren't these fabrics exquisite? I've never seen such deep, saturated blues or bold cheddar prints. Double-click photos for more detail.

With all those points and angles, the quilt looks rather busy, especially when high-contrast fabrics like these are used. Barb managed to reduce the visual energy with a couple clever tricks.

First, she chose an all-over quilting design with gentle, flowing curves of teacup quilting create , whilehelp balance all that 

By substituting silk thread for cotton, her machine quilting practically melts into the background leaving just a hint of texture behind.

Barb always chose this lovely patriotic print for the back--"E pluribus unum" or "Out of many, one." 

As you can see, the quilt was originally made for Barb's dear friend, Mary B. After Mary passed away, Barb thought I might enjoy having it. Thanks, Barb. You bet I will! XO

 

If you'd like to make your own Midwinter Blues quilt, instructions can be found on Lori DeJarnatt's  Humble Quilts blog: 

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Finale.

Another Year Older

                                         23 February 2017

Dear Barb,

My birthday quilt arrived and I wish you could see the ear to ear grin on my face. What a happy piece of patchwork to open on a gray February day!

Few things are as charming as pink and blue sitting side by side like this.

I love the elegant bird toile you used on the back. It's quite a contrast to those quirky conversation prints on the front of the quilt. Baseball players and baby faces--What fun!

    

Thank you, Barb. Your birthday quilts always take the edge off turning another year older. 

Scrappy Birthday

I remember visiting my friend Barb's sewing room one time and getting to explore a drawer full of miscellaneous quilt blocks. What fun it would be, I thought, to arrange them like puzzle pieces into various quilt designs.

Well, that’s exactly what Barb did to make this year's birthday gift for me! All the elements came from her stash of "pieces and parts" leftover from previous quilt projects. Blocks of various sizes were made to fit by adding on or trimming as need be.

I’m guessing Barb started with the vintage Shoo Fly block, then added Broken Dishes to continue the classic blue and brown color scheme. When the strip of Flying Geese was too long to fit, Barb simply lopped it off leaving a quirky little partial block behind.

Adding to its "make do" charm is a backing pieced from three strips of chintz. It takes a keen eye to spot the seams. Can you find them? Barb also varied her binding just as a long-ago seamstress might had she run out of her intended fabric.

Lastly, a gentle tea bath gives the quilt its aged appearance. Don’t you love that detail?

Weeks before my birthday, I spotted a vintage bowl on Etsy. "That's just what I need," I told myself. "Wouldn't it look great filled with old buttons, sitting atop a scrappy quilt?"

When just such a quilt arrived, I raced right back to Etsy and bought the bowl. Happy birthday to me!

By the way, here are photos of Barb's actual "miscellaneous block" drawers. Do you see the allure? Wouldn't you love to reach in there and rummage around? 

Thanks for another great birthday quilt, Barb. You always manage to surprise and delight me! XO

At Times Like These

Hello everyone. Where were we when I last posted? Oh yeah, smack dab in the middle of the worst year ever! Twenty-sixteen brought an unrelenting onslaught of disasters--everything from wildfires, hurricanes and floods to mass shootings, civil unrest and unprecedented political farce. In the midst of it all, a sudden death in the family left me paralyzed with grief.

It's only been nine months, but I'm ready to start dealing with things instead of just wallowing in sadness. Creative endeavors have helped in the past (here and here), and to that end, we did a deep dive in my sewing room. 

ooking for something to pique my interest. Well, something finally did--an assortment of homespun plaids all cut and ready to sew. Kathie Holland, do you remember sending this kit to me years ago?

Blocks are pieced using Mary Ellen Hopkins' “connector corners” technique. Stars cleverly appear as the blocks are sewn together. Wanda Hanson assembled the quilt and added plaids of her own to make it a more functional table runner size.

Wanda chose a lovely striped backing and binding in my favorite colors. I like how her diagonal machine quilting echoes the linear theme.

Plaid Fancy

18" x 27"

Some of the comfort a quilt provides comes from the soul of its maker. This one's imbued with the love and kindness of compassionate friends, who in bringing it to life, restored a bit of my own!

Welcome Spring

Happy spring everyone! The weather today was perfect for a visit from my friend, Terri. It was beautifully sunny and warm enough to open windows,

we basked in the breeze and let sunshine settle on our faces.  

We talked nonstop over lunch and hardly got a bite in edgewise for all the catching up we had to do.

Before leaving, Terri offered to do a little something around the house. I asked her to arrange the pretty tulips she brought with a little quilt from my stash.

This one is nothing special--just a few nine patches swapped with friends,

but even a humble quilt like this one deserves its day in the sun. Thanks again, Terri. Your arrangement will keep me smiling all week!

 

The Lincoln Memorial

Hello all! The little quilt was a birthday gift from my friend Barb Vedder a few years back. Thanks again, Barb!

I call it "The Lincoln Memorial,” a monumental name for a miniature quilt, but I like the play on words.

The medallion-style format features Abe at its center, surrounded by three deceptively simple borders. According to Barb, "fabric choices really matter in small projects like this. When only a few are used, it can be challenging to pick just the right ones."

After trying "a gazillion” options, Barb's persistence paid off. Her savvy choices add depth, complexity, and gravitas to the otherwise simple design. 

I wonder if Barb had Ford’s Theatre in mind as she auditioned fabrics, or was it happenstance how closely they resemble the scene of Lincoln’s demise?

From the rich red carpet and brocade upholstery...

to the heavy swag draperies of the Presidential Box, the similarities are striking.

Even the riverboat scene on the back is accurate to the era.

This is just one of many patriotic quilts inspired by Barb’s love of U.S. history and Americana. She displays her quilts and collections throughout her lovely home. Be sure to check them out!

Incidentally, there's also a connection between our little town of Batavia, Illinois and Mary Todd Lincoln. Ten years after her husband's tragic death, Mary was deemed mentally unstable and committed to Bellevue Place, a rest home and sanitarium just blocks from our house. Her stay was brief, a mere four months, but long enough for Mrs. Lincoln to earn a prominent spot in local lore. 

Garden Maze

It finally feels like Spring here. Time to celebrate with something fresh and new! Aussie quilter Marian Edwards posted this little quilt on her beautiful blog, a must read for anyone interested in antique and reproduction quilts, especially of the small variety.

Marian designed her quilt with bits and pieces leftover from previous projects. Hmm... I had some of the very same bits lying around my own sewing room!

A single Dresden Plate block,

a couple of appliquéd flowers,
embellished with buttonhole
stitch embroidery,

and precut strips of 1930s repro fabric.

These particular bits were leftover from various classes I'd taught. By making class samples and demo blocks from the same style of fabric,  it was easy to incorporate them into another project later on.

Kathy Smith used my pieces to create a miniature sampler style quilt. She brought new life to what certainly would have remained scraps if left in my care.

Kathy hand quilted simple designs, reminiscent of 1930s quilts.

I've named it "Garden Maze," for the labyrinth pattern created by the strip pieced blocks. The quilt measures 27” square and is backed with a sweet jonquil print.

Our grand kitty, Gandalf, laid claim to it just as we tried taking pictures. I love the way his tippy toes rest right at the edge of the quilt.