Strawberry Preserves

Hello everyone! Can you believe it's September already? I've been so focussed on this summer's project that I feel like it's still July! Some of you may remember this mid-century inspired doll quilt embellished with a vintage strawberry. I first posted about it here.

Motifs like this are typical of the 1940s-50s when they adorned household linens such as tea towels, tablecloths, and napkins. I added calicos, polka dots, and gingham checks for vintage charm and bordered the quilt with a whimsical retro-style daisy print from American Jane. 

                        

The top was finished years ago but got set aside when I gave up doing handwork. That was that... or so I thought until I pulled it out again this spring to share with my friend, Ruth. She not only agreed it was worth finishing, she even offered to do it herself! How could I refuse?

As you can see, she's a highly accomplished needlewoman. Just look at those beautiful stitches. Ruth also suggested using perle cotton for the quilting which adds a subtle luster to the overall design.

 

What started as a means of preserving a little embroidery ended up capturing the essence of summer itself. I couldn't be happier with the result! Thank you to Vicki Haninger for her inspiration and to Ruth, of course, for seeing the project to fruition. 

Strawberry Preserves

15” x 17”

2019

Scenes of Summer

Hi everyone. How was your summer? Mine was filled with extraordinary moments shared with extraordinary friends, like Wanda Hanson of Exuberant Color, who surprised me with one of her signature batik color-wash quilts. Isn't it stunning? Read more about it here. 

Of course, visits from quilters are always welcome, especially when they bring "show and tell." Here's Sheila with her Sunflower quilt and me with Wanda's Zig-Zags.

Jenny graced us with fresh-picked basil and cherry tomatoes from her garden. Jean shared a delicious peach cobbler, made with real Georgia peaches, and the best homemade blueberry pie I've ever tasted!

Local troubadour, Bill Glaysher, serenaded me one afternoon. Swoon! I even got a copy of his CD.

Which enabling friend helped make this online purchase? I couldn't resist getting a few new American Jane fabrics in summer hues.

Bev volunteered to read aloud to me. If you've never heard To Kill a Mockingbird read by a veteran English teacher you don't know what you're missing!

I came across a new quilt book too. Gwen Marston's The Magic Forest features her small tree quilts some of which I've been lucky enough to see in person.

 

Jim and I even attended a bridal shower hosted by friends, Mark and Linda, for their daughter and son-in-law to be. What lured us out on a 97-degree day was the promise of mango mimosas and eight different kinds of cake. Believe me, it did not disappoint!

Thank you dear friends for making my summer so special! We certainly made some great memories, didn't we?  XO

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!

Hi all! If you live outside the purple zone on the weather map you may be unaware of how bitter cold it is here in the Midwest right now. Current temperatures are in the single-digits with wind chills of -25° to -40°. That's breathtaking cold! Bone-chilling cold! FROSTBITE COLD! Needless to say, we're hunkered down for the duration.

In weather like this, my husband keeps his "expeditions" to a minimum, braving the elements only to trek down the driveway for mail or to shovel us out... not that we're going anywhere. Every time he opens the storm door it whines in icy protest as if to ask, “Are you sure you want to venture out today?”

I'm keeping warm with a cozy new quilt that my friend, Mary Conley, made. "The blocks might look familiar," she whispered as she placed it in my lap. Indeed they did. They were red and green nine patches I'd abandoned years earlier!

Apparently, Mary saw more potential in the blocks than I did and rescued them from the giveaway pile at quilt group. All these years later, they look fresh and new in a jaunty on-point setting. Mary's choice of homespun plaid sets the blocks off nicely too.

The red homespun backing makes it even more inviting!

Thanks again, Mary, for your wonderful surprise. Whatever plans I may have had for these blocks, you've far exceeded them!

Happy New Year everyone and best wishes to you all!

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

Hello everyone! Today was perfect for a visit from my friend, Terri. The first thing she did after walking through the door.warm and sunny today -- just right for opening the windows to the  air. In fact, that was 

Sunshine settled on our faces as we basked in the warm breeze. No words necessary; our smiles say it all!

Over lunch, we talked nonstop barely getting 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 knew she meant cleaning, but dust can wait! Instead, I asked if she'd arrange a little tableau with the tulips she brought and a little quilt from my stash.

As you can see, it's nothing special -- just a few random nine patches swapped with friends. Even so, a humble quilt like this deserves its day in the sun. 

Thanks again, Terri. Your arrangement will keep me smiling all week!

 

A Spiritual Gift

"If you are a craftsman…only look at your tools, your needle, your thimble…your scales, your measures, and you will find this saying written on them… 'Use me toward your neighbor, as you would want him to act towards you with that which is his.'"   Martin Luther

As new members of our church, we were asked to assess our "spiritual gifts and passions" and consider applying then to various church ministries. As a longtime quilt maker, naturally I was drawn to liturgical art and spent several years crafting banners for worship.

Even though my "making" days are over, I can still make things happen from time to time. After a persistent calling to contribute one more banner to Rejoice, I finally decided to commission one! 

It's the work of my friend, Wanda Hanson, who's a prodigious quilt maker and genius when it comes to using color and design. She blends hundreds of fabrics from her extensive collection into extraordinary one-of-a-kind works of art. After seeing her latest colorwash quilts, I knew one would be perfect for the sanctuary at Rejoice!

The first time I approached Wanda about making a banner, she declined. But at some point, my calling became her calling too. Eventually, she embraced the project as a creative challenge and opportunity to inspire others through her God-given skills.

We chose the Creation Story as our theme, specifically "Let there be light." portion. visual impact Creative license Focusing on the emotional truth or style of a story instead of strict reality. Ours is a sort of Bible/Big Bang mashup which includes both scriptural and scientific rationale for the origin of the universe. 

Wanda sorted, cut, arranged, and sewed hundreds of luminous batiks, each a different color and print, to create “Let there be Light.” Here are just a few samples of the 356 3"x 6” pieces she used.

And here's Wanda with her fabulous creation!

Could there be a better backdrop for worship than this glorious riot of color?

Let There Be Light

69" x 93"  

2015

  

Visit Wanda's blog, Exuberant Color, to see more of her exquisite work!

A Good Day

Any day spent with friends is a really good day!

Quilt friends, Sheila, Kathy and Mary.

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. 

You’ve Got Mail

.

A package arrived in the mail today,

and even though I knew who it was from and what was inside, 

nothing prepared me for what burst from the box as I opened it --

a glorious riot of color made by my friend, Wanda Hanson!

it's a Streak of Lightning quilt just as vibrant and lively as the name implies.

Combining Sujata Shah's design and Vicki Welsh's hand dyed fabric, Wanda achieved a 

make for one very vibrant quilt! Which 

color combinations do you prefer? 

It's pretty hard to 

It covers me perfectly from nose to toes and is just wide enough to keep me warm without entangling my arms in extra quilt.

Whether I’m snuggled under the quilt or admiring it from across the room, those colorful zig zags make me smile. Thank you, Wanda, for a gift that warms both body and soul.

  Details and Links
~36” x 63”
~Zig Zag quilt tutorial by Sujata Shah, The Root Connection
~Hand dyed cotton fabrics by Vicki Welsh