My Flower Garden

I promised you a picture of my next quilt, My Flower Garden. I didn't have a pattern so went to the library and found a book that had it in. Made a template out of cardboard but later found one made out of tin with sandpaper on the back so it would not slide.

I learned that it should be with a yellow center, then a plain color and then a floral and the green representing the garden path. Putting them altogether with muslin.

Everyone of thsse blocks are different and they are not really easy to put together. Needs a little practice. As you can see in this picture The bottom is scalloped around the flowers. Some people cut the blocks and made it straigth as it is easier to bind. I acturally sewed this binding on by machine but of course did the last by hand.

This is a picture of the hexegon used to make these blocks. At the corners are larger dots. You sew two pieces dot to dot. Then another one doing two sides..I meant a lot of cutting off and knot tieing. I always started in the middle and sewed the first row all around. then started on the second row. Just going from dot to dot.

Here's a closeup of one of the blocks. What makes this so much fun to look back on is that both of these prints were my clothes. I had a dress out of the outside print and I think a skirt out of the black with red flowers

Another closeup but also showing how I did the sides. Just partial blocks made a straight side but it is still scalloped with with the hexagon.

Just another closeup of the end. I have quilting inside of each hexegon. Didn't know about taking the 1/4 in in those days. Now I use the tape as I can't get it even otherwise.

Hope you have enjoyed looking at some of my older quilts. This went on our bed in our new home and then when it became impossible to sleep in the same bed, He's hot and I'm cold. I had an old twin bed in the same room and I bought a completed top at a house auction and quilted it. It's has much softer colors in it more like the 30's.

This is a crazy picture but it shows how I finished the corners.

A little trip back in time. I made this between 1964-66. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by.

New and Old

Thought I would show you another project I'm working on. This is the first place mat I've finished quilting..

There are 5 more all with different fruit.

These were some printed pieces that came to be from a friend who cleaned out all her quilting stuff. Thought they would be good for the table.

Then here is the first double wedding ring quilt I made..Started this one after I finished the butterfly quilt. I had so many scraps and this is what I used. I think I only bought some muslin for the top and backing

It is all hand pieced and hand quilted. This isn't one that you could even sew the rows together on the machine. I did sew the binding on the machine and it is scalloped all around.

I tried to keep the big rings in one color. As you can see these are very much fabrics from the 50's and many were from clothes that I had made for myself and my daughter. The date I have on this is 1960- 62,
I don't know if you can see the quilting design in the center but it is rather intricate. I used my Mothers cardboard templates for this. Cutting the colored pieces out holding the fabric and template in my hand and with scissors cut around the fabric so I'm sure a lot of them weren't perfect.

Here's another closeup of the blue ring.. I doubt if there are many people making quilts like this any more. Just to time consuming. But we expected to take a couple years to make a quilt. We weren't working on two or three projects at a time. I usually finished a quilt before I started another. That means the quilting an all.
This was on our bed until we moved into our home that we built up here on the mountain in 1964 and then I had made a Grandmother's Flower garden quilt. Which I will show you next time. So come back.

Buzz Saw Block Swap

Since Kairle, over at Happy Valley, showed what she was working on yesterday, I thought I would show you what I've done the last couple days.

These are my Buzz Saw blocks. This is the Friendship swap which the Quilters Hollow does once a year. I know I don't need another bunch of blocks but, I like making blocks.

I have the red set all done That consists of 12 blocks with 4 of these little ones making up a block. They are fun to make but when sewing all those strips together it does get a little boring.

I've finished for the day. Have about 2 sets of the green all cut and ready to sew the strips but I've had enough for today.

Besides it's almost dinner time and I'll have to get the chicken out of the oven soon.

The fun with this swap is we'll get back a big variety of blocks and then we can set them any way we want.

Since I've finished most of my projects for the month, I need to find the second quilt I made. The first of the Double Wedding Rings. But it's put away and I need to dig it out to take a picture. So stay tuned.

Mystery Wheel

Another project finished for the month. This is a mini or pint size of a mystery quilt which Kairle gave us a couple years ago. It's been finished laying on top of a case just waiting to be quilted. Had the backing with it.

So I took it down and got it quilted last week and then the binding on and just finished it last night.

I used out of my stash for this. The first on , a large size I made with TB fabric. This is the prettiest paisley but sure couldn't see any markings on it to quilt the border. Ended up marking on the back. Since I had stitched in the ditch on both sides of the inner border I had that to follow when marking the back. I doubt if you can see it through. But it is done.

This has been a very busy day for me but I wanted to get this written. I sure appreciate the comments I've been getting . At least I know someone is reading and looking at the few pictures I put up.

Thanks for stopping by.

Vintage Stitches

Finally this quilt is finished. Now the front and back have been done for two years but as you can see it is big and when you see the back further down you will see it is a reversible quilt. So I didn't want to hand quilt it. Needed an overall design done on the machine but not by me.

We have another member of our group whose name happens to be the same as mine, She is much more quiet though. She got a frame last year after moving into a new home with room and when I said something about getting someone to quilt this she said she would as soon as she got bigger poles.

So about a month ago she said she had her poles and to send it. Which I did and within a few weeks she had it done.

This is the top. The large light blocks in the center have designs significant for each month. Some of the women embroidered the blocks . Some colored them in, Which is what I did with the second set on the back. The tumbling blocks is a printed fabric

Here is the back. I did this differently than the pattern called for.

Here is a closeup of part of a block and I think you can see the quilting which is a Pantograph of large swirling feathers

Here is the April block for Easter. I colored them using regular crayons and heat setting them.

It seemed to take forever to get the binding on this. It is queen size and I'm very glad to have it finished.

My New tote

Just wanted you to know that I have been doing a little sewing. Between quilting things and sewing on binding you have to do a little something else.
This pattern was in the Aug. 07 McCall's quilting magazine and I had made one for another swap with a gal on the Carol Doak group. Wanted to make one for ME. So with a package of Charms of the new Lakeside collection of Thimbleberries I put this together.

It really isn't as easy as it looks with putting fusible fleece on the backs of both the front and the lining it makes for a pretty thick sew.

One nice thing is it take a little magnet on each side as a closer.

Nice a big . Holds a book that I like to take along to the beauty parlor, the doctor's office which we have many to visit.

So that's my show and tell for today.

Butterfly Flutterby

I love the heading Kim gives to my posts,.So usually don't change them.

This is about my very first quilt started in the mid 50's before my DD was born. We lived in an apartment and I needed something more to do and also wanted a quilt.
But what pattern to make?

My husband said to make a butterfly quilt. I hadn't seen a pattern like that. He said his grandmother had made one. She lived with them in his teen years, before she died.

My Mother-in-law said she thought there was a box on the attic with some of Grandma's quilting stuff so up we went. Aren't attic's wonderful? This was sure was. Always cleaned once a year and everything in it's place.

Sure enough we found the box and the butterfly pattern, Even the original newspaper clipping where she got it. I think my DD has the box now.

So I proceeded to make a block. Now I started sewing when I was about 13 and my Mother had made quilts off and on all her life but I never paid any attention to what she did.

I knew how to follow a pattern. I think I had gotten a couple books out of the library but you know the quilting books of 1950's was nothing like today's.

No body told me this was a difficult pattern to make but when putting it together it is not easy. You have to make the two sides and then sew the body in while sewing the whole block together.

My Mother visited while I was pieciing these blocks and made one block. Said it was to difficult for her. That block is in the quilt but she got the odd shaped background pieces on the top of the butterfly backwards. I just left it.


It was all hand pieced and hand quilted. Not fancy by any means. As you can see the wing tips and center are the same in all the blocks, Half with gold outside and half with brown chambray. The body was scraps left over from a circular skirt I made for myself. Had yellow roses.
The three pieces in the wings are all scraps from things I made or some I brought back with me from my Mother's She had a huge box of scraps.

I figured that there are 82 complete blocks and then one the one row there is a half block to fill in and at the ends there are just pieces. This is the way the pattern had it.

This is taken from the side so you can see the half blocks.

Another closeup to see the fabrics and my terrific quilting. LOL

The whole quilt. This was completed in 1960. In the apartment we had a long narrow living room and at the end was a big unfinished storage area and I found an old quilting frame there. Ask the owner if I could use it. So set it up and was able to quilt this much easier with a little one under foot. My daughter was born in 1959.

She used this on her bed until she left for college and so the top is very worn. Should have done like my Mother used to do, Put a protective piece of muslin over the top to keep from wearing the binding. Course this was before we learned to double the binding to wear better.

Thought maybe some of you would be interested in some of my old quilts. Next one I made was a double wedding ring using the templates in cardboard that my Mother had made and used.

It is very scrappy. More later. Thanks for stopping by

Snow Days

Ah, yes we had a snow day. Thursday , it started about 1 AM and snowed all day and ended with sleet and rain. . Having gotten warmer. We got about 3-4 inches

This was taken out of my window. Notice the birds waiting their turn to get the seeds. There are a couple of small dogwood trees there that they love to land on before going over to the feeder.

This I took across the front of the house. The road is on the other side of the rail fence. The snow plow hadn't been through yet. Later in the evening when it had turned to a light rain. My neighbor right behind came up with his tractor and cleaned my driveway completely. This is the kind of neighbors to have.

I finished up the next project for the month. The picture is down below but I wanted to get something ready for hand work. Our quilters Hollow group is having a retreat in conjunction with the shop hop around the Kansas City area. We have 4 members that live around there and wanted us to come. So I am going to be able to get away for a long weekend. More about that later ., but I was thinking of having some hand work to take with me to work on. So looking in some patterns and kits that had been given to me I found this one kit. Weren't we talking about starting for Christmas early

The date on this pattern is 1995 by Rachel's of Greenfield. Isn't she cute?
All the fabrics are there. So I have pieced the backing and made the pieces to be appliqued and will put it all in a baggie and there is one project to take

Now here is the Jingle Joly Runner I showed about a week ago. All quilted and bound. The stars stand out a little bit more. I don't know if you can see how I quilted it but it was fun and didn't take very long.

I have another one to be finished and it was an old one from over a year ago. Just need to finish quilting the border and then the binding.

So more later. It's been very nice out today but is getting colder. I don't have to go out tomorrow at all. 2 football games to watch and my hubby wanted oysters again so dinner will be at noon and I can sit and quilt on my feed sack quilt as long as I want.

Time to get supper. Thanks for dropping by.

Around Town

Yesterday, I had to go down to the Post Office and the Library so decided to take my camera and get an update on the Hotel which is being renovated. I had shown you pictures in an earlier blog and told the history about this old hotel

So they have that one side which is half stone and half brick, all wrapped in this blue plastic and I believe they are cleaning the stone and brick. They did that on the front last week. Probably will replace the rotted window frames also.

From there I went about 2 blocks towards Keedysville to see the new Library

This was taken from the road. It is on land that was a farm that the city bought to increase the size of the park, which is behind the building or will be when this part is developed.
Isn't this a gorgeous building. ? Been sitting there like this since Christmas when they were suppose to move in. Someone really goofed. They had the carpet laid before the inside was finished and when they went to finish it , the carpet was in the wrong places. Soo. They have had to wait for the factory to run this pattern again. They are saying February. Sure looks like you could go right in.

I drove up around it , Should have gotten a closer view. See all the parking signs are up trees planted, grass growing looks great and stands empty.

This will be a great place for this little town.

Now we are on a snow watch for tomorrow. I have been waiting for a big one that I could get some good snow pictures to show.

Thanks for stopping by.

My Old Kentucky Home

I have finally finished this log cabin quilt. Well, the top. Getting it quilted is another thing. Will have to think about that for a bit. I've taken 3 different views. It's on my husbands bed which is a regular size and the quilt is really almost a King Size. So as you will see it goes to the floor on both sides.




With this view you can see the borders. The inside one is just small half logs and the out side is made up of 2 inch squares. what I call 3 patch. Just made a lot of them. Each side has 64 units and the top and bottom have 58. That's a lot of squares but it sure helped use up a lot of scraps.

Oh, in case I haven't said they are all Thimbleberries fabrics.


Here is a view from the bottom of the bed. Sure can see the different colors of the fabrics.
Judy Martin suggested to quilt feathers in the light blocks and diagonal lines in the darks


Here;s slightly different angle. You can see how it hits the floor on this right side also. I couldn't be more pleased with this quilt.

Any suggestions about the quilting?

My daughter said this would fit her new queen size bed but--- we will wait and see.

Mystery Done!

Yes, here is my third project finished for the month already.. I really am quite proud of the quilting on this one. I have a close up below
This was really a mystery for the card trick blocks and I decided I wanted to set mine a little differently. So used more of the printed pieces from Lazy Crazy collection of Thimbleberries from a couple years ago.
I wanted a quilting pattern that I could follow and fill in all the light spots. It was a butterfly strip and I copied it all around the center flower and them made it go around the card tricks. For the border I went around the flowers etc. Love this border fabric.

This I want to use on my table in the spring time.

Pint Sized Thimbleberries Club

I have finally finished my second project for the month. This is the Thimbleberries 2007 club quilt only I made it half size or as some say Pint Size.It's 33x46.

I did change some of the blocks. Didn't like the big setting blocks she used. I just made it my own.

Also machine quilted it Did some meandering if you can call it that. A first and it could be better but you have to learn. It will be hung in the basement along with the miniature quilts.

Now on to the next one which is the mystery quilt that Kairle gave us after Christmas. It is pictured in the Jan. 1 post. I have marked it for quilting and it is almost all pinned. I plan on going down to the basement where my Juki is setting on the two large 8 foot tables for quilting. I shall watch my soap, Days Of Our Lives, down there. Been watching that show since it started many years ago.

Hope the rest of you are coming along on your projects to complete for January. Thanks for coming.

Big Mistake

I also meant to give this award to Kathy at Inspired by Antique Quilts. I went in and told her about it but had left her name out. I don't know what I was thinking. That's what happens when you get old. LOL

Kathy is making the most wonderful copy of an old quilt she saw in a book. Do go into her blog and read about it.

See I am also a lover of old quilts. Used to sell a lot of them when you could get them at a decent price at auctions. Those days are gone but the quilts do show up now and then. Wonderful to try and duplicate them

Award

YOU MADE MY DAY Award

Gee, Marcie gave this to me the other day. Now I must follow the following directions.

The rules for this award say to choose up to 10 people whose blog brings you happiness & inspiration and makes you feel happy about Blogland. Let them know by posting a note on their blog so they can pass it on.

The very first person I read every day is Bonnie, at Quiltville, yes who doesn't. She is posting all the time and getting ready to move and quilting and giving us these wonderful patterns. I have used several. So thank you Bonnie.

Then of course there is Kim's Big Quilting Adventure, for whom I am ever grateful as I couldn't do this blog without her.

Third is one you might not have visited but should because she happens to be my niece, Joyce at And Sew On, jmquilts.blogsspot. It was wonderful to find that she was blogging also. Haven't had that much contact with her since she grew up, married and I knew she sewed and quilted. Great way to keep in contact. She has an interesting life.

Last but not least is Tazzie, Who doesn't know her. We met many years ago when she briefly was on the Quilters Hollow but left due to the family doing. So surprised that she has gone on to designing quilts and doing such a great job of using her scraps. I have always loved scrappy quilts.

So girls, You have made my day.

Now I want to show you the paper pieced block I have made to use for a in-house round robin which Carol Doak has come up with for her group, which is huge. We are to make a center block. Then each month she will give the instructions on what to do for the next round. This should be fun. The blocks of course have to be hers. I'm going to be hindered a little as I only have one of her early books to use and then of course the ones she has given us as a group and her free online ones from her web site

This block is made up of four sections. I found the backing and the brown fabric which has been in my stash for a long time. Have at least 2 yards of each and then the pinks and green center is from two packages of hand dyes that I bought at a quilt show several years ago and have never used. There are six graduations of colors in each one. So thought this would be a good way to use them. Will keep you posted.

I got my car back today, finally and really sort of hated to give the nice Dodge Caravan back. I loved driving it. Now I have a nice clean car.

ProgressReport

I decided I really wanted a final picture of this runner I made for Briana.. So I ripped open the priority envelope and took one. Thank goodness the Post Office has a good supply of these envelopes. See how the dark blue binding really helps to finish this off..
Now it is on it's way along with the Cover Story quilt for Simile, to Snowy Colorado. That project completed.

Now today I finished quilting the next one and have the binding on so as soon as I get it whipped in place I'll get a picture. Not the best job of quilting but it is very hard for this old time hand quilter to get used to doing it on the machine.

The other day I decided I wanted to try Happy Zombie's Jingle Jolly Runner but with gold stars instead of the black. I had been given a package of the TB Christmas charms and thought this would be a nice runner for an old desk we have. Here's the results
Now I just have them sewn together but the stars do not show up. I will quilt this anyway and bind it in red as that is the one fabric from this line I have enough of. It's the right size. But I wanted to show it so someone else didn't make that mistake. We all do it,. don't we?

This has been like a Spring day here in Maryland today. Got up to 70 degrees. Had a good rain the other day but that storm that is moving east from the west coast will probably bring up more rain and colder weather the end of this week.

I do want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY. to my little girl. She's 49 today. Where has the time gone.

Projects to complete for January

I signed on with May Britt and her finishing up UFO's in January so thought I would list what I plan to get finished.

Well, I have one almost finished, except for finishing the binding. That's my Great Niece, Briana's runner. I showed it on Dec. 29 to get an opinion about the binding or border. I quilted it today and sewed the binding on. So that will be done soon.

Second project is an old one. Clear back in Sept. 29 post I showed my Pint Size Thimbleberries club quilt for the year. I've had it pinned and in the basement waiting to get the urge to quilt it. Started it today.

The third one is the newest and our Quilter's Hollow Mystery quilt which I expanded a bit . It's in Jan. 1 post. But was made in the week after Christmas. I have it marked and just need to get it pinned and quilted. Should be able to finish those by the end of the month.

I'm gradually getting the last border sewn together for the log cabin but it will be a while before I get this finished. Don't know if I can tackle quilting it or not. Sure don't want to ruin it.

Things have finally settled down here after the holidays. I even have a new van to drive for a week.

Last week I was bringing DH home from a Doctor's appointment and pulling up to a stop light when a red van pulled cross traffic right in front of me. Fortunately I was not going very fast or we would have really had a mess. I hit his front tire bending it in so much that he had to call a tow truck. He knew he was wrong and didn't want to call the cops. Gave me his name and insurance and said he would report it. It's a wonder that I didn't smash his right side door with his wife on the other side.

Had a badly scratched up bumper but that was about all. At least my DH hadn't seen him before I did and didn't holler as he always tells me when the car two cars ahead had his break lights on. He was very calm about it all and said on the way home, Guess it wasn't to bad as the air bags didn't go off. LOL

So Wed. I took my car into the body shop and they called Enterprise and I got the loaner. All at the expense of HIS insurance. I should get my car back on Wed. Hope I don't have to take DH any place as I doubt that he can get into this van. Boy, it's nice though. Such is life.

Now, Kim has put the links in for me and I need to report that I finished up the binding on that runner for my niece and FORGOT to take a picture. I was so anxious to get it packaged up with the cute Cover Story quilt and mail it tomorrow. So am not going to unpack it. Just have to take my word for it.

I'm in the process of machine quilting the next one. TB Pint size club quilt for 2007 so will probably have that done in the next few days. Thanks for stopping by.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hope everyone of my blogging friends have a happy and prosperous year getting many of those UFO's completed this month. I've joined Abyquilt for the month to get what I have on tap finished.

Like the runner I showed the other day for my Great Niece, Briana. Also this past week between Christmas and New years, Kairle led us in Quilters Hollow through another Mystery quilt , but she only went as far as giving us four Card trick blocks . We then had to finish off our quilt as we wanted.

Here is my completed quilt. Wanted it a little different and thought I'd put the blocks on point. Makes for a very different look. Then to fill in the spaces I cut some of the pieces out of the printed Lazy Crazy collection and added my applique. It had the same backing fabric as I had used in my blocks BUT I didn't have enough of that fabric to finish off so went searching through my stash of TB beige's and found the one that blended in the best. Then the outside border was left from a former quilt border and had plenty of length so worked well. My Card Tricks worked into another good floral wall hanging or table topper. I can almost see it on my table.

Now this will be one of the UFO's to finish quilting for the month of January. I'll machine quilt this along with the runner for Brianna and Maybe get the pint size TB quilt quilted. It's been pinned for a month or more. Just need to get down and the Juki busing.