Monday, April 21, 2008

Certifiable?

And now for something different...

Now that the Inklingo hexagons are pieced and the Little Bow Tie is being quilted, are you wondering what is in my little hand stitching tin? Well, maybe not but I couldn't stand for my little tin to be empty so what else to do? Do you remember this picture? Of course you do!


And here it is ... filled with little tiny half inch hexagons on their way to becoming a version of the lovely quilt in the above picture (this is in Australian Patchwork and Quilting, Vol 16, No 6, February 2008 by the way). They call it Insanity but I am sane, truly I am!


I decided to pull from my abundant stash of 1930s reproductions and related prints. I'm using unbleached muslin for the background and either a blue or green solid instead of the salmon pink border in the original. Needless to say, this will be a very long term project. But it's perfect for my little take along tin!


So that's my story and I'm sticking to it...I'm not insane, I'm just a quilter!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

A Pieceful Day

For several years now I've demonstrated quilting at a local antebellum plantation one or two days a month during the warmer months (spring/summer/fall). Today was my first day for this season. The weather was perfect and it was not very busy so I was able to spend some nice quiet time just quilting. I was able to get a lot of handquilting done on the Little Bow Ties. It looks a bit wonky in the picture but it's just the angle I was shooting, it really is straight! I thought this old, worn chair made a good backdrop.


And just for more pictures, here is a four patch quilt I made several years ago at the plantation. I liked the way it looked on the chair. The next picture is on the curved steps of the main house.



And finally, here is a shot of my Circles top on the grass. I want to add a couple of borders but I don't know what yet. Perhaps a solid border first then some other pieced blocks. Any suggestions?


And yes, I do dress in antebellum costume (working dress, no hoops!) but I have a great time sitting on the porch, talking to people, and doing my handwork all at the same time!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

An Introduction

Please allow me to introduce you to a new member of the family! She arrived this week after a long cross country journey. At first she was a little shy in her traveling cloak but when she learned we have many things in common she was quite ready to come out and play.


Meet Dottie Ann, Dorothy Ann to be more precise but she prefers Dottie. A fine name for a newly arrived Southern Belle.


She comes with her own heart cookie cutter so I predict some cookie baking in the near future.



Isn't she adorable? I've seen many of her friends on different blogs that I visit and knew I had to have one. You can find out more at Raggedy Old Annies and on Nicole's blog.

Only thing is, Dottie Ann needs a quilt of her own! Stay tuned....

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Day 2 Quiltathon

I didn't get a chance to post again last night but this where I stand with the hexagon quilt. I've decided to make it a rectangle instead of square and so two corners are now done. Yes, that leaves a lot of "open" space but I have plans! I also plan to add a solid border of one of the reds in the center. The majority of the fabrics in the center are from Judy Rothermel's Civil War Classics line and I really love those reds! So, I just need to finish off the other two corners and then do the border. It has not yet been pressed so it's a bit wrinkly in this picture. It's different but I like it!


Notice I also found a place to hang it up for a picture! This is pinned to a small wall quilt I have hanging in my hallway. It's a narrow space so I won't be able to hang large tops here to photograph but it will work for smaller items. And speaking of smaller items....Ta Da! Here is the little bow tie with my final border choice. Yes, I went with my first instinct of choice number one. This is also a Jo Morton fabric. Now I just need to baste and quilt it!



In case you are wondering, yes, that is a mirror below the hexagon quilt above. It is a very heavy antique mirror that I've had for years but it's too heavy to hang here so it sits against the wall in the hall. I would show more of it but I just realized it really needs a good cleaning....oops!

Well, Sweetie has a pot of chili cooking and I think I'll take a break and have a late lunch, early supper before getting back to the next project!

Thanks for stopping by and a big thanks to those who commented and helped me decide how to complete these quilts!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Another Quiltathon Weekend!

This is just a quick post to update on my progress in this weekend's Quiltathon. Luckily I only have a few small chores to do so I can spend the weekend quilting to my little hearts content. Here I'm posting an update on the Inklingo hexagons I won in Tilde's giveaway. With your help I decided on the big hexagon layout and found the perfect background fabric at Little Quilts last weekend. It's from Jo Morton's Biscuits and Jam line and I love it!


So here is the filled out center piece and I'm beginning to work on the corners now. I hope to post pictures of my corner plans later this evening. Oh and this is all hand pieced!


I know many have asked about what border I chose for the Little Bow Ties and I'll share that later as well! I've had a good quilting week. I've been able to spend at least a couple of hours piecing every night. Now for a bite of lunch then back to quilting.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Family Stitching

I've been away this weekend visiting my parents and I thought I would take the opportunity to share a little of my family stitching history. First I want to thank everyone for helping me decide on how to finish my Inklingo hexagons and the border for my bow ties. I'll show my final decisions in the next post!

Back to this weekend...I have a couple of quilts to show everyone. The first was on my bed when I got home and was such a pleasant surprise to see again. It's a strawberry quilt made by my Great Aunt Rachel. Unfortunately she passed away when I was young so I didn't really know her but she was quite the prolific quilter and had given several to her sister, my grandmother. My grandmother moved in with my aunt this past fall so the family treasures were split up among the children and grandchildren and my mother came home with this quilt and the next one. I also was given one of Aunt Rachel's quilts which I'll have to show in another post. I need to get a good picture of it.


This next quilt was made by my maternal grandmother. She didn't quilt a lot, only to make utility quilts when my mom and her siblings were young. She did make this string star quilt I'm thinking in the 50s or 60s. I'm not sure and bless her she doesn't remember any more. I learned to quilt from my paternal grandma and that story will take many posts!



My maternal grandmother was much more of a crochet grandma. I have many, many pieces made by her and her mother which I will also share later. But these are two special pieces that my mother now has hanging in "my bedroom" at home. The first one is a piece made by my great grandmother and is framed along with one of the bone crochet hooks she used. The second one is even more special. It was made by my grandmother while she was awaiting the birth of my mother. When it was close to time for the birth of any child in the family, my great grandmother would go and wait with the expectant mother and usually they would crochet. This piece is made from thread from unraveling a feed sack.




My grandmother always had an eye for history and saved many important pieces in the family and had the good sense to label many with their story long ago. It's a good thing now that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's; we are lucky to not lose our history to this dreaded disease.

Anyway, just a tiny look into my family stitching history...I have much more that I want to share over the months to come.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my little musings and for leaving such wonderful comments!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Lovin those bow ties

I've really been having fun with these little bow ties! I've finished hand piecing the center of my little quilt, now what do I do for the border?


I had some wonderful Jo Morton fabrics arrive in my mailbox yesterday and I think I want to use one of these for the border.


Here are my options...what do you think?
Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

I was thinking Option 2 before I took the pictures, but now that I see them I'm leaning more towards Option 1, however, I like the idea of the gold as well! Oh help!