I have used my favorite pajama pattern and made some summer pajamas for P. These are the ones I cut out just before we lost power last weekend. I have been working on the never ending process of cleaning up my sewing room. P and I went through some fabric stacks trying to find some fabrics for her pajamas. We found three prints that she liked but there was not quite enough of any of them. We then went through the stack of solid fabrics to find coordinating fabrics to finish them up. Each pair ended up with a different fabric plan.I think she likes them.
The fabric in these pajamas is now in P's dresser. The scraps are in the scrap bin for other projects. I created a small amount of space in my fabric cupboard where I have put fabric from one of the piles on the floor. And so it goes; progress.On to other projects.
Quilt Binding Tutorial
People often ask ask how I bind my quilts. I have started binding both the large and small quilts the same way, with a single thickness binding. I have never had a binding wear through on a quilt and I like the way the thinner binding allows the quilt to drape. It gives a soft edge. If the binding were to wear through it would be easy to replace it. I have written up a tutorial explaining how it is done. The link will be in the tutorial drop down for easy reference.
Blast from the Past
I have been wanting to share my first quilt.
I don't want to share it because it is anything spectacular; quitethe opposite, actually. I want to share it because of it's simplicity.Simple 4 and a half inch squares. I like it not for its aestheticbeauty but for the memories it holds for me. I remember tracing arounda cardboard template with a ball point pen and cutting out the squareswith my scissors. I love that there is no doubt when thesefabrics were collected. I would sit on the couch and pin the squares together with pins every quarter to half inch. I can't believe I pinned them! This quilt was finished in 1976.It is made from fabrics left from clothes that my sisters and I made for ourselves and some made by our mother.
There are even a couple of fabrics from my friend P in our 4-H club.
My oldest sister made a dress out of that kelly green and a pinafore outof the castles in the sky fabric. I could not wait until she hadoutgrown that set and I could wear it! I had to make sure that the two fabricswere together in the quilt.
I look at these fabrics now and can't imagine any middle schooler today wearing anything made out of these.
All three of us had dresses and matching shorts out of this "little bird" fabric.
It wouldn't have been the 1970s without the mushrooms.
Does anyone else remember a fabric called kettle cloth? That linenlook polyester that came in sooooo many colors. It would never wearout. This whole quilt is backed in beige kettle cloth.
Can't you picture it- on my bed in my basement room with the kelly green built in desk and shelves and green and white paneling. The gold shag carpet pulled it all together, I think. Yep. It was the 70s.I don't use it anymore because all that polyester makes me sweat. But, it is fun to get it out and look at it every once in a while.
Tiny Quilt
Crazy woman that I am, I joined the mini quilt swap group on flickr. The idea for this group is to use some of the leftover blocks from other quilts and make tiny quilts from them.
A year or two ago, I was in a quilt workshop where we brought "parts" and fabrics and tried to put them together in one quilt. I was inspired by a picture of a wonderful antique quilt that had a very spontaneous style to it. The method did not work for me. My hope for a beautiful spontaneous quilt ended up in a mess that was folded up when I got home. Over time it became buried under other projects and piles of fabric. While looking for some leftover blocks for this swap, I came across it again. After looking at it, I decided that I liked the parts better than the whole and took a corner out of it for my mini quilt. I will continue to "free" other parts of this quilt. They just don't look happy together here.
I quilted it with variegated thread and squared it up and moved on to other tasks like fixing dinner, reading stories, or gardening.When I was ready to put on the binding last night, I couldn't find it.Bother.I never can remember where I put things. Last night, when I was getting ready to go to bed, I saw this in the doll cradle. Notice that it has no binding.
P's little dolls must know that one must have at least 10 quilts before one gets married.This quilt is 8.75 x 9.25 inches. (The quilt really is rectangular; the photo makes it look a bit wonky.)
Tomorrow this quilt will be on its way to Nebraska, not quite as far as the other doll quilt which went to Finland.
The "Doll" Quilt
P and I did some sewing yesterday and got her big girl quilt top finished.
She calls it her "doll" quilt and is now talking about having the quilt in her room. I think it will help her make the transition to the big bed.
Maybe I can have it quilted and finished by her third birthday.
Generations of Love
P is getting big but she has so far resisted the idea of getting a "big girl bed." She does not want to give up her crib. She likes to read books in her crib at night and to stay in her crib long after she is awake in the morning. I thought that she might like the idea of a big bed better if we made a quilt for a big bed.
My Grandmother and her neighbor, Margaret, used to make quilts together for the babies in the family. They made D. this Dresden plate baby quilt when he was born.
Margaret was also the one who helped my mother make "Dutch Girl" blocks using feed sacks as background when she was just a child. My sister, G., now has those blocks. I thought it fitting that I ask Margaret to make the blocks for P's quilt. We have chosen 25 from the blocks she sent and they will be put together with sashing and cornerstones. This is a special family project for me. Though neither my mother nor grandmother lived to meet P., she'll soon be sleeping under a quilt they have both had a hand in creating. I like to picture her sleeping under three generations of love and stitches.
Doll Quilt Finished
I finished the doll quilt for the swap this afternoon. This quilt will be mailed far away!
I really like hand quilting with that hand dyed perle cotton. Like the other doll quilts, I quilted free form without marking the quilt.
Ties That Bind
I have a big shopping bag of neckties that belonged to my father-in-law. I plan to make some wall hangings from them for B., his siblings, and mom.
My first step will be to take them apart and wash them. I haven't decided anything past that. I would like to try some applique and also pieced. I think they would look good in a log cabin pattern with narrow logs. They are of all different fabric content so there will be some challenges there.Have any of you made a quilt from ties? I am open to any suggestions you may have.
Three Ring Circus
Springtime here is often like a three ring circus. It becomes difficult to keep up with it all. I am still trying to work on some needlework projects like this quilt I am finishing up. My grandmother embroidered the blocks and I am finishing the quilt for my aunt. 
The weather is warm so we are also trying to get the garden planted in the bits of time after school and work before it gets dark.
B is laying out the irrigation hose and D is tilling.
M spreads mulch for potatoes.
P wants to be a part of everything, even if that means she doesn't have dinner until we all come in after 8:00 p.m.There is always an adjustment for us at this time of year. The longer days are very welcome and we want to stay out and enjoy it.
More flowers are blooming every day. There is, however, still the usual indoor list of things to do too, house keeping and homework.
Quilts in a Series or Stuck in a Rut?
I have never really thought of myself as an artist, certainly not an artist who works in a series. That sounds so serious. But I seem to be doing just that with the exquisite quilt block.It is such a simple block, a square with patches sewn on opposite corners. I use Gwen Marston's liberated approach to piece the blocks. This is one of the first quilts of this pattern that I made, with plain white background and all scraps on the corners. Next, came a little quilt with a color theme of pink and green, still the same design but the scraps are more controlled. The "Be Mine" quilt was also from this pattern.
I pulled these fabrics for the little quilt I am making for the doll quilt swap. I thought I would try a variation in the background squares with some different shades of cream and tan.I also varied the shape of the base blocks. This time they are different size rectangles all cut from the same size strip of fabric.
The top is finished and now needs quilting and binding. I am waiting for the quilting inspiration.
So, is an artist working on a series just someone stuck in a rut? Do artists set out to do series work or does it just happen?
Think Pink
I made a couple of aprons yesterday. My sister had sent some coordinating "sweet shop" fabrics from Super Buzzy so when I went to the sewing room to choose fabrics they were right on top. P loves pink so she was happy with that choice. I thought she needed another apron as she wears them all the time over her clothes. One must be ready at a moment's notice to do some baking or other apron requiring task. She wore her "egg gathering" apron when we shoveled out the barn so I didn't want that back in the kitchen until after it was washed. I used the same pattern for the new aprons.
The best aprons, of course, include rickrack.
Wouldn't you know, in my GINORMOUS box of rickrack and bias tape there was not enough matching bias tape to trim the aprons. I made my own from the pink fabric and I like the way that turned out better. I like that it is a bit wider than manufactured bias, and it has the same look as the fabrics.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Guess who helped me baste this quilt.
I remember the boys used to love helping with my quilt projects. They would sit on the floor behind me and play with the fabric pieces. Some of their first math skills came from quilt designs. They would"help" me figure out how many of each block I would need to make for a quilt of a certain size. They would arrange the pieces so that they had different kinds of symmetry. Sometimes they came up with great designs that were better than what I had in mind. They would choose different fabrics that looked GREAT. As they grew older and started school I got used to having my own time. I could start in on a project and go with it. I could work all day and not worry about lunch. Sometimes I just want to get a project done without P's help, whether it is making dinner or a sewing project. That was my plan when I started the basting project. I was going to get it done during her nap. I am glad now that she woke before I finished. All of those pins stuck in the quilt make me smile.I need to remember that making cookies, fixing dinner, whatever I do is an event. I shall try not to rush through the everyday things. They are, after all, what it is that I am doing- what I want to be doing.
March of the Tools - Thimble
This weekend I did a little hand work to finish up a small quilt. I thought I would share a little about why I have more than one thimble!
I like this Roxanne thimble because it has an opening at the top that allows air circulation and also a place for my finger nail to be. Switching to this expensive and elegant thimble made quilting much easier and more fun for me. I can quilt for hours without my finger tip getting sweaty. I can also push the needle through the fabric with the end of my finger which is much easier on the finger joints. I actually have two of these, a small size for winter and one size larger for summer when my fingers swell a little. I have had mine for years. I just linked to the source and they have gone up in price a bit. Still I won't quilt without one.
For other sewing and applique I use a different thimble because I push the needle with the side of my finger.
This thimble works well for that. I also run my sewing thread over a piece of beeswax to keep it from knotting. I find that I feel more regal when using beeswax that has been formed in a fancy mold. I get beeswax from the neighboring farm, melt it in a double boiler, and pour it into candy molds.
Here is the little quilt. It is an interpretation of Grant Wood's "American Gothic" painting.
New Pajamas
P is growing fast. I made her two pair of pajamas this weekend. I used the pattern shown here. This is a well used pattern I picked up at a rummage sale when the boys were little. I made pjs for them and also for some of my nieces and a nephew.
I like that I get to use this favorite pattern again. This pair is out of a soft flannel with a rosebud print. P loves them. The other pair is a cotton teddy bear print. Both fabrics were given to me by a friend when she cleaned her sewing room.
I think P is trying to show you that it has an elastic waist. Either that or she is trying to tell me she is tired of pictures and would like her breakfast.
March of the Tools - Scissors
True left handed scissors- if you are right handed you probably have not thought about the difference. Try this, hold your right handed scissors in your left hand. Now, try to cut out a shape drawn on a piece of paper. Not so easy, is it? The first thing you will notice is that you cannot see the line you want to follow unless you rotate your hand toward you and crane your neck to look over the scissor blade. The other thing you might not notice right away is that the natural tendency when using scissors is for the thumb to push out and the fingers to pull inwards. On the left hand this forces the blades apart instead of keeping the cutting edges against each other.
True left scissors have their blades reversed so that the natural tendency to push out with the thumb while cutting keeps the blades together and cutting well. You can also see where you are cutting much easier.
A few years ago I treated myself to these pairs of true left handed dress making shears and pinking shears. Now, I wish all of my scissors were true left hand design so that I wouldn't have to switch back and forth. If you are lucky enough to be left handed like me, get yourself some true left handed scissors. You can avoid hand strain and callouses on your thumb from pulling the thumb blade towards your hand with right hand scissors! Switch soon, you deserve it!
The Cult of the Needle
How could I pass up a book with this title? I found this great little book at a used book store. It was printed in England around 1910.
It contains directions on how to do many kinds of needlework, embroidery, and lace making. It also has several very practical chapters. The one called "The Mending Basket" is particularly interesting. The author, Flora Klickmann, talks about preventative mending:"We have heard that in China it is the custom to pay the family doctor to keep his patients in good health rather than to call him in only after illness has laid the sufferer low. Many of us applaud this system, but have neither the opportunity nor, perhaps, the courage, to defy conventions in our own country.But why not pursue the same wise course in dealing with household mending? It works admirably.Take the proverbial stitch that "saves nine" in very good time, even before there is any apparent need for it, and you'll find it will work miracles."Flora did not think highly of "ready-made frocks" either. She recommends that you resew all buttons and reinforce sleeves and hems "before the garment is worn for the first time, to overcome the little deficiencies that we may expect to discover in the 'ready-mades.'"I think she was also not a fan of the "modern laundry." It is the cause of much of our mending! "Where our mothers could keep their under clothing in good condition for years, ours is torn to shreds, and some of it comes home ragged and tattered most weeks from the average laundry. Knicker frills go very quickly, and often need replacing." She then explains a simple way to renovate the knickers.She talks about choosing quality materials and techniques for your work."I want to urge those of you who have any time to give to needlework to remember that this is as much an art as painting and music and architecture. You can be blunting- or elevating- your artistic sense (and that of other people) by the type of work you produce and display, just as much as by the type of picture you hang upon your wall. You will be lowering your ideals by doing shoddy work and false work, just as you will be raising them by doing work that is thorough and conscientious."By false work she means "the sort of work that strives by cheap tricks to look like something that it isn't."The chapter called "The Educational Value of the Doll" is also very much worth reading. "The child who has helped to put together her doll's combinations, will have no difficulty in making her own later on, neither will she be perplexed when she in turn has little people to sew for.""This instruction as to the doll's wearing apparel is only the beginning of the educational possibilities of the doll. The next step is to encourage the little girl to see to the household linen and general furnishings of the doll's house."Show her how to make the small feather bed, and how to stuff the pillows. She can make a little mattress from small cloth clippings; this will teach her the value of tiny waste bits of material..."I think a lot of what Flora wrote is still applicable today. Her notes on quality are right on the mark. Along the same lines I remember my mother saying "if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right!" I agree with her thoughts on the dolls too. There are many life skills to be learned from caring for dolls. I do a lot of mending too but I have to admit I don't often mend undergarments.
Painful Process
It is a painful process.
My family calls it "cleaning up the slow way." No, really, I AM cleaning the house. I have tackled the Lone Ranger pile! These Matryoshka dolls are finished and ready to be mailed for a swap.
I am eager to see the Matryoshka dolls that others have made.I made one from a tiny sock for P.
P likes her. "Isn't she cute?"
Lone Ranger
One of B's roommates in college had a name for the socks that came out of the wash with no match. He called them "Lone Rangers." For some reason little socks are more prone to become "Lone Rangers."I thoroughly cleaned house and did all the laundry and these are definitely lone rangers.
I am tired of keeping this little pile so we are using them in projects. P and I made this little puppet yesterday.
It was a good project to work on while it was snowing.
We then went out and shoveled the porch.
P had some tea party goodies in her cardboard box oven and was still wearing her apron.
Great Grandmother's Gown
Today I'll share photos of a gown my great grandmother made before her wedding in 1914.
The padded satin stitch petals are amazing.
Isn't that hand stitching incredible! I love all of those little eyelets.
Look at the edge stitching on the cuff!!I hope someday to be this good!
Be Mine
Again, I am inspired by Valentine's Day. Remember those candy hearts with the messages? Be Mine, Forever, Yours Truly,...
B has always said that these thirties reproduction prints remind him of super sweet candy. As with candy, large pieces can be overwhelming. But in small doses, mixed with something else,
they are quite pleasing.
I finished the edge with rick rack
and hand quilted this small quilt.
I love it!
