Little Red Toile and Scrimshaw Needlework Tools

In my quest to fill a gallery wall with little quilts I have book marked nearly everything in the book:
Small Endearments by Sandi Fox

(Like the painter's tape?)
I've completed this little red toile quilt and am auditioning it for a spot on the wall.

I'm hesitant to hang it because the new Moda line 'Lately Arrived From London' has a few prints I will use to re-make it in...but then I have to wait for fall (September) to get my preorder!  I'll probably hang it and swap out the newer version at some point.

This one is about 10" x 12"
Machine pieced and hand quilted.
My version has narrow binding.

The original in the book is much larger.  Also a tempting option, to really show off the beauty of the fabrics.

I love the early 19th century fabrics and am looking forward to the new reproductions.

If you like these too, you may be interested in:
The Great Lake Seaway Trail War of 1812 Quilt Challenge blog.  I've enjoyed their posts.





We recently visited the Bower's Two Centuries of Quilts Exhibit.  I had seen the same quilts last year in their exhibit, but is was great to see them again.  A couple of them have inspired me to continue building my stash of silk for a future quilt.

Whenever I visit an exhibit I enjoy the 'extras' along the way.  On this day it was the Scrimshaw exhibit (limited time) with a case of needlework tools.  (Double click on the photos to enlarge them)

Clamps

Assortment of Tools

Seam Sealer

Great Left Handed Ruler

What exhibit has most recently inspired you?  I would probably say the Red & White in NYC, but those ideas are all still in my head!

Have a great week!

Long Beach International Quilt Festival 2011

You have to love a good quilt show...I am lucky to be attending the Long Beach International Quilt Festival this weekend.

I go with a few things on my list and always find additional nice surprises.

Take a closer look at these acorns...The tops are real - the bottoms are velvet.  I needed a pair ;-)
I got the from HERE.

I also picked up a few vintage blocks that will work their way into some future project.


I always enjoy visiting Cotton In The Cabin.  Besides the indigo and reproduction fabrics they always have a wonderful assortment of antiques.  Checkout some of these fabrics in the blocks I bought:

I also bought several yards of fabrics from:

American Folk and Fabric.  Lucky me - they don't normally sell retail and will be at Houston Market and not the show.  She said to check out Reproduction Fabrics.  Makes sense to me ... I think these will be fabulous with Margo's panels.

Of course Primitive Gatherings had a fabulous booth with samples to die for...ok, maybe not die, but surely buy lots of patterns and kits - three visits just today.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

More wool anyone?

Last but not least...Cindy's Antique Quits.  The outstanding quilt (IMHO) of the morning was a four poster with the most stunning fabrics.  Even had hook and eyes to secure it around the bed posts. Or wait...maybe it was the red and green applique with micro tiny hand quilting...or....

These are just a few of the vendors - more tomrrow.

Sigh...I haven't even gotten to the Exhibition Quits...yet.

Thanks for coming along to the show with me...have a great weekend...

Waiting For A Spot - Gallery Wall Planning

What do you do with little quilts while planning the positions on a Gallery Wall?

Play with them!!

I took a small chair - about 15" tall, folded a few of the little quilts and added a few accessories.

Accessories include:
     Braided Rug
     Sewing Clamp
     Thimble
     Suitcase Sewing Kit

I'll start hanging the quilts soon...but in the mean time it's fun to have them close at hand for auditions and wall positions.

I also tried one folded over the back of the chair.  This was more fun than auditioning them with painters tape on the wall...more on that later...

This little one is so fun I hate to hide it all folded up.

The colors in the quilt look nice with the rug.

The inspiration for this one is from the book:
Small Endearments by Sandi Fox
     pg. 161  (no patterns - history & photos)
I just may be on a person quest to make everything in this book...

It measures 14" x 17"

I pre-planned all of the rounds - in some cases I cut less than 1.5" of a single fabric.

I machine pieced and hand quilted my reproduction.  Working with the plaids was new for me.

The binding is also scrappy and once again I rounded the corners like the inspiration quilt.

Late 1800's in private collection

Here's the book photo.

It is referred to as inventive construction with many pieced borders.

It was fun to work out all of the rounds and colors. It was almost harder to make it asymmetrical than all evenly balanced.  A great exercise for me!

The suitcase sewing kit if from Canada so the printing is in English and French.

No advertising markings, but it was probably intended as a travel set.








The clamp has nice detail:

Swing arm is filigree and holds the fabric in the down position

What quilt have you most recently hung on your wall for pure enjoyment?

Thanks for stopping by - Have a great weekend!

Up North Utility Quilt

In the USA, Minneapolis and Saint Paul are commonly referred to as The Twin Cities.  North of there, you just say, 'Up North' - or Up Nort' don't cha know!


DH was born and raised Up Nort' and this is his boyhood patchwork.  I say patchwork, because it isn't quilted or tied, and it has no filling or batting.  It is corduroy patchwork on both sides.


In this group I've included a rather primitive needlework stand and a flannel sewing kit.

The sewing kit is from Judie Rothermel, and closes with a millennium button.

The patchwork is machine sewn from old pants The kids outgrew.

Uff-da!

In this picture you can see the pocket spot and wear on the britches bottom before the pieces were sewn into this bedding.  Although, besides a warm bed cover it was frequently used for tents, fort building and outdoor adventures - like picnics when you wanted your own spot!

Every bit counted when you had 10 kids to provide for - geeesh don't cha' know!

It's seen its better days - but what fun days they were.  A utility piece with sentimental memories.  It had been tucked away once DH went off to college.  When the old house was cleaned out it came to us.

DH remembers it being long on his twin bed so his feet always stayed covered.  There were many a cold morning when he could see his breath in the air before getting out of bed.

How clever that it is reversible - patchwork on both sides.

Colorful pants they were - with seven sisters he's lucky they wore more red than pink!

The sewing stand is not a family piece, but a unique find.

It is turned wood with the bark left on.
It has four arms - each with their own purpose.

This arm holds the thimble.

Here's the little carved wood piece the thimble sits on.

There are three others arms.

Two for thread and one for a pin cushion, which is missing, or was it a pin cup?

The lid comes off and there is room for thread and scissors.

It's a unique handmade piece, just like the patchwork!

Little Wall Quilt Report:

One more done.

This one is really simple - two wide stripes, hand quilted and bound.  It's only about 8" x 10".
I love these two stripes together.

Thanks for reading today - Have a great week!

Animal Cards and a Little Nine Patch

These are rare Clark's advertising cards used to promote their products.

There are 12 animals in the full set.

I've never seen one in person.

J. Has two and she's sharing them with us.

What a lucky girl.
Anyone else out there have any or all of these cards?

We'd love to hear from you.

The back of the cards are interesting.  These would be considered a cross-collectible.  Meaning they would be collected for multiple reasons.  If you collect advertising, sewing or exotic animal related items they might be on your list.

On the back of the cards there were instructions for ordering:

"Send three two cent stamps to the Clark Mile End Spool..."

Are they rare because so few people sent in six cents worth of stamps?  Few wanted to buy trade cards with advertising?  They were used up and played with?






Maybe a busy mom would send for them and let the kids play...so she would have more sewing time?

I finished a little wall quilt.

Lately I find myself drifting to pink!?! What's with that?

I hand quilted this one and did a knife edge.
This is the first time I didn't use any batting.  I did get some surface texture without it.

I think this is the smallest quilt I've made.

This is the backing - it was left from my Tree Of Life alternating squares.  Amazing what can be done with scraps.  I liked the green and pink then and I'm happy I kept the scraps.

I've been cutting like crazy and have a nice stack of fabric for the wall quilts.  I hope to hang a few this weekend and will share a WIP (Wall In Process) soon.

Thanks for stopping by - Have a great weekend.

Little Quilts - A Gallery Wall - AAQI Quilt

In between some larger long term projects I'm working on small quilts for a gallery wall in my home.

I've had a little quilt for The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative on the short list for too long!  So...here she is - a little reproduction fabric one patch with no fabric repeats.  I hand quilted it.  Not sure when it will come up for sale, probably August.  I was motivated after meeting Lori at Humble Quilts and Sue at I Sew Quilts UK, (See its an International effort!) in NYC, and the posts from Lynda at Paper Napkin Poetry.

What's this have to do with my gallery wall?  I will be re-making this quilt - it is much cuter than my phone photography makes it look!

After repainting almost every wall in our last home we sold, I've decided to use less paint and more quilts on the wall in the new place.  I've always wanted my own gallery!
Before: (Technically, 'The Wall' is three walls....Lucky me)

Boring Left

Boring Right

I like how the recessed ceiling lights will be almost like floods on the quilts - see, I have a vision...

Here's the start of "The Gallery"
This is the finished quilt - I had shared fabric with Kathie, she posted about her top.

I hand quilted it, and did a knife edge at the top.  Like many antique quilts I rounded the corners and bound it with twill tape.  I order my twill tape from Reproduction Fabrics.

Here's a corner flipped back for a better view:

This little quilt was so fun I made a smaller version.
Smaller blocks, bed post corners and all knife edge.

Can you tell I gave it a little age?

I didn't get any of my samplers or needlework tools pulled for this post - more to come.
However, Pat recently posted about hers - and some doll quilts.

Margaret has beautiful work HERE.

I'll be adding to the gallery wall with old and new little quilts as well as more of my collection.

Thanks for stopping by - have a great week!

Dutch Chintz Quilts and Wooden Shoe Pin Cushions

My Repro Quilt on the wall

I saw this reproduction quilt and wanted to make it for two reasons - the beautiful dutch chintz fabrics and the medallion style.

It is machine pieced and hand quilted and hangs on the wall above one of my work spaces.

The original Hindeloopen quilt is dated around 1800-1815.
The reproduced fabrics are only similar in nature and not exact reproductions of the original.  Many French fabrics are in the original, including dessin geometrique.

The kits are still available HERE

Similar fabrics in the US HERE

UPDATE:  New Petra Prins Repro farbics HERE

This is the zigzag border.
Here you can see more detail in the prints.

This quilt was very hard to hand quilt because of the finish on the chintz.  I wanted it to keep the polished finish so it has not been washed.

The center of the quilt is a 8-pointed star framed in a narrow border.

In the kit, my center border is a tone on tone rust chintz.  The pattern on the inner border is hard to see in the photos.

The corners in the kit are a little different than the original.

The original is a cream star surrounded in color with a center of a fussy cut or appliqued center.

The binding is twill tape, I purchased from Reproduction Fabrics and hand applied.  I love it!!

I'll be sharing a couple more quilts finished this way.


5/2013 UPDATE - Replaced the binding with a knife edge

Photos of the original are in the book:

A History of Dutch Quilts
By An Moonen
(An has beautiful quilts pictured on her website too)

This isn't a pattern book - fabulous history and photos.
More info HERE

I made another Dutch Reproduction - simple pattern - the project is more about the variety of the prints.

I machine quilted this one.  I learned my lesson with the chintz...kind of sorry the finish is lost on this one.

I have the Tree Of Life panel and border just waiting for me to get sewing...

Checking my sewing items and look what I found - souvenir pin cushions.

I know ... it's a stretch - but enjoy.

Grouping of wooden shoe pin cushions

The curled toe pin cushion is hand painted with a windmill scene and labeled Belgium

Thimble is stored in the shoe

This is funny to me - why a wooded shoe souvenir from New Hampshire?

Labeled:  Man of The Mountain Franconia Notch NH

This is a cute pair - pin cushion and thimble holder are in separate shoes. 

For inquiring minds - click HERE for a history of real wooden shoes.

When you travel - do you bring home stitching related souvenirs?

If so what did you bring home?

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!!