Antique Nine Patch, Wooden Accessories and Sampler

This grouping is displayed on the first antique quilt we bought in 1983.  More on this nine patch below.
The wooden box is a Clark 1800's box with (12) brass threads glides and a center pin cushion.
The Needle Barrel is pre-war Germany.
The three part hinged wooden box was purchased in Prague:  Stahl Sicherheits - Nadeln beste Qualitale
Translation:  Steel Safety Needles of Best Quality.

The quilt is a nine patch with a great pink sashing.
The pink is all one print and the brown sashing square fabric is also seen in the blocks.


It is hand pieced and quilted.
The binding is formed by folding the back to the front and hand stitching it down.


Lots of plaids and stripes in this one.


Below are some detail shots of the fabrics.

Enlarge this one and look at the yellow/green...going, going...gone at some point?


Great scrappy plaid mix.
I need to buy more plaid repro's...and some more small stripes.

The backing is California Gold solid and is folded to the front to bind the quilt.

There's a spot where it was pieced - - - just enough fabric!  At first glance it looks like applied binding.  However it is a seam in the backing that folds to the front.

Back folded to front and hand sewn down

Look at the purple turning brown - common on early non-colorfast purples.

Now back to the sewing items...

The inside of the thread box has hand writing on it - that probably negatively impacts the value of the box as a collectible:  "From Plymouth Mass about 1880"

The advertising inside the lid reads:

   The Best Threads and Needles

   George A. Clark.Sales Agent

   Milwards Helix Needles.In Patent Wrappers  (I think I have some of these - need to look)

   Gold Medal Awarded Paris 1878

I don't think the thread is original to the box - I kept it the way it came.  Look at the little cardboard thread reel - how precious small bits of thread were.

I LOVE the grain of this box!

The bottom is stamped:

The needle barrel has beautiful graphics.  The top is turned marks along the top edge to select the size needle to dispense or close the case.

The top 'dials' with the center screw - oping is for the needle to dispense

"Place the Stroke parallel with the number required"


This needle box has a lid on both large flat sides - perfect for small scissors and needles.

It's been a few posts since I included a sampler - so here's a little one:

planning to re-frame this one in a more historic frame

Long post today - thanks for stopping in!

Have a great week!

Elephants, Seriously? Part 2

I hadn't realized - - the more I looked the more I saw...I just might be collecting elephants so there's a Part 2...Seriously.

No, let's say I'm working in a series, sounds better.

It started innocently - I never intended it to be an elephant quilter.  I had a newborn, I wanted something less 'babyish' back in 1989....

I think this was a kit.  I changed it up a bit - I had a new sewing machine and wanted to use the decorative stitches with metallic thread....Cotton quilts, babies and metallic threads go together, right?

Add a big thick poly batting (maybe even doubled in thickness) and - you have wall art.

This hung on his wall - for a few years.  I kept it for sentimental reasons.  Someday maybe he'll have to decide what to do with it.  For now it stays in a pillowcase in the closet...I enjoyed pulling it out for a little visit and sharing with you!

Let me just add - I did miter the huge black binding - and hand stitch it down...to the back...

Remember my Hexy Stars quilt?  There's an elephant there too...

This print is at least a few years old,
"Bombay" by Kings Road Fabrics.


This is the same elephant motif in the yet to be named Dutch Elephant quilt post.

oh....and the elephant block in the CWB/BOP quilt....I have that block finished.  Is this elephant number 4?

We were at Native Foods having lunch and I look up and what do I see?  An elephant poster...Yikes, ruined my lunch!

Is it the renewed popularity of Water For Elephants?

Are there more?

Then I looked at my sewing goodies...
Pins, you need a pin?

How about measuring...that's right I've got an elephant for that too.

I love his tiny little eyes.

The tag reads, "I am a tape measure pull my tail"
Patent No 410538

He is made of thin whale corduroy and the ball is pieced cotton stuffed with what feels like saw dust or excelsior.

Pull his tail and you can measure -


The beginning of the tape is stamped JAPAN in blue ink.  No metric measure marks, inches only.

See the hand stitching (between the purple and pink) where the pin cushion was closed after stuffing?













and...confession time....I recently added an elephant.

If you'd like one click here and you can join the fun.  Her wrist kitten is pretty cute too...

Thanks to those of you who shared your elephants.

L. shared her wonderful sewing card set: (She'll be sharing more treasure in coming posts)
   Did you play with sewing cards?  I did, and so did my children.

Make Your Own Sewing Cards HERE
  (check out the quilty shapes...)


Thanks for stopping by the circus today...and no, the 'little he baby' didn't grow up and join the circus...

Have a great weekend!

The Elephant Quilt Part I

My inspiration came from a few things...who 'needs' an elephant quilt?

1.  A personal challenge to start using some of my oldest reproduction fabric stash.
2.  The book:
      A History of Dutch Quilts
      by An Moonen
      To order in the USA (and other) click HERE
       (No patterns - fabulous photos and historic information)


The quilt got bigger than I intended, in order to showcase the fabrics I used some larger pieces.  Very simple squares and strips with early reproduction fabrics.

It needs more quilting but I'm unsure what to do.   Maybe a larger grid cross hatch?  The last frame has no quilting at all...yet.  I like the 'missing' middle corners.

The center is an applique with motifs fussy cut from 2 fabrics.

I may add some additional hand quilting to the center.
A little echo maybe?

I've used the Ro Gregg Heirloom Reproduction light fabric in several quilts and have it in two colorways - love it!

The motifs are from a stripe fabric I fussy cut and used as individual motifs appliqued around the elephant.

The center pieces of the quilt are smaller - working out to larger scaled borders.

The mediums are fabrics I have a hard time using.  This was a good personal challenge for me.

There are some Dargates, Chinoiserie and woodblock reproductions.

I used some of the Hausmann reproductions, including an animal print.
The Haussmann Collection was reproduced by Sharon Yenter for In The Beginning Fabrics in 2008.
"Jean-Michael Haussmann, the first cloth printer in the Alsace region to master the dyes required to produce these beautifully colored fabrics.  
The fabrics were first printed by the renowned mill of Christophe Phillipe Oberkampf in Jouy en Josas, near Versailles, France and Jean Michael Haussmann was the first cloth printer in Alsace who possessed the chemical knowledge to create the dyes needed for these beautifully colored prints. This look became extremely popular throughout Alsace and the whole of Europe. These prints are reproduced under license from the Musee de L’Impression sur Etoffes (The French Textile Museum in Mulhouse, France)These French Provincial style Bonnes Herbes or "fine grasses" designs were inspired by the local flora of herbs, fruits, and vines and first appeared in the Oberkampf textile mill at Jouy-en-Josas, near Versailles, in the late 18th century.  These carefully drawn designs, though stylized, appealed to urban women with their new found taste for the beauties of nature.  This made them very popular throughout Alsace and the whole of Europe, especially big cities like Marseille and Paris."  Click HERE

A little searching and you may still find some of the reproduction yardage.

Alexander Henry 'Khyber' Woodblock reproduction fabric from 1994, and a very old (c. 1984?) Jinny Beyer stripe.

I hand quilted the half circles but I think machine quilting would have been just as effective, since the stitches don't really show.

My machine quilting is done with silk thread.  I love using silk for free motion and straight line quilting.

...and now I have an elephant quilt!



Do you have any older stash fabric that challenges you to be used?

Stay tuned for Elephants Part II with a guest photo!  ...and some reproduction Dutch Quilts

Have a great week!

Happy July 4 if You're Celebrating

For those of you in the USA, and those who also choose to celebrate with us - -

                
      Happy Independence Day Weekend!!
                   (...I'm starting early)

I have a couple of red/white & blue quilts to share - hope you do too!

This is the corner of my table runner.

It's hand quilted 'big stitch' style with pearl cotton.


This is the full runner:

I like how it 'buttons' together.

The kit was a gift from my guild secret pal several years ago.

Fused applique, machine assembled and hand quilted.

Sorry - can't recall the designer - if someone does I'll update this.

This is my coverlet quilt:

The fabric is designed by Mary Koval for Windham and I think the pattern was free with the fabric bundle.  Hand applique stars, machine pieced and quilted.

It's all about the fabrics!

More information about the Coverlet Museum and fabrics is available HERE

(Proceeds from sales there go to support The National Museum of the American Coverlet)

Similar Fee Patterns HERE

Have a great weekend!

Triangles Part 3 and the Winner

Another scrappy Triangle Quilt - simple shape done with lots of color.

This is an equilateral 60 degree triangle - easy to make up your own template or use an acrylic ruler.

Why you're cutting - why not do a few sets - one for you, a friend and a donation quilt?

This could be called a charm quilt - one shape repeated over and over - but I quit before I got to 1,000 pieces.   This is a nice lap sized quilt.

The border purple paisleys are chasing each other around the edge...no mitering.

It is machine pieced and machine quilted.

This is a close up of the top with the corner turned over.

The backing is flannel - the machine stitches bury nicely and the quilt is really warm!

I also used a medium/light binding - I usually go dark or a stripe.  Glad I tried something else!

I tried not to duplicate fabrics - but I see I did - oh well, that's what happens in the scrap basket.

Why was I wanting to use up some of my stash - when I look at some of these I wish I had more yardage now!

I completed my June Beyond The Cherry Tree Block.

This one was great fun - I have been looking forward to it.
Changed a few things here and there...looking forward to starting the borders.  Remind me later I said that!

The rest of my blocks are in my Flickr Album.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by and left a comment on the Triangle Strippy Quilt.
It was fun 'meeting' the people reading the blog - I always wonder...who are they?
...and now I've heard from a few of you!  Great FUN.
Your ideas are wonderful and very inspiring for future projects.


The winner of the triangle give away.......Drum Roll......

Congratulations - Heidi at Between Stitches.
          "...not a matching kind of girl, I like random! I may repeat a fabric if it's a small piece, but you'll really have to look for it to find it. As for the strips and their color, I normally don't plan ahead for such things, I just design as I go along and let the quilt tell me what it needs."

Please contact me at cwaneedle@gmail.com with your snail mail address and I'll get these posted so you can start a new project!

Have a fabulous week.