Merry Christmas and Some Vintage Treasures

I love vintage Christmas tree ornaments.  I found most of these at The Factory Antique Mall in nearby Verona Virginia. They claim to be the largest antique mall in America. This could be dangerous for my wallet! The tree is not vintage - got it on sale in a local gift shop after last Christmas. Found the red scarf wrapped around the base of the tree at the local SPCA thrift store.

This is our half bath. When we moved in last year the washer and dryer were in this spot. DH added the bead board and painted. The high chair was my grandmothers. I made the quilt a couple years ago for a quilt show committee challenge. I wondered what I would do with it.

A good friend visited for a couple days last week and brought me this cute crocheted bowl. I have it in my sewing room and I'm sure it will be used to catch all kinds of things. It sits on top of a potholder runner I found at the antique mall. I just couldn't pass this up. I think it has wonderful character. I think maybe it was meant to be a floor runner but it a good size for a table runner. I haven't measure it - would guess about 1 1/2 feet by 3 feet.

It's a rainy, droopy day here today. A good day for some hand stitching. I took this vintage pillow apart several years ago. It's a pillow from my childhood. I don't remember what was inside - maybe old panty hose or stockings. It desperately needed a wash. Each year I pulled it out in December thinking inspiration would strike. A couple days ago I decided to just stitch it back together instead of trying to incorporate it into a quilt. This is my idea of what Santa looks like - it's the mid-20th century Santa.

Such a jolly old elf!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

Friendship Quilt

Dawn of Collector with a Needle and I exchanged little quilts this year. I am thrilled with what she made for me.

Click on the photo to admire the variety of fabrics she used.

Before I started decorating for Christmas I had it on this sideboard in the dining room where I could see it often. I expect it will return there in January unless I find another perfect spot for it. I like moving things around!

This vintage flannel backing is so soft.

A very special quilt. Dawn and I met last June when she was presenting a program in Warrenton Virginia. I hope we can meet up again soon.

Here are a few more Stars in a Time Warp blocks.

Week 39 Claret Red

Week 24 Blotch Ground Chintzes - I think

not sure which week I was thinking with this one

Week 44 Early Roller Print Clouds and Storms

Week 42 Sprigged Muslins and Indiennes

Week 43 Provincial Prints

Week 40 Cadet Blue and Celestials

Week 41 Neon Novelties

I hope to to put these stars into a quilt top this winter. I have lots of plans for time spent in my sewing room. Right now I'm finishing a scrappy Jacob's Ladder quilt top for a great niece. I hope to have the quilt finished by the end of the month. Also, on the sewing agenda for the winter is a small quilt to display in my dining room - Paula Golden says wall hanging sounds too violent! - using my collection of dutch fabrics. Lastly, I hope to make roman shades for my kitchen and powder room. I've had the fabric for months now and it's time to get that done.

Thanksgiving week was a fun family affair. We played board games every evening.

Yesterday, DH and I collected greenery and pinecones to decorate the church hall for the Advent Lessons and Carols reception. I couldn't resist taking this photo of Frida. She's an outdoor cat who came with our property. She is always trying to get in our house. I relent too often and let her in even though I'm allergic to cats. She is good though and knows to go to the one chair I've covered with a towel. Admittedly, she picked the chair but it's okay because it's in the foyer and no one ever sits on it.

Hope to be back soon with a finished Jacob's Ladder quilt.

Flying Geese Strippy and Lots of Stars

Last year I made this quilt top for our bed. I'd had the fabrics forever. I believe most are Robyn Pandolf designs. This summer I had it custom quilted by Patricia at Brown Bird Quilts in Millboro Virginia. I'm very happy with what she did.

Click on this one to see the detail.

I made a lot of stars over the past couple of weeks. I'm learning so much from Barbara's weekly Stars in a Time Warp posts and I'm using fabrics I haven't used in years and some I've never cut in to.  I'm sure I'm stretching the definitions with some of these.

Week 30 Floral Trails

Week 31 Toiles

Week 18 California Gold

Week 17 Conversation Prints

Week 29 Lapis Blue

Week 21 Neat Stripes

Week 25 Wood Block Prints

Week 33 Later Turkey Reds

Week 27 Quercitron and Arboresces

Week 37 Chocolate and Blue plus Lace Prints

Week 13 Printed Plaids

Week 15 Woven Plaids

Week 14 Rainbow or Ombre Prints

Week 16 Paisleys

Week 19 Serpentine Stripes

Week 38 Black, Gray and Asian-Style Design

Week 32 Faded Synthetic Dyes

Week 12 Foulards

Week 20 Excentric Prints

Here are all my stars together. I'm thinking of using the border fabric (Matters of the Heart by Kay England) to make a strippy quilt - alternating with the stars on point. I must like strippy quilts!

I was visiting my friend Laurie in her shop - Appalachian Pieceworks - and she showed me this quilt she had taken apart. Theses fabrics were used as the foundation to a silk log cabin. The silk was shattered but the foundation fabrics are still very vibrant. She thinks the fabrics are copper plate roller printed from the early to mid 19th century. I looked back at Barbara's posts and black fabrics weren't available until about 1890 so I think at least the backing is later.

This was the backing.

This evening.

Beets from our veggie garden.