When the heat is on....sew

  I  brought home some fabrics from the quilt guild's stash to make a few pillowcases for the Children's Hospital.  Looney Tunes, fly fishing and Peter Rabbit are featured here.....they are ready for a good pressing  for next month's meeting.  I used the  simplest pattern from All People Quilt.  It takes longer to measure and cut than to sew!

Another small project jumped into the mix.   I put together 4 neutral string blocks and added a variation of Connie's flower.....find her tutorial here at Freemotion by the River.     

    The 2" border is composed of more of the leftover pieces that I string together and keep on hand.  Whenever I am cutting fabric for a project, any piece that is too short---as long as it is at least 2 1/2"----gets tossed into a bin for bits.  So when the mood strikes, I just stitch the bits together in long strips.  Some I may sort by color, or I may make a string of just floral fabrics, or in this case, it is the "waste not" style of anything goes.      So when needed I can inset the stringed strips into a border.  I started doing this after making the large quilt called String Me Along.   Making all those stringed sections took forever, but I loved the effect.  

  Back to the small project......flowers stitched down, quilted and ready for binding.   I plan on watching Bonnie Hunter's quilt cam this afternoon.....so I can finish it then.    But first I need to straighten up the sewing room.....it looks as if a tornado has been in there.  Enjoy the weekend.....happy stitching.  Linking up to Creative Goodness at QuiltShopGal.

Friday finds June 12

Most of us never have enough sewing or storage space.  When you are a quilter you need a magic wand, or genie or someone to make room for all your items.  I have a friend who has a wonderful hubby that added on and created a fabulous space for her.
   Her thread storage area alone is worth a look. Shelia blogs at Quilting in South Carolina and this is her studio tour.  You need to see it!  Be sure to check out her ironing station too.....I am so envious of it and all her space!










   From Quilt Kisses.....I borrowed her photo of a folding quilt display rack---with her permission.  She recently posted a full tutorial    for the rack made by Mr. Quilt Kisses.   And we all need for storage and display ideas.   Thanks, Jasmine, for sharing this.

Update:   Sharon  of  Vroomans Quilts commented that this would be perfect for her shop and travel.  Now why did I not think of that?  I sure do need one for doing programs and classes and it will fit in the van!  Now, where is Sir Old Man hiding.....oh, honey, I have a new project for you......






  From Pat Sloan....a cheat, as she calls it.    I thought this was good one to remember.....a thread cone holder.   

  Use a cup---wide base that won't tip over---with a lid.  The thread feeds through the opening for a straw....no tangles.  Good for the machine and for hand sewers too.












    LuAnn shared some new free motion feathers  this week from her sketchbook.  She is trying for a looser and more open feather.  I like these and need to practice some drawing to get the hang of these.  Thanks, LuAnn!





  As always, please visit the links for details and for pinning.   I am only passing on the site links and basic information.






 Coming in October....The Aunt Het Quilt Show 2015.    This is my guild's  local show which is always fun.....a lot of work too!  It is viewer's choice--not judged---and ribbons are awarded.   All the details on the link.....if you might happen to be in the area, or even if you are interested in entering a quilt.    lol.....I might just enter a "mini" this year.....not made by me, but owned by me.  Just saying.

Happy stitching.

Storage cabinet from the past

   Last week I mentioned the antique cabinet Sir Old Man was repairing.  He hopes to return it to life.....not restore it  by stripping and painting.  The scars and dings  are the history and tell the story of this old piece....that is still in pieces.

  About 25 years ago, sir Old Man's great uncle died leaving a 3 story row house in Philadelphia filled with items from the past.  We ventured up to help his Dad and brother go through stuff.  Little did I expect to walk into such a hoard of things that bespoke history.  Yes, there were antiques...some I have....and lots of just plain old stuff.
    In the front bedroom was a giant/tall/big old ugly painted wardrobe style cabinet.  It was massive and jammed into a space too small.  When we opened the doors, it was filled top to bottom with rolls of toilet paper and unopened packages of bed linens that had literally rotted with age.   Sir Old Man wanted to bring it home......all I could think of was how?  It was so big.


  I did not know that this wardrobe was probably one of the first style "knock down/take apart"  cabinets.  It literally comes apart in manageable sections and pieces.  You can see one of the inside of one of the doors.....note the wavy panel shows the hand planeing of the piece.   I tend to see it as a primitive style, he refers to it as a farm style piece.

 Once the doors came off,   the center support board and the top crown section could be removed too.  And thus the outer sides and back simply slide apart from the base.
    This board is a section of the back.  There are 4 or 5 of these that are chamford---tapered on the edges to fit into grooved sections.  Very much like  tongue and groove flooring of today. Interesting to note here.....each board is over 12" wide and a single plank of wood.......not glued together narrow boards, or today's glue-ups.   Also, the dark piece on the left, is one of the doors......it has the  aged patina of naturally crackled  layers of paint.




  Sir Old Man found some clues about age in the construction when he began the full disassembling.  Bolts......hand made bolts!  Each one varies as you can see in the thickness of the heads.  A good indication that this cabinet began life in the early to mid 1800s.









These 4 bolts actually hold the whole cabinet together.  Two bolts into the top and two bolts into the base.  In the center you can barely see the nut....it has been mortised into the base.  To the left of it, there is a head of a nail showing.  Sir Old Man has extracted one or two of these and discovered they are cut nails....not modern!

  The hand cut dove-tails were found on the base section.   You have to look really close to see the scribe line, as it is very faint.   Each one appears to be hand cut....no two alike.  And that fascinates me....getting those angles to fit just right and hold the pieces together.

 This is the good foot in the back corner.

The repair.......The back foot  on the opposite side was broken off.   It had been braced on a stack of books wedged into the corner of the room.   Sir Old Man made a new "foot" piece and cut out some damaged/splintered wood to insert a smaller piece.  The glue up and repair is done and just needs some paint to blend in.  Since it is in the back corner and will not be seen, he is not "re-storing" it to original, but rebuilding the damage.  


So that is where this project is......we are on the search for hinges for the front doors that must be replaced now.    So a visit to our one remaining old fashion hardware store is on the schedule soon.    Can't wait to see this one filled with quilts.....now I need to make some lavender sachets...big ones...to hang inside it.  The list never ends, does it?




  We had a massive storm rumble through the area last night.  At least a couple of inches of rain in a very short time.   And a  pond began to develop out front......my favorite area to take photos of doll quilts is under 2" of water.The water is lapping at the edge of the porch.  I gathered towels just in case it came over the edge.....but all was fine and the rain slowed enough for the drains to catch up.
   This morning it is sunny and steamy.....I think summer is here.

Happy stitching.

Evening of power sewing

Here is where I was with the small Carolina Chain blocks last week.  I decided to stop making blocks and keep it a small lap quilt.
  Link to earlier post is here.....big version and the start of the smaller size blocks.

  I cut a few strips of the dark batik as the inner border.  While digging through a stack of scraps earlier, I found some pieced bands that were left over from other projects.  I kept digging until I found just enough to string together and use for the second border band.  An added bonus....waste not!  Finding those bands speeded up the process.  So far, so good.

  And it all came
 together with an additional dark strip on the outer edge!

Then a little breeze came up, but I really like it anyway.
 

  Not quilted yet.....but soon to be.  Not named yet.....but bound to be.  Just add it to my Year of Florals....destined to be one of my favorites.

   A little power sewing sure can go a long way to relieve a little stress, resolve a design issue, and turn into something you love.    Happy power sewing!

From Mrs. Claus

Those gals at Our Circle of Friends are still going strong making doll quilts.  They are such faithful supporters of this project......I love them all.

 

    Mrs. Claus of Maryland is JLu, who created this sweet set.  She included a pillow case for a pillow to go with the doll quilt.  What a wonderful idea!












  Along the top edge, she inserted a band of eyelet which she decorated with large pearls.  The set is so adorable and full of sweet dreams.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus,  you have made a child's dream come true!






Mrs. Claus of Pennsylvania has been quite busy.  Holee is also a member of the Our Circle of Friends and promised quilts to represent 3 states this year.  And on top of those, Holee decided to send 3 more just for Christmas!
   I really like what she did with 3 panel prints.....very cute and cheerful, and so very fun.  I am getting inspired by these.

As for Mrs. Claus' other 3.....she went over the top!  All three of these are dimensional!

You need to see her details and even the fabric she chose....so here are some close ups.

 For Puerto Rico, there is a dancing girl with a ruffled skirt and a flower in her hair.   The skirt is 2 different layers of ruffles that can be lifted up.   I like how the skirt extends in to border on the  side.   The flower applique in the hair is from the border fabric.  Very cute and such a fun design.












   This one immediately said summer days to me.    The "gone fishing" boy is holding a line to his dimensional fish.  He is for New Jersey.
I love the wild border fabric that repeats the fishing theme.  And the colors are bold and bright.  But that fish is the cutest thing ever......I found myself flipping up his tail and giggling.

And flying high is a balloon over Delaware.  Beautiful fluffy clouds and ribbon streamers to add some fun to this one.
  Holee, Mrs. Claus of PA, you are just a wonder with such creative doll quilts.  You made my day brighter to get to share them and I know some little girls will cherish them.

Thank you both so much.




I went looking for my tally sheet of doll quilts to update a report....and of course, the page has escaped and vanished in the stack by my computer.  I think I need as assistant to keep me straight!  Never fear, I will find it or start over and get an accurate count for next time.  I have had new Mrs. Claus inquiries and I so appreciate the help and interest.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus, where ever you live.
Happy stitching.  

Friday Finds June 5

I know you have seen this, but.........it is sure worth sharing and repeating.
     Personal experience just this weekend.  My young nephew was helping  his big brother work on his boat and motor.  Young nephew was wearing brand new shorts....brand new that day.  You guessed it.....black grease on  one leg....all over the leg actually.  They came to Aunt Deb to solve the problem.  Well, the best de-greaser I know is Dawn.  I smeared it on, heavy, and let it sit about 20 minutes.  Then rub, rub, rub.....toss it in the wash.  Viola, new shorts saved and I am the hero.   And yes, I wash my quilts with it too!
  See this and more tips of the day at 42 Quilts.

From Cluck Cluck Sew

   A free pattern  tutorial for a great summer time quilt.   This would be perfect in all scraps, and what a great picnic quilt.
 You can find it at Cluck Cluck Sew.












  Who  needs a 9 patch technique tutorial?   Apparently, I do.   This tutorial shows how to get 2   4 1/2"  9 patch blocks from 2  6" squares!   A clever sew, cut and re-sew technique that could consume some of those 6" squares I have stashed.   This is posted by Rachel Greco and you can find it here.  

 Size adjustments are possible with this technique, too.  Start with  7 1/2" squares to make 2 blocks at 6 ".


  As always, please visit the links to pin and save.
I'm going quiet for a couple of days......have some things that will not wait and need to be done.  Back next week and hope to share the storage photos then.  Crossing fingers.  Enjoy the weekend, and happy stitching.

Re-thinking a thing or two

   When I am quiet, it is because I am thinking and pondering things.  It could be life events--yes-- or a design challenge, or project I am working on.  Lately, it has been a little of everything weighing me down.

    I have this.....stack of quilts in the living room.

  In the sun room, there is my quilt ladder that is loaded with a double layer of quilts.

   And a section in the guest closet with small quilts and wall hanging......seasonal items, table runners, and a few mini style items.

  In the guest bedroom, you find another stack of quilts.  There are a few quilts put aside for donations to charity causes.  All of these, plus those on the walls and beds and sofas.....do I have overload?

   Please don't laugh.....I do not know how many large quilts I have.  I am afraid I could not count that high.  I'm not interested in selling them either.   I am emotionally invested in most of them.

   Storage is what I seem to need.  Enter Sir Old Man that magical knight of the workshop.  Unknown to me, he had begun to repair a storage cabinet that has been in pieces for a few years.  We believe will work and solve this problem.   I will share details and photos of  this treasure soon.  Just know I am excited about the possible solution.



   All of this leads me to thinking about size.  I have been on the bandwagon for the last couple of years of large quilts.   8 to 10 a year is overboard.....way more than I can use or give away to friends and family.   I already have completed 3 this year....and one ready to quilt now.  So I am going smaller in size for this next project.

    On the design wall are 12 blocks (instead of the 42 planned) of the small size Carolina Chain pattern.  I have some tweaking and re-arranging of blocks to do yet, but I am only going to add a border and call it done.








 

A new Let's Book It project has been nagging at me too.  I went looking for a much smaller project that could give me a work out.  Selecting the fabric for a small bargello has begun.  The pattern is from the book Colorwash Bargello.  It requires 19 fabrics....and my challenge is narrowing down the field.  There is an unseen stack of at least 20 more fabrics that I pulled out to use.  Grin----that's the good thing----having a big stash.    At least I have a plan, let's wait and see how far along I get.

  June always flies by around here.  I need to sneak out and do a little birthday shopping for Sir Old Man.....remember the fuming tent for the bed?   He has already made his birthday purchases, but I want to tweak him a little bit and add some color to that workshop...lol.  The bed---alas, poor me---is not finished.  That is the rub....the finish.  Sir Old Man is having a very trying time with the hand rubbed finish, and it looks like he will have to sand and start again.   So, we are waiting yet again for drying time, etc.  That is why he took to repairing the storage cabinet.   Things work out for the best.....I am not complaining.
Off to the sewing room....happy stitching.