True Blue Flimsy

 I have delayed posting a picture of my True Blue flimsy simply because I could never get my picture of it spread out on the bed. Finally, that became a priority and now she awaits quilting.

Making this quilt has been on my radar for a couple of years, actually, and this past January I made sure I put it on my goals list for 2020. At our modified quilt retreat a couple of weeks ago, this was my one and only focus, if you recall.

Back here at home, after retreat, I needed to make two more blocks and sew the top together with the sashing strips and corner stones - Voila! - a quilt top!

This quilt is made with about 20 different dark blue fabrics from my stash so that my churn dashes would be very scrappy. For the background, I selected a 5-yard cut of white purchased from Jackson, OH, Guhl's outlet store. Easy-peasy! The blocks finish at 9-inches, so quick work with only 42 blocks necessary.

It's a gorgeous Saturday here in south-central Ohio. We are ready to go for a long walk over at the bike path in Frankfort. Hope you get to enjoy this beautiful day!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

from At Home With Thimbleberries Quilts

 I showed just one of my Thimbleberries books in the last post - I am making Meadow Lily; look back here to see the quilt. 

I sat down yesterday to look at the rest of this book and discovered that counting Meadow Lily, I will have made five quilts from this book, a good indication that it was a good buy. I'm sure I've had the book for 20-25 years; I should check to see if I can figure out something more precise.

 

In the meantime, I thought I would do a bit of reminiscing about the other quilts from this book. 

First, I will share Harvest Mix, a lap quilt that has 'fall' written all over it. I still love the look of this quilt now as much as I did when I made it.

One of the pics in the book has Harvest Mix folded over the back of a sofa and it looks so amazing - I tried to select fabrics that were very close to those Jensen used in hers, in the hopes that I could achieve that perfect cozy feel. 

 

Another quilt featured in this book is Nine Patch Criss Cross; I have actually made this pattern twice. Here's one made with four fabrics, as the pattern is designed.

And below, the same pattern made years earlier in three fabrics. This one has been used and laundered quite a lot. This quilt is special because my late grandma hand-quilted it for me.

And finally, take a look at Yo-Yo Table Topper, a fun little quilt I bring out at Christmas time. 

 

This quilt, too, has been used extensively and has the dripped candle wax to prove it. I don't dare launder it or I will be restitching those yo-yos. 

When a single book can result in 5 quilts there's a good purchase. I wish I could say that about all the books I've purchased. (Are you nodding in agreement??)

When Meadow Lily is finally a flimsy, I will be sure to bring you a finish pic.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

2020's Single UFO

 The 2020 goals I published back in January had only one UFO listed - to finish a Thimbleberries quilt begun in 2006 called Meadow Lily.

I have gone back through the blog to see how often I have spoken of finishing this quilt, and I am embarrassed to admit that it's been more times than I care to count. But by gosh, I am doing it now. At long last. 

The setting blocks are all completed, so finishing simply requires making those lily blocks. Here are the ones done so far.

The quilt is very pretty, and I am making it almost exactly as pictured. The main colors are green and purple with a background of tan/beige. I need 18 full lily blocks for the center and 4 partial lily blocks for the border. 

 

The pattern is is this very vintage Lynette Jensen book, At Home with Thimbleberries Quilts.

Progress is slow with the craziness of school and kitchen construction, but I am steadily plugging away at those lily blocks. I hope to have a flimsy by the end of the month.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

The Week that Was

The posting has slowed down considerably, but life around here sure hasn't. For a couple of retired people living through a worldwide pandemic, we sure do seem to be busier than ever. 

 "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!" Growing up, I remember my mother saying this. I cannot remember being excessively busy - undoubtedly for her it involved 5 kids and their activities whilst being a farm wife. Gardening, canning, housework, helping Dad with the crops or the cows, taxiing us kids all over, and generally working to make a good life for us, Mom probably felt a very pronounced sense of "busy-ness" on a regular basis.

Our busy comes in the form of our both returning to our part-time jobs. I am entering my third week of classes at OU-C where I teach two Freshman Comp classes every Monday and Wednesday. DH drives a morning and afternoon bus (van) route for 15 Mennonite children in our little community who live too far from their school to travel safely by bicycle or buggy. After a summer of free and easy, do-as-you-please hours, these obligations are forcing us back to schedules. It has it's perks, but also some restraints. Jobs are like that.

On top of our return to work, we began a kitchen remodel last Tuesday. Everything from our kitchen is now stacked in the front room and dining room. (Can you envision the paths?) We are keeping the existing cabinetry, with some modifications, but all will be painted. Consequently, doors have been removed from all upper cabinets and a handful of lower ones. After all is finished, I will do a post which will contain before and after shots, but here's a look at the current situation.

Our 28-year-old kitchen is getting an update. The dropped ceiling is staying as is the cabinetry. The configuration of the wall units will be minimally changed. The central ceiling light (4 florescent tubes) will disappear, in favor of the 6 newly-installed can lights that you see. The peninsula that we used to have has been removed (see spot in the flooring), and an island will be constructed. The fridge stays - it was new last November - and a microwave, stove and dishwasher - all matching the fridge - will go in. The sink will be replaced with a farm sink and a pendant light will hang above it. All will be painted fresh farmhouse white, with new wood-look flooring.

That is the kitchen portion of this job. We are also having a utility room built in the front part of our garage, and some minor changes made to a closet and other lighting in the powder room and dining room.

Sewing? Quilting? What?? 

Yes, even with all this to divert my attention, I still escape to my sewing room and get a few things done. I finished True Blue to the flimsy stage, and work as I can on the UFO, Meadow Lily. 

I also do have a goals list for the month, and even though we are practically half-way through the month already, I am focusing on these. (And playing around with a graphics app.)

I need to sign off here and get to class. I hope you are having a great Monday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Historic Textiles

 On Saturday, the Mr. and I took a day trip to Marietta, OH, the site of the first land office in the Ohio Territory. We are quite enamored with the town and all its accompanying history since reading David McCullough's The Pioneers last winter. 

Situated on the Ohio River, Marietta served an instrumental part in US westward expansion. The first building and fort were built in 1788; remarkably many remain yet today. A number of fine, stately homes  adorn many of the downtown streets, several of which were built by Revolutionary War generals sent to the Ohio Territory by George Washington himself.

On our earlier visit to Marietta, we were too late arriving to get to tour the Campus Martius Museum, our main objective for Saturday's visit. Even in the midst of so much history significant to our nation's founding, the quilter in me was just as captivated by the textiles on display in the museum.

This beautiful red and white feathered star quilt was made by Phebe Sherman Jeffords in 1812. According to the accompanying information, her name and date are stitched into the reverse of the quilt. Isn't that border remarkable? The decay is rather extensive, and I am glad the museum can give it the care it deserves. What a treasure.

By comparison, this quilt looks relatively new. The condition is quite remarkable really. Yet, it has some age, despite its pristine condition. The sign explained that the quilt belonged to Susan Burlingame Pratt, the great-granddaughter of Rufus Putnam, one of the founders of Marietta. She was born in 1821 and married Henry Pratt in 1857. The block is called Chimney Sweep; the fabrics are dress scraps.

Scant information was available for this baby quilt. The sign says simply late 18th early 19th century. The fabric appears to be quite rough - perhaps homespun or wool. No fancy piecing, but that stitching makes up for the plainness of the fabric.

This whole-cloth quilt was interesting to study. Here's what the sign said for this 1750-1800 specimen, "This quilt is believed to have been manufactured in the last half of the eighteenth century and uses a floral pattern for its design. The materials used to construct this quilt are composed of natural fibers and dyed using a resist process and natural dyes. It displays some minor repairs from years of service and is typical of what might have been used by many families during the early settlement of Ohio."

 

 

Not all the textiles were quilts, as the cross stitch sampler above shows. This beauty was made by 11-year-old Sarah M. Pratt in 1841 or 1842 (depending on the source - do you see the discrepancy?)

 

 One special treat in the museum is the home of Rufus Putnam on its original site. It is decorated much as it would have been all those many years ago, with a beautiful blue and white quilt on one of the beds.

 

We began a big kitchen remodel yesterday, so between my classes and the remodel, stitching might take a secondary role. I hope not; we shall see. I definitely plan to share before/after pics here.

 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Fruitful Quilt Retreat

 Trying to have a quilt retreat in the year of the pandemic - what a ridiculous notion! Ours was scheduled for early April, canceled, rescheduled for late August; canceled and finally modified to meet more of our schedules by staying close to home. Terry hosted the retreat at her house! I think I speak for the entire group that it was a roaring success.

 

My week of stitching culminated in the blocks you see above. My goal as we began the retreat was to make all the blocks for True Blue, a churn dash pattern by Linzee Kull McCray. I have had the pattern for a couple of years, and this quilt has been on several to-do lists. Now, I finally have it started and will work on finishing the flimsy in the coming week. I made 40 blocks (42 needed), so I will get the additional blocks made, and then commence with the setting strip and cornerstones. A neat-o secondary design will appear.

 Here's our little group. All 7 of us were present on Wednesday, so we hijacked Terry's husband to take some pictures for us. Some of us made it for partial days while others had to miss entire days. We took turns with lunch provisions M-W, and ordered from a local restaurant the final two days. 

I did not make an effort to document what each of us worked on; instead, I have only documented my own project. From Monday through Friday, here's what I accomplished.

 

My work station all set up, plenty of liquids!

 

Ironing beside my machine; Thangles ready to cut.

Cutting and trimming triangle papers at Terry's countertop island.

Stitching more triangle papers on my Featherweight.

Largely, the time was entirely filled with making those churn dash blocks. I had parts prepared in advance for some, but not all. Had I truly been in chain-piecing mode, I would have made much faster progress. I won't complain, though, that I didn't do enough; the enjoyment of the week was too great to complain. We had the very best week of sewing fellowship. This group is already tight-knit; we are even more so after spending the week together. *All the good feels!*

I have worked out my goals for September; maybe I can get myself back on a better blogging schedule and share that with you soon. Have a great week!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Hello September

 A new month! Are you ready for September? 

It's strange how this coming month and the approaching season toys with my psyche. I never seem to look forward to autumn like I do with the arrival of spring. I don't dislike the arrival of fall; in fact, I love all the seasons and am glad to live in Ohio where we are fortunate to experience all the delights of four distinct seasons. However, it does make me a bit melancholy to see summer fading, dusk coming earlier and the early signs of fall settling in.  I guess I am a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to fall's coming. Since I can't do a thing about holding summer a little bit longer, I will look forward to crisp, cool mornings, bright blue skies, and brilliant, bold colors. Eternal optimist, I am!

Enough philosophizing. In yesterday's post, I said I would come up with some goals and I am still working on those. In the meantime, let's do an August wrap-up.

My August collage include 6 quilts, probably the most I've ever featured since I began doing these monthly collages. The Frankfort Girls' sew-along quilt is up first; it is in the flimsy stage. The small table topper I'm calling the Key West quilt is my version of a periwinkle quilt; it is finished, as is the little mantle mat made with remnant HSTs. Another flimsy is the Larkspur 9-patch. In the bottom row is another HST quilt made with remnants; it is quilted and needs the binding to be applied and finished. Then, one of my current works-in-progress, the 5-inch churn dash quilt made with reproduction prints and shirtings.

The non-quilt pictures feature two of my kiddos who had birthdays this month, Emma, my youngest and Adam, my oldest. The remaining picture is one we took on a fun day trip to Marietta, OH, the setting of the David McCullough book, The Pioneers. Marietta is a beautiful city, full of fascinating history about the original English settlers to the Ohio territory.

We are having a good time at our modified quilt retreat. Day 2 is in the books, and I think I speak for all that we are enjoying it immensely.

Happy September, dear readers, and

Happy Quilting, Friends!