This is a dresser scarf made my my husbands Grandma. I think this is called huck weaving.
Here is a detail of one of the lilies:
I love the shading she was able to achieve with this technique. I am not sure but thsi may have been a stamped design. The edges are beautifully crocheted lace. The back is nearly as beautiful as the front! My sister in law told me that when she was young, Grandma made her fix the back of her embroidery because it had to look nice :).
Until next time…
This quilt was made by my husbands other Grandma. I never met her. She seems to have quilted completely out of necessity. This is one of only two quilts that I have seen that she made. I also have one string quilt top made by her. This is a utility quilt for sure! 9-Patches and string blocks made good use of the smallest scraps. It is quilted in a baptist fan pattern. It has been mended, mended, and mended again!
Here is a closeup:
This is very worn and faded. It is also quite dingy. I would love to see if I can brighten it up a bit but am not sure how. Any suggestions?
Until next time…..
Grrrrr…….I spent a few hours tonight machine quilting a small quilt. I thought I was done and turn it over to find that eleven rows of stitching had terrible tension issues. I ripped the stitches out and redid that part. Turned it over and AGGGHHHHH!!!!!!! Same thing! What the heck? I ended up ripping and stitching this same section FIVE times! I used a different color but the same type of thread that I used in the rest and it was fine everywhere else.
So instead of showing you that, I will show you some old stuff. These are some small quilts made with vintage fabrics. First up is a hand quilted newly made piece with vintage blocks that I purchased. This is about 35″ square:
This one was made with vintage 40s fabrics for the stars. It is about 30″ square. This quilt appeared in QUILT Magazine a number of years ago:
Here is a detail of one star:
I love these funky prints! The next one is a small doll quilt and I do not know who made it. It is made from feedsacks and measures about13″ square.
I think I will try to soak this and see if I can get that stain out. I love the way the maker was careful to center the horseshoe in the middle for good luck :).
Maybe tomorrow I will feel like showing you some of my rip and rip some more project!
Until next time…..
I am the new owner of several wonderful family heirlooms. We are helping my mother and father in law to clean out their house in preparation for sale. It is a bittersweet time. So many memories, such amazingly wonderful people. I am truly blessed and I know it.
As part of the process, my mother in law has given me some family quilts that I will share with you in this and some future posts. The first was made by her mother, Grandma Swartzendruber. I met her when I married into the family and she was in a wheel chair by then. I loved her immediately. She was quirky, no doubt, but a better quilter I have never met. She did the most beautiful embroidery and crochet as well. Grandma was a Mennonite and her parents before her were Amish! I have lots of Grandma stories…..maybe I should tell one here now and then.
For now, I will share this quilt, a lovely Carolina Lily pattern made in the 1930s or so:
It is very thin now but the quilting is nothing short of incredible! I wish you could see the feathers and the tiny stitches! She was an industrious woman and knew well the art of making do. I am thankful to have this and now it is hanging above my bed. here is a close up of one block:
I love the way she substituted a yellow when she ran short of green and used a green that faded differently for some of the leaves :). Hope you enjoy this peak into my family history!
Until next time….
….these:
Why, you make more of these:
The smaller ones are a great size for coin purses and the slightly larger ones are the right size for a digital camera. These little bags are like potato chips, you can’t stop at one! I am doing a “pay it forward” challenge with some friends in which you have to send a handmade item to several people. I am going to send some of these. I got the zippers at the thrift shop for 19 cents each! Again, I used machine quilting sample pieces as in the ones I posted earlier.
If anyone is interested, I will post a tutorial on how to make these though you may be able to figure it out from the pictures.
Until next time….
My daughter bought this for me. It combines two of my favorite things: flip flops and coffee :). It is now my favorite cup!
Until next time…..
I know, a gazillion people have done this already! But this is the first time I have done it. Actually, I did this about two years ago while working through some exercises in the Art Quilt Workbook by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston. Here is the photo I started with:
And here is the journal quilt I ended up with:
I’d like to do this again some time. Come to think of it, I ‘d like to read that book again! Off to find it…..
Until next time….
Yesterday was the last day of winter and it was 65 degrees here. Today is the first day of spring and we have this:
I hung my clothes on the line earlier this week but now:
So very sad about this. Pleace God, bring the sun back!
Until next time….
A few of you asked if it was difficult to access the bobbin in my new sewing desk. I ain’t gonna lie….it isn’t the easiest due to the thickness of the table top. However, wonderful DH has modified it by cutting a semi-circle into the platform:
For the second pic, I removed the machine and took the pic from the angle of looking toward the front of the desk.
This has helped make access easier. It also helps that I have small hands! I could just lift the machine out of the recess but this works for me. Hope this helps you as well.
Until next time……
…..came home last night with these:
But that is not all. Oh no, that is not all…..he also brought these:
No special reason, no birthday, no holiday. He just loves me. How awesome is he????
Until next time……
KatyQuilts 