What I did on my summer vacation...

 Early summer was great with lots of family fun and plenty of quilting time in between. Then, just after my last post in August, my Myasthenia Gravis kicked into high gear. I muddled through the daily challenges until mid September when I ended up in ICU for four days of infusions. It's been a long slog, but I am finally on a new schedule of infusions that is working well and I am back on track. I am thankful to now be spending time each day in the quilting room!

I want to now share some of my summer projects that haven't yet made it to the blog screen! 

I went on a "vintage feedsack" kick this Spring. I have been a feedsack collector for 60 years and I dug through lots of scrap boxes and drawers and came up with these.

I am calling this one "Home Cookin". I had a ball rummaging through the solid sack boxes to find the backgrounds and then just started cutting images for the centers. The outer borders went together quickly and I spent evenings appliqueing those little circles in the corners. It is (of course) made in the potholder method (whereby each block is individually quilted and bound and then stitched together) and I had fun choosing all the different novelty prints for the backings. 

 

 

 

Next up is one I call "Sugar Pops". I drew these patterns that are based on an antique quilt I saw in the Quilt Engagement Calendar back in the 1980's. There have been a few published patterns based on this quilt over the years. I have always wanted to make one and since I already had the sack scraps out... I think I had more fun with this quilt than any other in years. I just adore it! I enjoyed picking all the feedsack plaids for the backings. I don't use my plaid sacks enough so this made me smile. Again, this one was made in the potholder method. 

 

 

 

I had so much fun in fact that I thought I would try another one with my precious Dutch fabrics. I made this block with my favorite colors, but I'm afraid the placement of the red was unfortunate. When I looked at the photo I had taken, it looked like Bozo the Clown. Right?? I knew I could never unsee it, so I will place it on the freebee table at my next quilt meeting and it will go to some unsuspecting quilter at my group. 

 

While I still had the overflowing scraps on my table, I cut some little pieces for this potholder quilt which I donated to the infusion center.

 

You get terribly cold sitting for hours in those chairs and a quilt is a fun thing to keep you warm! 

 

 

I still haven't made much of a dent in my sack scraps! 

 

I also finished quilt number one of Taryn Falkner's (Repro Quilt Lover) Tiny Nine Patch Challenge on Instagram. This also went to the infusion center. 

 

 

I called this one "In the Pink" as I was feeling better by the time I finished it! And, now I am on to quilt number two. I got bored with the shirting background so switched to my favorite color, chrome yellow! 

 

That's all for now. Hope to get back into Blogland slowly but surely!! Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful Fall! 

Trying to catch up

 I'm trying to post 6 months of "goings on" in as few posts as possible. I'd like to get to "square one" before the end of this steaming hot summer! So...

Earlier this summer, my friend Julie Silber curated a show at the Cahoon Museum of Art in Barnstable, MA (Cahoonmuseum.org) called: Small Quilts, Big Stories. She used this little quilt that I had given her many years ago as part of the exhibition. The show (and a number of other wonderful exhibitions) runs until September 22, so if you are anywhere near the Cape this summer, please stop in. 

 

 

The news of the shutdown of Quiltmania Magazine hit all of us pretty hard, but none I'm sure as hard as for the founder and owner, Carol Veillon. We will miss this stellar publication and I wish Carol a "pieceful" retirement. Back in issue # 157, my friend Barb Vedder (Fun With Barb blog) had published her "Scrap Happy" quilt. I made a regular sized version and donated it to the local infusion center. 

Then I decided to try one in half the size. What fun!! I sent it off to Barb before I realized I had forgotten to photograph the finished quilt, but here it the top. I just adore this size and just may make another one "someday". 

                   27" X 32" 

I've been trying to use what I have on hand these days and that certainly includes a very large amount of feedsack scraps. I finished this one in January, but I never posted the finished quilt. I appliqued one feedsack circle onto a white feedsack square every morning of 2023. I finished 12 blocks of 30 squares at the end of each month and then hand quilted them and assembled them in the New Year. I call it "Sugar Cookies".  

 

 

I finally finished this LONG term project made from some of my favorite feedsack novelty prints and lots and lots of yo-yos. 

 

 

 

This little gem will be going to my niece's new baby boy. I adore these feedsack plaids. 

 

This might be my favorite feedsack quilt thus far. I used vintage embroidered tea towels and linens and framed them with vintage feedsack fabrics. So much fun!! I call this one "Tea Time". 

 

I liked it so much that I made another one with reproduction toiles and chintzes. I love this one too and I call it "Fancy Feast". 

 

I used fun cheater prints on the backs of each block. 

 

That's all I can muster today. Will try to do more catching up next week. I'd really like to get to "current projects" before I start another one. 😉

Happy Quilting!

 

Where I left off...

While looking for an old photo for my sister recently, I came across this. This is my mother holding a quilt I made in 1972 for a teacher's new baby. It made me realize just how swiftly time is passing. Although it was not my first quilt, I remember so very clearly making this one, as I wanted every seam to be perfect. This was going to be a gift to a special person and I wanted do do my very best. Seems like it was yesterday. 

 

Since my last post was in April, I thought I'd better go chronologically until I get to "present day". 😏 One short post at a time so as not to overload anyone or anything (like my PC). 

May: Another delightful retreat with my "Seven Sistahs" at our rented beach house. We had a severe early Spring storm here in Maine which affected many coastal areas, but we were fortunate that the house we have rented for the past 4 years, came through unscathed. We have a little (all in fun) challenge every year. When we were here last year we purchased a panel of strange and spooky images. Everyone took one tiny (6") panel and made their offering. 

 

I just donated mine to our statewide quilt show's silent auction. I chose the Venus Fly Trap since it was one of my favorite plants as a kid. I found some black plastic flies and gold honey bees to attach to the center of the "shoo fly" blocks. It was a lot of fun! 

 

I am by no means the most productive of the group. In fact, I might be the least since I have of late only brought hand work. But we all have loads of fun!!

 

Karen, Kathy and Charlotte hard at it!! 

 

Charlotte's challenge piece. She makes the best bags!! 

 

Charlotte also has a lot of fun with retail therapy! 

 

We have our share of just plain down time! 

 

And, then we just sleep and dream of all the quilting we will do in the morning!

Animal quiltalong - finis!

 This year's theme for Corinne and Cecile's sew-a-long was "animals". I have been oh so bad about posting my progress but ever so happy with the final results. Made in my favorite "potholder" method, these little wooly animals were a joy to make. 

And, now I can reveal the back. I used an alphabet panel to spell out the what the quilt was made for.

I had to buy 4 panels (they were on sale at Alewives Fabrics in Nobleboro, Maine) to get my message across. Now I have to figure out what to make with the remaining letters!

Do check out Corinne and Cecile's Quit-a-long Facebook. There are some very clever animal quilts, from birds to ants!! 

Have a super day!

One Piece Wonder

 I found this fabulous Kaffe Fasset fabric at Alewives Fabrics in Nobleboro, Maine. Rhea has an excellent website and I highly recommend taking a spin through her delightful virtual shop. I challenged myself to make a quilt (yes, in the potholder method) using just this fabric for the appliques. I drafted a simple applique design and started hunting for the perfect background. I finally decided on a bright and happy Spring green. 

 

I used more than one fabric for the backings!

And now a funny story about why we have design walls and why we should use them often! After I hand appliqued, hand quilted and bound all the blocks (one 12" block in the center, twelve 6" blocks surrounding the center, four 6" corner blocks and four 6" x 24" border pieces) I put them up on the design wall for one last look before assembling them. ARGH! How did I not see that glaring purple blob in the upper lefthand corner? I didn't mind the one in the center of the bottom, but that one just drove me crazy!

It was no problem to applique a piece over it. The challenge was how to quilt it without going through all three layers as it had already been quilted.

It took longer to fix the mistake than it did to quilt the entire border piece! Live and learn!! 

Anyway, It is done and I love it and it's Spring colors are cheering me up as I stare out my window at 6" of white fluff and more coming! Life in Maine!

Plodding along

 I've had a soft spot for turtles all my life. I love watching them, seeming to ponder each move before they actually make it. As I age, I feel a special kinship with these gentle creatures. I make my moves slowly and cautiously now. I am currently working on 11 different quilts. If "slow and steady" does indeed win the race, I feel confident that they will all (and maybe a few more) be done before the end of the year. 

First update: The Maine State Bicentennial Quilt (top). Maine was to celebrate our bicentennial in March of 2020, but I think we all remember what prevented that from happening. Pat Burns drafted the design and members of our quilt study group made blocks. I finally pieced them all together last month! This will be used as a teaching tool at the Maine State Museum when they reopen in 2025. The public will get a chance to learn hand quilting as they enjoy two special quilt exhibitions curated by Laurie LaBar. 

The center is our Maine State Seal. 

Eight of my quilts were on display at Skidompha Library in Damariscotta, Maine. My high school was in the next town so I spent a lot of time here in my youth. The area for display if beautiful and I loved sharing the glory with the paper humpback whale on permanent display. 

 

 

I'm managing to keep up with the weekly "Tiny Nine Patch Challenge, hosted by Taryn Falkner @reproquiltlover on Instagram. Each week we make 10 tiny (1 1/2" finished!) 9-patch blocks inspired by a gorgeous antique quilt. I'm doing mine in the potholder method and if I can keep up the pace, I will have a finished donation quilt by the end of the year. 

 

 

And, within the eleven projects, there is actually a "finish"! This is a "potluck" potholder quilt that I have been making for quite some time. I just rescued some light strips that were from another ancient project and started stitching in my tortoise like way. After I assembled the blocks it looked a bit forlorn so I added some strippy borders using some of my favorite reproduction conversational prints. It still looked a little bla, so I found some circles which were also leftovers and appliqued them on. The four corner blocks were rejects from my "Bird's Nest Soup" potholder quilt. And, voila! I have aptly named this one, "Bubble and Squeak". My leftover favorite! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, as always with a potholder quilt, the back is as much fun as the front! 

 

And, I am still enjoying stitching my little woolie animals for Corinne and Cecile's 2024 sew-a-long. 

Here I am - plodding along.

 

Hope I can keep up the pace!

Enjoy the day!