Vintage Fabric: Peter Rabbit Panel Book Page Quilt

Vintage Fabric: Police Officer Panel Book Page Quilt

Vintage Fabric: Zoo Animal Panel Book Page Quilt

The Husband Factor

When I started learning to embroider, I know for a fact that my husband rolled his eyes. You know, ANOTHER crafty thingy. But when he discovered that I wanted to embroider tea towels for our home he was muy supportive. Those are his favorite kind of towels for the kitchen. In fact, he even suggested I go online and buy a case (of like 800) and start making gifts for everyone in the family.

If I'm going to do that, I'll have to start now to be ready for Christmas 2010. But, I do so like a flour-sack tea towel with a little flair. My favorite ones have gingham bias tape around the edge and a little embroidery in the corner.

Seasonally Appropriate: Christmas Stockings

I just finished a custom order for Christmas stockings. They'll be heading to Texas tomorrow. But I think I'm going to miss them. This unique project required that I use existing needlepoint stockings -- much like you might buy from Land's End or Horchow. They were rather small, so I needed to extend them while still making the needlepoint look like a natural part of the stockings. Or rather, make the addition look like part of the original stocking.

I also knew the client wanted to class up her stockings. Needlepoint stockings are classic, but I knew she wanted something with pow. Hope these are what she had in mind...







Notable notions:
vintage buckle
interior design trim that was priced $8/yard. (that's much more expensive, higher-quality than I am accustomed working with)
handmade button "believe"
stretch velvet -- to accommodate big stocking stuffers
microfiber suede, leather look

Save the Quilts

I was at my grandmother and grandfather's cabin a mere 4 minutes when I picked up my camera and started taking pictures of stuff. Stuff that was discarded from their primary home, their vacation home, and anyone else's home in the family that had cast offs they didn't want to use anymore. Assembled in this jumbled way the cabin has always had a decor that we've teased and laughed about. But this trip I realized there were some true family treasures up there. Because I'd read about someone's obsession with vintage sheets recently I pulled back the blankets on every bed and took a peek. Sure enough vin-tage! But threadbare, as well. What caught my attention were the quilts I found.
Anyway, here are the pictures.... and a vase to boot.
There were four precious ones that I couldn't stop thinking about. Partly because the conditions of the cabin are far from archival and partly because I knew my great-grandmother had pieced or quilted them. Now that I myself have pieced and quilted a few quilts I know the time that went into the planning, piecing, quilting, binding, etc. I felt very strongly the quilts must be saved.

Presumably each quilt/blanket belongs to members of our family (none of them to me or my mother). I didn't know if they knew there were up there and the way they were being used. So of course I campaigned to my grandmother to save them. In long discussions -- most of which I think we misunderstood each other -- I think I succeeded in convincing her that the quilts needed to be restored and saved in another way than at the cabin. One is actually covered and then -- it kills me to say this -- tied together to make a newer blanket. When I brought this up to my grandma, wanting to know the full story, she told me it was her wedding quilt that was inside! O.M.G.

Some Vintage Inspiration

My grandparents have a cabin in the woods of Island Park, Idaho. It's remote by my standards and is dreamy. I had a sewing deadline to fulfill while I was on family vacation, so I was able to sit on the front porch of the cabin and sew. Simply great! As I looked around the cabin -- which has been their's for about 40 years -- I found many little vintage items that inspired me for future projects. (I'll be posting these little treasures all week, so check back.)

1. The quaint canisters that have been in this cabin for as long as I can remember. I heart birds.

2. The plates we use when we're there. According to my grandmother, she purchased them with S&H green tickets or something.

3. Milk Glass. All over the place and perfect. Oh yummy. I'll post a few pictures over the next couple of days. Even the light fixtures up there feature it. It's wonderful, and precious.



5. The doll. This doll is so cute. Just flip it over to find a new girl under the skirts. I love it. I especially love the green plaid. It's great and I suspect it was used for something really cool before it became the scraps used for the doll's dress. Bottom's up!

PS -- I also learned while I was on vacation that I had been picked as a winner in the Finny and Donk's Sew Along. I was so flattered. So, go check out my winning skirt! (My prize arrived today -- an Amy Butler pattern for a tunic/dress/cami!!!)

For Baby: Truck Pillow

My baby's room has been a true struggle for me to decorate. I waited so long with my first baby that when I got around to picking colors and themes he was old enough (almost 2) to start telling me what he wanted. Well, this baby, doesn't talk as much even though he's only a few months behind where his brother was when his brother picked... drum roll, please... John Deere.
But this baby is obsessed with cars. And I was smitten by a line in the Cars movie by Mater, "What's wrong with rusty old cars." So, that's what happened, I found some rusty looking cars stuff and painted the room the same color as rust. But the bedding has been a challenge.

Finally I just decided to draw a truck, cut it out of "wool" flannel, and stitch it together. I'm glad I did. I was attempting to kinda match the pillowcases I had found on clearance at Pottery Barn for Kids (seen in the background), but I wanted to make it look even older. I say "wool" because that is what it was called at the fabric store in Indiana, but when I touched it with a hot iron it immediately melted onto my iron. Wow, that was a joyful moment. Anyone know who to clean melted acrylic off iron?
I opted for raw edge applique because I love it. But I find now that it's finished that the boys might like playing with this pillow so I probably should have picked something a bit more sturdy. Oh well. I can always make another.
In addition to the truck pillow I also painted this dumb little initial. I'm not a great distress painter or anything. But I like that it adds to the charm of the room. Now to find some old license plates. I have an idea for the valance.

Book Review: Romantic Home Sewing, Cottage-Style Projects to Stitch for the Home, by Christina Strutt

Beautiful book. But it is the exact opposite of my style. I like the projects, but just can't see myself taking on any of them. The patterns are simple to follow and the projects are geared for a beginner. I actually have a friend who would love this book. Her entire home has that country-cottage flair. There is a gardener's apron pattern that could be adapted to any style that makes this book worth checking out. If you have a passion for linen, florals, floofy, and vintage french-y whimsy, you'll love this book.

The Life Goal... no. 71,938

Many have heard me say that I have a life goal to sew a quilt for every niece and nephew that I have and will ever have. Well, I'm making it official after running across this quote:

"I've been a hard worker all my life, but 'most all my work has been the kind that 'perishes with the usin', as the Bible says. That's the discouragin' thing about a woman's work...if a woman was to see all the dishes that she had to wash before she died, piled up before her in one pile, she'd lie down and die right then and there. I've always had the name o' bein' a good housekeeper, but when I'm dead and gone there ain't anybody goin' to think o' the floors I've swept, and the tables I've scrubbed, and the old clothes I've patched, and the stockin's I've darned....But when one of my grandchildren or great-grandchildren sees one o' these quilts, they'll think about Aunt Jane, and, wherever I am then, I'll know I ain't forgotten."
~Aunt Jane of Kentucky, ca. 1900

Now, seeing as I got a late start some of those nieces and nephews will be OLD when I finally get around to the quilt. But I do have some of them done. Check, check. Don't go starting to look in your mailbox waiting for yours to show up. It's a LIFE goal. May take my whole life.

ps -- Of course I'll be sure to make a few of you non-niece and nephew types a quilt, too.

pss -- Ever since reading this quote I've been speaking like I'm on Appalachia 9-1-1