It's a Dog's Life Sew It-Show It Challenge, My Day

 

 It's a Dog's Life Sew It-Show It Challenge started yesterday,  hosted by the fabulous Carol @Just Let Me Quilt.  Many thanks to Carol for thinking up another wonderful challenge.  

In Carol's words, "The challenge this time is to make anything dog or vintage related.  Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs.  As an added challenge, if dogs don't ring your bell, think vintage.  Vintage blocks, quilts, fabrics or whatever old designs make you happy."

I don't have anything dog related, but the vintage related topic excited me.  I have always loved vintage/reproduction quilts.  I first started quilting in 1993 and in 1997 I started my Dear Jane Quilt, finishing it in 2003.  

Jane Stickle was the woman who made this quilt during the Civil War, in 1863 and finished her quilt in 1868.  The quilt hangs in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont.    Brenda Manages Papdakis became fascinated with the quilt after she saw the quilt in the "Book Plain and Fancy:  Vermont's People and Their Quilts as a Reflection of America" by Deanna Bister and Richard Cleveland.  Brenda began drafting the blocks from the photos in Plain and Fancy and ended up writing the book "Dear Jane, the Two Hundred, Twenty-Five patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt".  I used a different Civil War reproduction fabric for each block.  It is a combination of applique, paper pieced and pieced.  

My next reproduction quilt was done as a block of the month.  It was by Terry Clothier Thompson and based on an 1845 applique quilt.  Eight of the blocks contain Queen Victoria's Crown.  After I completed the quilt and had it quilted, I overdyed it with tea.  

I have also made several of Barbara Brackman's blocks of the month.  She has a blog called Civil War Quilts, and each year she offers two blocks of the month, one is applique, the other is pieced.  This one is called Hospital Sketches from 2019.  Each month in addition to the block, she gave a history of Civil War hospital workers.  Louisa May Alcott wrote a book called Hospital Sketches.  Many of people who made this quilt were displayed at the New England Quilt Museum July 20-October 1, 2022.   My quilt is still a flimsy.  

Another of Barbara Brackman's BOM from 2020 was called Cassandra's Circle.  I still have 3 blocks left to do of this one.

Another reproduction quilt I started was the Buhl-Bushong Quilt, the patterns were offered by the Virginia Quilt Museum. The Buhl-Bushong Quilt was made in 1855 by Elizabeth Ann (Bett) Bushong. About 1898, Bett's brother built a home on the property for his growing family. The house was eventually willed to the Bushong's neighbors, the Buhl family, The quilt remained in the house until the Buhl's eventually moved to a different town.

This is still in pieces.  All my appliqued borders are completed, it is the paper pieced blocks that hold me up.  I need to get back to this project.   Paper piecing is not my forte obviously!

My last thing to show is my Ella Maria Deacon Quilt.  This was offered by Sentimental Stitches.    Barbara Brackman writes about the quilt here.  This consists of 85 blocks, I have 84 done.  I am hoping to get some help with the last paper pieced block at a quilt retreat I am scheduled for.   In 1841 a large group in New Jersey and Philadelphia made an album quilt.  They converted the idea of a bound autograph album to a bedcovering.  This was made for Ella Maria Deacon (1811-1894).  Ella Maria never married.  I was hoping to have the entire top together for this challenge but it didn't happen.  I think I need to find another fabric for the long sashings, as I made some mis-cuts and I doubt I have enough.  

Coincidentally at last week's guild meeting we had a speaker named Arlene Arnold who did a trunk show of many vintage and antique quilts and their histories.  She even had a quilt from t he 1700's.  It was very interesting for me who love these type of quilts.  

Be sure and visit the other talented quilters below.  

The line-up for the whole week is below.  

SEPTEMBER 18

 

Just Let Me Quilt

Inflorescence

Quilting Gail

Quilt Schmilt

Sew Many Yarns

 

SEPTEMBER 19

 

Ms P Designs USA

Karrin’s Crazy World

Just Because Quilts

Crazy'boutquilts

Days Filled With Joy

 

SEPTEMBER 20

 

Quilt Doodle Designs

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Beaquilter

Quilted Snail

Domestic Felicity

 

SEPTEMBER 21

 

Moosestash Quilting

Selina Quilts

Words & Stitches

Vroomans Quilts

Scrapdash

Thanks for stopping by!

It's a Dog's Life Sew It-Show It Challenge Starts Today

 

The It's a Dog's Life Sew It-Show It Challenge starts today, hosted by the fabulous Carol @Just Let Me Quilt.  

In Carol's words, "The challenge this time is to make anything dog or vintage related.  Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs.  As an added challenge, if dogs don't ring your bell, think vintage.  Vintage blocks, quilts, fabrics or whatever old designs make you happy."

The line-up for this week is below.  

SEPTEMBER 18

 

Just Let Me Quilt

Inflorescence

Quilting Gail

Quilt Schmilt

Sew Many Yarns

 

SEPTEMBER 19

 

Ms P Designs USA

Karrin’s Crazy World

Just Because Quilts

Crazy'boutquilts

Days Filled With Joy

 

SEPTEMBER 20

 

Quilt Doodle Designs

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Beaquilter

Quilted Snail

Domestic Felicity

 

SEPTEMBER 21

 

Moosestash Quilting

Selina Quilts

Words & Stitches

Vroomans Quilts

Scrapdash

Thanks for stopping by!

ScrapHappy September

It’s again time for showing off our scrap projects!  ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, jewelry, dolls, socks or a sculpture.   I even made a new flower garden with leftover paving stones.  Anything made of scraps is eligible.

If you'd like to join us and use up your scrap collection, instead of sitting around in bags, etc, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either e-mail Kate at the address on her Contact Me page, or leave a comment on her Scrap Happy Post.

You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members, and you don’t have to worry about making a long-term commitment or even join in every month. Regular contributors receive an e-mail reminder at least three days before the event.  

On our 5th Wednesday quilt guild sewing day, I made a bunch more potato chip blocks.  One more block and I can put together a small quilt for our guild community service.   You can get the instructions here at Conquering Mt. Scrapmore with Brenda.  

The last guild meeting I picked up these blocks on the free table.  

I'm going on a quilt retreat soon, so I will be cutting up more 2.5 x 4.5 inch cotton rectangles and make more of these blocks.  

I have this large back of cottons to cut up before I leave.  

Be sure and check out what these talented bloggers have been doing using up their scraps. 

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda, Birthe, Turid, Susan (me!), Cathy, Tracy, Jan, Moira,
Edi, Sandra, Chris, Alys, Claire93, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen, Sue L,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Vera, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti, 
Viv, Nóilin, Karrin, Amo, Alissa, Lynn, Hannah, and Tierney

Thanks for stopping by!  

It's A Dog's Life-Sew It-Show It Challenge Coming Soon

 

The It's a Dog's Life Sew It-Show It Challenge is coming next week, hosted by the fabulous Carol @Just Let Me Quilt.  

In Carol's words, "The challenge this time is to make anything dog or vintage related.  Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs.  As an added challenge, if dogs don't ring your bell, think vintage.  Vintage blocks, quilts, fabrics or whatever old designs make you happy.  

The line-up for next week is below.  

SEPTEMBER 18

 

Just Let Me Quilt

Inflorescence

Quilting Gail

Quilt Schmilt

Sew Many Yarns

 

SEPTEMBER 19

 

Ms P Designs USA

Karrin’s Crazy World

Just Because Quilts

Crazy'boutquilts

Days Filled With Joy

 

SEPTEMBER 20

 

Quilt Doodle Designs

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Beaquilter

Quilted Snail

 

SEPTEMBER 21

 

Moosestash Quilting

Selina Quilts

Words & Stitches

Vroomans Quilts

Thanks for stopping by!

Slow Sunday Stitching

It was another busy week.  This week I had board meeting.  The sensor light came on for my tires and I went and had them filled.  The next day the light came on again as I was driving.  I sent to a tire place and they told me that 4 of my sensors were out and needed replaced at the tune of $100 each.  I asked SIL Jeff what I should do and he suggested the tire place across from his used car lot.  I found out that actually 2 of my sensors are out, and I have a bubble in one of my less than 2-year-old tires.  So I head back over on Monday to get the problem fixed.  

Friday afternoon-evening I worked helping setting up for our annual Begonia Show.  I pretty much worked until I dropped.  I also came home with 6 new begonias.  

These are the the tables we set up.  

I didn't think to take pictures of the show plants, but I will when I work on Sunday.    I didn't put anything in the show this year because of my problem with mealybugs and the ones that were outside that had heat damage.  I did hear from one of the clerks that helped the judges that 2 of the plants in the show had to be taken out because they were infested with mealy bugs, and they probably would have one first places.  

This week I worked on a mat for my sewing machine with pockets.  I watched a You Tube video with Jenny with Missouri Star for the directions.  

This week I have picked up my Ella Maria Deacon blocks again.  This was a BOM I was working on through Sentimental Stitches several years ago.  After my husband passed away two years ago, I stopped working on it.  I had 84/85 blocks done.  This is my last block I need to do.  It is a paper-pieced block, and I am lousy at paper-piecing.  If there was a simple way I could applique it, I would.  

I'm going to a quilt retreat soon, and my co-chair of Community Service loves to do paper piecing and is going to help me through this.  I tried again this week 4--5 times, and have set it aside for now. 

I also discovered, in putting my blocks together that this one I had already finished was wonky and would not lay flat.  So I started over 3 times.  Gay from Sentimental Stitches suggested hand-piecing the center, and then adding the sides and corners.  I tried machine piecing the whole thing, and that didn't work.  I tried taking blocks apart and trying to do it better.

I finally did manage to make it again, that sort of lies flat.  

On Instagram #100hexies100days2023, this week's theme was "Pawsome", so I went through mostly my 30's stash and found fabrics.  

What I will be working on for Slow Sunday Stitching is hand-quilting my sunflower quilt.  It has been sitting in a chair in my living room looking at me for months.  I am starting to feel guilty.  I'll work on it till I have another applique project prepped.  Another thing I have set aside since John passed away is my applique which brings me great joy.  

I will be linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.   Head on over and check out what everyone has been up to.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Slow Sunday Stitching

I've kept busy this week, even though I only had one social activity.  

Tuesday I had sprinklers put in my front section.  I have a circular driveway, and in front of the driveway is a semicircular section that I have moved a hose around every 12 minutes to water the whole thing for 45 years.  Last week I arranged for the landscaping guy that took out my lawn last year to connect sprinklers to this area.  Last year they put a tube over to this area, but nothing was connected up.  So this week they put in 4 sprinkler heads, and also put in 4 shrubs.   I had spent the days prior to their coming cleaning up this area.  I had Gazanias growing over into the driveway so I cleared that area back so they could install the tubing drip tubing.  They planted 2 gardenias, a Chinese fringe flower, 2 Leafy spurge, Japanese pittosporum.   This area is looking so much better since the sprinklers were installed.  

I also got this from the landscaper.  He was selling off his stock of bushes at 25% off.  

It's called Acuba japonica or Spotted Laurel.  They said it was very temperamental, needed shade, and should be in a pot.  

The Dish Plate Hibiscus that is planted next to this is blooming.

Last week I finished quilting the Sunbonnet Sue quilt that I finished up for one of our deceased members.  She had prepared the sunbonnets, ironed them to freezer paper and the fabric, and I attached them to the backgrounds and quilted it.  Wednesday was our 5th Wednesday workday at our guild.  We meet in a church for about 5 hours, and either piece for community service or quilt one of our small basted quilts.  I gave the Sunbonnet Sue to one of our members that likes to put on bindings.  

This week I also spent a day working on my indoor plants, transplanting some things.  When I was having the mealybug pandemic in my house, I cut them back to their rhizomes, sprayed them with mealybug killer, and planted them in a takeout container with perlite and peat moss, moistened them, and put the lids on and left them for 2 months.  I checked them after a month and sprayed them again.  The leaves came back and I repotted them this week.  I saved 3 plants.  

This week on the #100hexies100days2023 on Instagram, this week's theme was rainbows, hosted by @sewfoxymama.  

I'm going to be heading off to a quilt retreat in a couple of weeks.  I wanted to make a few things.  The last time I went to day camp quite a few quilters had cute little thread catcher and pincushions, and mats for their machines.  So I wanted to make some for myself.  

I finished this thread catcher/pincushion.  This was a pattern by Curry Bungalow that I got here.  

What I will be working on for Slow Sunday Stitching is the last piece of embroidery on the Blessings quilt. This was a project I started well over 20 years ago with a group of internet friends.  Instructions came in 4 pamphlets and I completed the first section of the quilt.

I'm working on this last week, and I can begin to assemble the other 3/4 of the quilt.  I'm hoping to prep a section or two to take to retreat with me.  

I will be linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.    Head on over and see what everyone is working on.

Next week is a busy one with Guild Board Meeting, Hearing Aid cleaning, and three days of working the Begonia show.  

Thanks for stopping by!