I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Friday, February 20, 2026

Drawing Mr and Mrs Noah


 Hi! Cold and rainy week, snow/ blizzard/ cyclone bomb coming. A gale warning popped up on my screen as I typed this, 50+mph winds. Good to have my sewing plans, my hot tea HERE, my Baby Mo. I spent an absurd amount of time this week, designing Noah and wife for the Noah's Ark quilt.

First, last week, I removed the too dark night sky border and redid the moon and stars. 

New version

Whew, much better, plus a chance to fix this wonky seam, below. The fabric was too flimsy and odd to match the plaid lines but bowing was bothering me.


new, machine appliqued stars this time:

Next the final figures of Noah and Mrs N. I knew I wanted to base the drawings on two of my primitive cooky cutters. 









The man is so weird, does he have breasts? No I think that is a cut out for his arms and scrawny chest, hahaha. And the woman's shape, are those her elbows? 

Other inspirations gathered over the past two two years: versions of Harriet Power's [late 1800s to early 20th century folk quilter] Bible Quilt, and copies there of.  I can't wait to get these stamps, will order online. [Please don't ask me what the Bible scenes are, HP must have had a very deep knowledge of the inspiration text.]


A Jan Patek version made by blog friends Julianne and Lori/ Humble Quilts.



A Smithsonian repro sourced by Julie Silber, av in her shop online.

I also considered the Lady from Whatnots, she's tiny but so cute and animated.

I started by tracing the cooky cutters.


too ''paper doll". 

Versions emerged, came to a final shape but too large, so reduced the size on my printer copier.



Old fashioned templates, pasted on cardboard, draw around for easy needle turn. No stupid papers:

I had planned for Mrs Noah to be a bright double pink like Lady above, but too distracting. Then indigo, grey, and black sprigs were too dark, heavy. I finally decided the pale pink stripe dot was subtle enough to work. Noah got tan plaid; the considered  gray plaid was also too dark.


So here they are.

I saved the final touches for this weekend snow days. Embroidery, ugh. Sprigs of leaves for the doves, eyes for the whales. Lucky for me only a few of the creatures have  eyes. The paper doll tryouts would make such a cute child's quilt maybe, so they are tucked into the original pattern


One day I auditioned backings using stash fabrics. This was a long ago mistake I found on the blue discards shelf.

Light or dark? Hard to see in photos but the blue side/ right side looks especially ''hospital gown''; the reverse is okay. I have a stripe set aside for the binding.


I'll show everything when finished, before it goes off to Lori C--hoping the light will be better soon, it's been a lights on all day kind of week.

Mo of course supervises. For some reason he was fascinated by the metal cooky cutters???

WHAT. Is. THIS?, mommy?

He and I both wonder why I went with a boring blue colorway? This old screenshot was my years ago, original inspiration, and I also considered a red and white full sized Ark quilt for years for years. Why drab off-color blues, yawn.

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The amaryllis are showing green shoots, so thrilled. Only Big Red remains sad and crinkled brown. Still hoping though.


Have a good weekend.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach... 

PS I'm proud that I have resumed my walks post flu and snowstorms, despite the dismal weather, but the beach is still drifted with snow. Not safely accessible yet. And the hulking, scary big trucks have arrives, two weeks early. They groom the beach, you may recall. This was Monday, I think.






Friday, February 13, 2026

 


"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Valentines Day!

sixteenth birthday  

and my mom's Elsa Peretti heart from 

NYC Tiffany's. A handmade wooden box my dad's grandfather made, and so on. 

Heart shaped pebbles from our beach on Cape Cod, in a basket in the blue bedroom.

Mo's ID tags are almost always hearts.



One of my fave collections is heart cooky cutters. This combines two interests, hearts and vintage or
 primitive tin cooky cutters.

Big tin heart sign in the background.


I especially love the the cutters with the scalloped edges. This is my best one, quite large.

This is one of my herbal hearts.

A sprig of rosemary or a tiny antique Pug Valentine tucked into the front pocket. (or a secret name of the one you love?, a folded bill for a favorite child? A chocolate kiss?)




The big bowl of fabric hearts keeps growing.




I know it's too many! I added a set of blues then more blues.



Not sure how to break them up, any takers?

A little scrap of ticking became a rare for me nowadays patriotic heart. I'll add a string to tie it on the pitcher handle maybe.

Have a fun Valentine's Day. It need not be champagne and roses at $100 each, this week only--it can be a call or a text to a friend, a hug for your kids or husband, an extra treat for your doggy. Make of it what you choose.

Mo is btw very fond of these treats. The heart cookies are a rare treat for him and he also loves the Zuke's minis. They were a staple when he was a puppy then hard to find during Covid. They always do  special holiday versions like these hearts.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ I have a friend who married his teenage sweetheart. Years ago, when they were 14, he'd give her a rose for every Valentine's Day they spent together, one for first year, two the next year, three, four--and so on. So romantic. Only romantic Valentine's tradition I ever knew anyone to do. Except my dad made my mom a handmade card each year and brought her red carnations, never expensive roses from Mr Frugal. He'd bring pink  mini carnations for me sometimes too. I guess that counts. Anyway the first couple have  been together now for many years and I wonder: Does he give her dozens of roses now? Just one instead? I didn't ask. 


Happy Valentine's Day!


love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

...walked a bit today, sun is melting the snow a little. Photo from Mo's sweet dogwalker, who bundles him up and takes him out to play each afternoon.


And I saw Mr Mockingbird! Singing away to his lady love. If it's the same bird, he must be 20 +years old. 


I also saw a hawk cruising endlessly, low on the dunes. As the snow melts he can perhaps more easily find dinner.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️