Back to School and a Giveaway

Hi everyone! School starts this week, drawing an artificial line for the ''end'' of summer. It's always one of the hottest sunniest days of the year, as September is perhaps the best month of summer, despite the rapidly shortening days. I was not a child who looked forward to a new school year---even a new giant box of Crayolas couldn't improve my bad attitude. School was scary, and boring, and I often had swimming [indoors, eeew] at 7.00AM.
Just to keep the record straight, I was a good student except I couldn't learn to touch type or play a a musical instrument. Or climb that stupid ceiling rope in gym---no learning issues etc. Just hated being there,lol.

Just drew with my new Crayolas!
''Bleak House" ~ says it all.

I've always tried to hide these sentiments from my kids! Who knows, maybe they'll like it, I think each year.

So to cheer us up I thought I'd show you my very small collection of school themed antique quilts.
First up is the very best. I love this quilt, a beautiful ABC quilt dated 1922.

Alphabet quilts aren't very common, though I do have an old pattern for one, and Temecula Quilt Company has  a miniature version link at end of this post.]

This quilt is especially nice because because of the included date.

Solid red with two different ''shirting prints'', tiny black sprigs on a once white ground. I have never washed it.

The other  school themed pattern is Schoolhouse, seen more often but again not very common.

The Schoolhouses here are fairly small scale, the chimneys a rosy red.

I find it charming, even though up close the fabric is the houses are pretty ugly!

Apron or house dress prints, dating perhaps 1930-1950.

It has interestingly halfhearted quilting. Baptist Fans that are more lazy loops than arching rainbows we usually see.

And this is the last of my school quilts. It is unquilted, just a top. Larger scale Schoolhouses. All hand pieced.

Carefully designed in a black [mourning?] print that is prettier on the back, with maroon roofs and chimneys, a sort of striated fleck print. The ground fabric is its best  fabric, an adorable art deco-ish dark red and black calico, though I think this top predates 1930s art deco, probably is from 1880-1910?

It was never quilted but for some reason the border was folded in like a hem and sewed down.

Now for the giveaway [900 posts last week, a milestone]: I bought the above Schoolhouse top on eBay thinking it was red and brown, a color combo I love. But no, it is burgundy/ maroon and black. I really hate maroon. The fabrics are intact but of a thin quality. I aired it well and it isn't musty smelling but it definitely has some soiling issues. Too soiled to simply fold up and store with my clean quilts ; too ugly to  spend time cleaning it.

So in a no nonsense school-y kind of deal, I am offering it to whoever wants it, first come first serve! Posting both on my blog and FB. And when I say free I mean free. I'll even mail it to you at no cost,  *****you must live in US**** Just give it a good home. [and a bath!] Enjoy.

Yay! Winner is my friend Lori of Humble Quilts!

PS~ Lesson learned: I spoke too soon when I said Mo had lost interest in yarn as a yummy crazy toy. Mo was merely bidding his time.

Here is my dusty turquoise silk bamboo yarn, a victim of my pug who thinks he is a cat. Yes, Mel, I threw it out,tangles, dog slobber and all.

Sigh. So let's take a poll: School, loved it/ hated it?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

Today/ Labor Day 40 mph gale. Poor Bitty quilt!

ABC Quilt Pattern [free] Temecula Quilt Company Little Letters   Just keep scrolling back for all the letters