Hi everyone, on a dank grey end of September evening? How is everyone?
Mail! Not bills or lost ballots but happy mail---the postlady bringing gifts, large and small. I am even thrilled when an Amazon box appears, I admit. But what really warms my heart is the kindness and generosity of my blog readers and quilting friends---those generous souls who during the darkest months of the pandemic mailed me boxes of Triscuts, rolls of Charmin. You guys are the best!
A month or so ago, when I was showing my completed Tiny Baskets, I mentioned a special to me pale blue and brown ''seaweed'' fabric that for some reason I especially love, lower left corner.
My mom gave me a tiny scrap of it, a jelly bean roll from the Cape Cod quilt shop. My mom never sewed but she'd stop in and pick up fabric for throw pillows now and then. I cherished that little piece, maybe 6" x 5" for years; then friend Mel helped me find more---a fat quarter from an etsy shop that specializes in out of print, collectible fabrics. I mentioned that I thought the fabric was 15 or more years old, a line of repro fabrics from the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.[I did not find the exact year this line was released.]
Imagine my surprise, after that post, to get an email from blog reader Jerrianne in Texas, saying that yes the fabric was a museum line, dating to??? And that she had more of the blue to send to me. Omigosh, I was amazed and so pleased.
She went on to say that she had all the fabric from that line, part of an unfinished quilt she started but had never finished. She said my post inspired her to get the project out and work on it. And!!!! that that when her top was done, she'd send me ALL the rest of the fabric group.
I couldn't belive my good fortune. It is pretty unusual for someone to buy an entire line and then keep it together, unused for so many years.
A few weeks later, both packages arrived! Filled with treasures.
Everything is here. Aren't these early 1800s fabrics exquisite? I will enjoy the challenge of the soft colors.
Even a few beautiful quilt blocks!
Jerrianne's appliiique skills are inspiring.
She also enclosed two beautiful cards.
Once I had spent a few days ooohing and aaahing about the fabrics--so fine, so delicate in color, so authentic---I did a bit of research into the Sarah Johnson quilt, now in the collection of the Shelburne Museum. https://shelburnemuseum.org/collection/textiles/
Here is the quilt, made c. 1826. Star blocks are 4" finished; it is considered a ''scrap'' quilt, using many fabrics. Handpieced, hand quilted.
Pattern: HERE
link to more info: http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2018/06/ here
https://www.antiquefabric.com/shop/shelburne-museums-sarah- johnson-quilt-pattern-kit-fabric/ here
The fabric designs are 200 years old, as is the quilt [I am guessing it is not so monochromatically brown in person and up close.] I look at the quilt's picture and marvel; whatever would Sarah think of us, loving her quilt and fabrics, centuries later. Who will love YOUR quilt, in 2220?
Jerrianne herself is a marvelous quiltmaker! She has promised to share pictures of her quilt when it returns from her quilter. And here are links to her other beautiful quilts.
Jerrianne Evans here
Thank you Jerrianne! I am so happy to have met you. I will love and cherish your shared treasures.
.................................................
Off topic, because here at the beach, not only do I walk Mo and quilt, I also sometimes cook and bake, as you know. As the darkness of Fall draws in earlier each evening, I'm taking to heart blog friend Kit's advice to celebrate the darkness. I light my beloved scented candles so early now. And if I am in and out I switch on my wax warmers instead. A current fave is Cornbread and Honey from 1801 Candles. All that cornbread deliciousness made me yearn for hot homemade cornbread. I am trying to eat down and restock my fridge from its jam-packed days in the early summer. I will restock soon, for winter storms and possible next virus surge. In my baking bin I found mixes: Jiffy cornbread and Betty Crocker blueberry muffins. I love blueberry cornbread, so I decided to mix the two and make a big pan, eat some, freeze some.
Ha! The sheet of cornbread was a disaster, a crumbling mess. Only edible with a spoon. I wonder what went wrong?
Next attempt will be homemade, "from scratch".
love
lizzy
gone to the beach......
.jpg)
The fabric range is wonderful. Lucky lady. I have seen the serpentine ones before but the dark brown with the bit of blue is gorgeous. Enjoy using them.
ReplyDeleteI have so many of those wonderful repros in my Jane Stickle quilt! You hit the jackpot!
ReplyDeleteStunning fabric and how lovely to pass the joy on. A real antidote to the less than lovely things on the planet at the moment. I know I'm going to spend ages admiring your pics of these timeless fabrics. Penny
ReplyDeleteSimply gorgeous fabrics--I had bought some from that line years ago and used them on a gifted quilt...the wavey flowered one is so beautiful, isn't it? All of them are, really.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what you make with those;)))
I've been wanting to make a tea bread this week--my sweet tooth has been calling for something yummy..
.
Rain overnight here at long last--yay--0.32 inches--but better than nothing...
Wet leaves now adorning everything--my lawn looks bright yellow under the clouds...
Fluorescence...a lovely gift...
Stay safe--hugs, Julierose
Your very first photo had me thinking, how perfect are those fabrics for a beach house! I can already see them in a gorgeous throw quilt across the back of one of your white slipcovered sofas or chair or in big puffy pillows. What a fabulous gift! Blueberry cornbread sounds so good, will have to look for a recipe for some. I think its been at least 40 years since I've used any of the Jiffy mixes. Yes, time to get the crockpot out again for cold weather comfort food cooking.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I hope that mix I found isn't 40 years old! Maybe 5 tho, I wonder if if that's why it failed?
DeleteI recognized the aqua seaweed print immediately and my first thought was "OMG you found some more!!". But even better, you got treasure! Jerrianne is so generous and thoughtful! All the prints are so pretty - I see there is a green version of the seaweed, too. I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite, although I do really like the wispy feathery-looking prints. Like the others, I can't wait to see what you make! The blocks are lovely, too!
ReplyDeleteIt has warmed up slightly here, but night before last got down to 40F - I took a screenshot of my phone that I was going to send you, lol. Time for soups and stews and crockpots and casseroles, all things I love!
Not sure why your cornbread/muffins failed, unless the texture of the cornbread 'interrupted' the ability of the muffins to hold together. I think maybe it would have been better to just add blueberries to the cornbread mix. I don't think the mix was bad, especially since you keep them in the fridge.
Have you ever made Irish Soda Bread? It's yummy! Bob's Red Mill brand carries a mix in a bag that's available in a lot of grocery stores (and probably online, too) and that's what I used. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's making me hungry for it, lol.
I want to ask Julierose what kind of bread is a "tea bread"? Is it like a coffee cake? It sounds interesting!
There's a 'hack' for a coffeecake - use any box cake mix and mix in a can of pie filling, any kind. Nothing else. Bake in a 9"x9" pan (it doesn't rise much). Makes an easy dense cake, and you can come up with some interesting combos - like chocolate cake and cherry filling, or spice cake and apple filling, etc. You can leave it plain or drizzle icing on top or sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
I've been getting lots of boxes from Amazon and Walmart in lieu of going shopping (COVID *and* hip issues) so I know what you mean about deliveries! But now I have lots of boxes to go to recycling...
Everyone here is decorating for Halloween! I can't believe time is going by so fast.
Take care!
What a generous gift from your friend - such gorgeous repros!! And such a sweet lovely connection to your mother as well. Cornbread - yum. By scratch is bound to be great:).
ReplyDeleteHow nice was that?? Christmas came early ;)
ReplyDeleteThey are so pretty, and very interesting.
Oh, as I began reading about the blueberry cornbread,I was all like, yeah, that sounds delicious...oh, uh oh, haha. Wonder what happened. I made sourdough bread a few days ago. It was not the kind of day that lent itself to heating the oven to 450 for an hour before you even toss the mess into it. My bad...lol.
Hope you are well,
Kel
So good to hear you're embracing the dark. I have my little lites on now and tomorrow will change some out for Halloween. I love Jiffy cornbread!! But you're right it falls apart so I eat mine with a spoon!! And honey and butter. Love all the material. Kit
ReplyDelete