Beach Days - October Projects

Hi everyone! Good week so far, I hope?

Since the handwork of Pokeberry is finished [!] I have begun a new wool applique project for my late September and October beach sewing project. I am making a version of Lynda Hall's "It's a Crock".

Doesn't it look a lot like my little crock collection?

I decided to use the designs for a fall table runner. I knew the pattern pieces were large but they are VERY LARGE. I couldn't fit them, even divided, onto my lovely thrifted linen runner [on right] as planned, so I am using this remnant of linen and cotton instead [left.]

I sketched up my plan to redistribute the motifs. I may add a pumpkin and a butternut squash at the end, not sure. I changed Lynda's mystery flowers to pink coneflowers.

I rummaged through my antique buttons for sunflower centers. These are hand carved mother of pearl with odd rusty cut steel studs or beads. Perfect!

I worked hard last week to get the projects all prepped for the beachy weekend--hot and sunny and lovely.

Sadly Sunday seems now devoted to football so one of the days it was just me and my little friends.

I can't sit inside on a day like this.
I got all the way down to the beach---I live right on the beach dunes but the water is a half mile trek at low tide right now---and found out that I had forgotten my sewing thread bag. Oh no! All I had was the tan thread that stays in my beach bag. Too hot and too far to run home so in the spirit of make it do, I decided to sew the busiest sunflower wools in the tan thread. I think it's fine and I had a lovely day.

See the two little envelope bags? These were made by my friend BJ, from "The Civil War Sewing Circle" by Kathleen Tracy here  One holds needles, the other holds my tiny scissors. I love them both, they come to the beach with me every day. So useful and pretty.

The day was windy though. I see staples in my sewing future, to hold these big pieces down. A nice young guy chased the 1876 letters all down the beach, returned triumphant. Yay.

While I sat and sewed a small bridal party appeared. They were pretty much intruding on my space, despite the big open empty beach so I felt okay taking their pictures, discreetly.

At first I thought it was a photo shoot,because the bride and groom--no entourage!--looked so beautiful and perfectly beachy-chic. He wore white shorts, she wore a white sundress and a lace bolero or shrug that left her back bare. Both were barefoot, she wore a crown of silk sunflowers.

Best wedding I've ever seen, just lovely.

***

Now the weather has changed. Today is grey and silent, with no hint of rain or storms. We haven't had a grey days in many months. It's a bit of a relief actually. Mo and I will sit on the deck and sew the final stitches on Peace and Plenty [Humble Quilts Cascadia, renamed by me].  I must finish this little project before I begin the next doll quiltalong, now in progress here . I'm funny that way, things must get done so I can enjoy a new challenge. No UFOs in my closet, nuh-uh.
[oh okay, a few!]

Tomorrow the sun returns with a first day of Autumn heatwave and I'll be headed back to the beach of course.

What are you up to? Pumpkins and sweater weather?

love 

lizzy  

gone to the beach

thousands of tiny shorebirds arrived

Gully and Big Boy

Brrrr! Winter Is Here

Hi everyone. Yeesh, it's so cold. I suppose I'll have to give in and put my shorts away. The other day this Weather Alert came up on my phone:
Ice Accretion Advisory from 1/7/2015 6:00:00 PM to 1/8/2015 6:00:00 AM
GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT...FREEZING SPRAY ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM WEDNESDAY TO 6 AM * WINDS...NORTHWEST 25 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 KT.* SEAS...6 TO 9 FEET

What the heck is a Spray Advisory?

FREEZING SPRAY...MODERATE VESSEL ICING. OPERATING A VESSEL IN GALE CONDITIONS REQUIRES EXPERIENCE AND PROPERLY EQUIPPED VESSELS. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT MARINERS WITHOUT THE PROPER EXPERIENCE SEEK SAFE HARBOR PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF GALE CONDITIONS.A FREEZING SPRAY ADVISORYMEANS THAT LIGHT TO MODERATE ACCUMULATION OF ICE IS EXPECTED ON VESSELS. OPERATING A VESSEL IN FREEZING SPRAY CAN BE HAZARDOUS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT VESSELS BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE COUNTER MEASURES BEFORE PUTTING TO SEA OR ENTER THE ADVISORY AREA.

 

I love this huge old anchor.
Fishing boats behind, at their dock.

 

Things like this remind us that this is indeed a maritime community, with a fleet of commercial fishing boats, plus die-hard sport fishermen, and the large vessels. we see out in the shipping lanes.

And yes, the snow came and the wind howled.

Mo quite likes the snow!

He is not so happy about high winds. The gale makes his leash thrum and frightens him. He sits and looks so perplexed.

Now, in early January, my house is again neutral, currently in its winter garb of white, taupe and black with accents of deep turquoise and some bits of cobalt blue.

 

I always worry that my small space will look cluttered. But in the pix, it looks quite sparse?

 



black and white toile/ taupse suzani floral



black/ white/ turquoise batik.
How I wish I'd bought many yards of this beauty!



A big brown crock with wintery berries, a fragrant fir-scented candle in a rusty tin star dish.

A favorite blue and white quilt. It's a rescue and quite tattered but I love it.

The cottage is so quiet now, just the wind and Mo's snoring. All its glittery party finery is put away. I love Christmas's Scandinavian red and white, and the Tree, and the glittering glass ornaments...but by January it comes as a relief to return to the tranquil colors of the winter beach.

 

 

 

I haven't changed the transferware plate rack yet. It will soon have my blue and black collection.

 

I am liking this pine dresser done more simply.

For awhile I think I will keep it simple, with just my white ironstone pitchers and platters, and a few bits of mercury glass.

The tarnished mirrored orbs remind me of the icy winter ocean, gleaming coldly under the pale lemon yellow winter sun.

Now is the time to bundle up and walk briskly, time for savory beef stew simmering on the stove top, for hot chocolate and Earl Grey tea, spiked these afternoons with a thimbleful of peach Grand Marnier, a gift from a friend. Time for hand quilting--and knitting, if only Mo will let me work in peace sometimes.
Hope you too are home safe, and warm, and cozy.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

 

 

Flea Market Finds and Thrift Shop Treasures

 

 

Hi! I have so many treasures to show you guys. Hardly know where to begin....

Remember I am often shopping for things to use for etsy and eBay projects. ''Raw materials" like this massive bundle of  mixed white linens. Hand embroidered, many with lace.

They had a good soak in Restore and are now bright white.

Laces for other projects....

Huge 6" + crystals from an old chandelier. They will sparkle and be clear and bright once washed in an ammonia bath!

Look at the size!

These will become icicles for Christmas tress or mantel decor.

 

 

And in a musty old box of 1980s-ish weirdly ''country'' fiber crafts [think ducks with babushkas]---this lovely late 1800s/ early 1900s quilt top. All handpieced.

No I don't know the pattern name, I thought it was Philadelphia Pavement but no. I suppose, in its own way, it is a verion of the Album block I showed you a few posts ago. But I imagine it has its own name too.

The sashing fabric is really cute, tiniest circle dots in pink. And many interesting calicos in the blocks, to be studied. I hope to get this cutie quilted, though I am not sure whether it must be washed first. Probably, as I won't want to press the stains in more deeply, and also it's a bit too grubby to send to my quilter? But tops wash better if they are quilted and then cleaned. A dilemma. I'll have to see what my quilter thinks.

tiny pink dots!

Let me see.....well, I shouldn't even tell you about the sweet and primitive little miniature blanket chest I saw last week. Old. Authentic, 1800s. Blue. Still had its big old key!!! 
200.oo!
Nope.
I didn't have time to bargain with the guy. Instead let's move on to thrifting. For almost a year my favorite very junky thrift shop has been a bust. Ive been finding nothing. But last Friday! Oh wow.

Modern quilted pillow shams. Handquilted,  blue calico and stripes. I had planned to make a coffee table runner with them. [my coffee table is sturdy and a perfect size but not wonderfully attractive. I always cover it with a runner.) But when cleaning out my linen closet the other day I realized I have an awful lot of blue runners. So now I am not sure. Maybe to sell? Add prim applique?

These two large fancy Staffordshire [English] transferware platters.

Here's the maker's mark. This company began in the 1880s, I am estimating these plates at about 1910-30? 

The color is odd, a deep cream. I thought it was the glaze color but wasn't sure. I've seen household goods exposed to years of cigarette smoke that take on this color. A day in a baggie of Clorox water brightened and sterilized the platters but they're still cream colored. And a wonderful blue. One to keep, one to sell? I especially like the top one, with the egrets or herons and pond.

 

Antique cobalt blue medicine bottles to add seashell stoppers to, for my etsy shop. Great find.

Doggy bowls for our expected new arrival, Mo!

A fat quarters bundle of very cute Halloween cottons, 50 cents. For my Halloween string quilt project. Or just because.

 

 



frog prince for Mel!

And yes, I saved the best for last! As I made my final circle of the store, before checking out, I spied this stack of plates.

I took a closer look: Quilt plates. STAR quilt plates. Big dinner plates, just the color of my yelloware bowls, with blue spongeware details. These are so awesome. I was in love.

Uh oh. I do NOT need more plates. I don't use plates like this, I use moderne white porcelain plates from Pottery Barn or Christmas Tree Shop. And, well, Pfaltzgraff isn't exactly in style, is it? But look! How could I resist? 9 plates marked 12.99 and everything was 30% off, so a dollar each! I thought, How cute these would look on my autumn table with a rough natural linen cloth and a crock full of bittersweet and autumn leaves.
Yes, I brought them home. They weigh a freakin' ton!

This shop has a thing for taping plates massively together. You can see only the top and bottom of the stack. When I finally lugged these plates into the house, 4 days after purchase [I had to get my wheelie cart out, that's how much the darn things weigh!]...I finally cut and tore off all that tape and OMG! Not just Star quilt pattern but all these other classic quilt patterns too.

In the shop I had noted the Pfaltzgraff imprint, even though I recognized the style without seeing that mark. But on more careful scrutiny I found this wonderful mark. The angel with the trumpet and MAFA stamped in blue.

 This is a retired limited edition pattern made for the Museum of American Folk Art which is here in NYC. They were produced during the 1980s. Okay, not chic. But I love them.

Everything from the thrift shop cost, with that day's special discount, 24.oo. The flea market finds: lace and white linens bundle 8.oo; the quilt top, 20.oo. The crystals, I admit, were expensive but when cleaned and rewired and with a curly rusty hook added they will be beautiful icicles for someone's Christmas tree.

Good hunting, hhhmmm?

I hope the little blue chest is there next week---and the small [ugly brown, needs blue chalk paint]bookcase with the heart cut-outs that I passed up at the thrift shop.  I have a really neat garden planter that is a rusty tricycle, a scrounged treasure, to trade. Wish me me luck!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach

 

 

 

 

 

Note: May 1st: all doll quilts from Lori's swap are now on a Link page,here