A Winter's Work ~ Spring Finishes

Hello, friends---Welcome to June.

May has seen three big quilt finishes for me . I have to say I was super-proud yesterday when I sewed the final stitch in La Grande Sajou's binding!

This was a ''little'' quilt, Humble Quilt's Fall project, inspired by the Parisienne shop known as Sajou. I think we chose that first center block in early October.

I chose a rose from a red Provencal print--it was all I had that seemed to work. That choice set the stage for my entire "French inspired'' medallion* quilt.

 I say French though maybe  that is only in my imagination,lol.

Many of the gorgeous reds I hunted down online are from American Jane. Who knew they made provencal prints as well as cutesy Americana kids' prints.

The final border is a hand blocked French border strip, found on etsy. It was added after the quilt was quilted because as we well know raw quilted edges often need a lot of straightening and squaring.

The binding also AJ, had to be attached in stages, first just to the hand-blocked border which had waves and curves due to its handmade process. The corners were carefully matched and mitered. Then the binding was sewed again through the back and batting etc. This was all somewhat time consuming.

The backing is a beautiful small tablecloth, thin batiste, that my mother cherished and gave me. Despite its pastel effect its hand blocked design was inspirational in my color choices.

The edge is a pink and white sprig, with picotage , tiny dots.

My quilter did a wonderful job of centering the tablecloth and doing a subtle holly leaf quilting as I requested.

I had worried about all the reds fading/ running.

Here is the quilt in its Retayne bath, scary!

No red showed in the water, but these are the Color Catchers, just a faint pinkness from its final wash and fluff. What a relief.

That final stage ---the wash n fluff is nerve-racking, isn't it!

*What I admire most about Lori's projects: they make me think and grow as a quilter, they inspire me to try new things. On my own I would never make a medallion quilt, don't like them! And despite my mom's influence, her love of French fabrics, using them in a quilt is not something I'd have done without this project's challenge and inspiration.This is the hallmark of a great teacher, I believe. Thank you, Lori!

Begun October 2018-finished June 1 2019.

(I was so proud yesterday. I showed my son! I got the lip curl and eye roll: "It's really, um, red, mom." )

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Another just-finished quilt: TQC 1880 Sampler.

1 block [or more] per week from January 2018 to end of September 2018, about 36 blocks; I set it side then for a winter put-together. A FB groups friend helped me with the oddball setting. Yes it's triangles, not set in rectangles.

I love it!

I wish maybe I hadn't used up my chrome yellows for the back though. What a waste, what was I thinking. It looks good to me but the fabrics can't be replaced and are unusually bright yet authentic to the 1800s date. btw The yellow backings did run, both in the Retayne bath and in the wash/ Color Catchers. I find yellow to be very unstable, worse than red sometimes.

This quilt is square, the wind blew it crooked. Really.

 As I searched for the right mottled black setting fabric, despite having ordered the one TQC suggested, more of  tan, I was surprised to find these similar vermicelli or seaweed choices in my antique fabric collection. The look must have been popular! Bet it hid a lot of dirt.

Pink borders and self-bindings, a hallmark of TQC style.

 

Begun January 2018, completed May 2019.
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And since I had leftover blocks, I made this little doll quilt.

Red lucky horseshoes and green apron backing.

Too cute, my new fave.

Begun April 2019, completed May 2019.

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> I want to mention that NONE of these quilts is a ''SCRAP" quilt. I chose each and every fabric from my stash or ordered them especially.

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Happy days for me, I feel like my winter was a success even though the two big projects I had planned [Silent Night and the two Antebellum Schoolgirl projects, Hideous and Best Friends in Blue] were entirely neglected. If we get some rainy days I will piece the final 11 stars for Silent Night, so I can applique the tiny village one the bottom border this summer. And OMG, I have to make t-shirt quilt.

I'm hoping for a busy and fun summer, aren't you? As always, my Mo supervises intently.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....


Not meaning to be insensitive to others' weather related woes, but I do love a good storm. We had some big thunder and wind last night, not so much rain. Mo is like, Yawn, but the whole house shook. Hard.

Flea Market Finds

Hi! Did you all have a great weekend? Sunday I got a very late start and almost didn't bother going to the flea. But it was such a pretty day! Cool and breezy and sunny, so off I went. I got there about 1.30 PM. Late, right? In a way I was glad I went because the market was bustling and happy, though very crowded again. But then,...same old garage sale junk. I'm wandering around, not taking pictures, thinking, What am I gonna tell the guys on my blog? What a downer I am. ''nothing...nothing...nothing...''

sigh.

But then, way across the market, someone waved. A dealer friend. I waved back and indicated I'd work my way over to his booth. When I got there he was busy with customers so I began sorting through this week's array of incredible fabrics. He doesn't always have fabrics, but when he brings them---oh my. Gorgeous. Mostly French, or vintage NYC designer samples. [For those with good memories, this is the man who sold me the tiny autograph book last fall? And the silver pansy handle, and silver thimbles...]

 This week he had a melange of vintage Indonesian cotton batiks, and toiles [maybe], retro silk scarves [no], and hand beaded couturier samples, silk, linen and wool.

I was making my little stack of treasures and PLOP, this landed on my fabric pile. He said,"I was saving this for you. I had it in the truck."

oooh. Just wonderful. Black and white and very old.

He showed me the reverse marks and labels but in my usual hurry I didn't really take the info in, just said ''Oh YES! I want it, thank you!'' 

I thought the central motif was a Chinese scene, a common theme in English Staffordshire china [think Blue Willow] But no. The tiny scene commemorates the opening of the Erie Canal at Buffalo NY in 1825. The Canal was begun in 1817. Who knew?

 Plates like this were popular, an early 19th century fad. Maybe similar to buying a World Series champions mug? The designs were made soon after the events depicted occurred. EBay had a similar plate and its seller dated it 1830.

 The edge design is called "Lace". My favorite part of the piece, plus the scalloped edges and allover grunge but not chips, no cracks aspect.

The price is long ago, not my friend's price.

It's odd now to think of the Erie Canal being so important, but in the days before railroads, it opened up commerce and travel between The East Coast / NYC and the Great Lakes/ Midwest--Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Almost 200 years ago. My how life has changed.

Back to the \fabrics, I chose this gorgeous square of celery green velvet. It needs to be washed and steamed, of course.

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It's heavily hand beaded. I will make a couple Sailors' Valentine pin cushions with the corners, maybe? Victorian Sweetheart pincushions HERE



A few beaded sewing emery strawberries, and I may even use some to add a few leaves to Pokeberry [being quilted even as I write this! so excited.]

Blues...one for pillows, maybe.

This beauty is silk georgette, hand embroidered with sequins and beads. It may be a scarf for me! [in that sari kantha style?], or a pillow or maybe part of a dressy linen tee shirt?

This small piece is just a fragment, old and fragile. Wool or wool and linen---a challis, with an ikat inspired print design.  Mid-1800s?

And this fun toile. I do love toile and this just spoke to me of Cape Cod in its early rural days. The church is there on the old Kings Highway, the farms, the lighthouse on Nauset Bay. [in a Nag's Head NC  or Sandy Hook NJ sort of way? CC Lighthouses are red and white not black.]

It's cotton, seems to be a curtain panel.
As I stood there waiting for my dealer friend to add up my bill, I picked up this button card and asked its price. The guy shrugged, "Just toss it in, no charge." Music to my ears.

The buttons are tarnished but some cuties...Well worth the price,lol $0.oo.

I did not buy, but wish I had, this odd silk boudoir stocking. Maybe NOT a Christmas stocking, but a dressing table decoration? With what I think of as French silk ribbon flowers. I know I'd buy it to use the flowers and kind of did not want to cut it up. Pretty.

Then from antique to beach kitsch: Look what I found at the Stop n Shop. Tiki lights, torches! Big! If they burn citronella oil, they'll be so cool in my friends' tropical garden? Hmmm?

Have a great week.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

PS: Remember the big black THING far away on my beach? Rocks, trash bags, a beached whale, a shipwreck, a wrecked truck...? This morning early a big black pickup truck came and took the black things away! So we'll never know. [I was sure it was boulders for a jetty, but the guys lifted and slung the black objects too easily for that.]

black jetty rocks

a beach mystery.