More Doll Quilts!

Hi! Lori has her Linky up here for the show and tell of all the tiny quilts sent and received by participants in her Doll Quilt Swap 2015.

I'm writing this post for my friend BJ / Beverly who was the very lucky recipient of this adorable quilt from Lori herself.

Lori calls it Time for T. [I always think of this as the Temperance block, because it was supposedly used by the ladies of the Women's Temperance [anti-alcohol] Society in the late 1800s and early 1900s.]

And this was the quilt that Beverly made and sent on. Beverly specializes in Civil War fabrics and doll quilts; this was her first quiltalong / swap.

Such a beauty, look at this backing!

The design is from "The Civil War Sewing Circle" by Kathleen Tracy. BJ also has made for me the very useful sewing needfuls from this book---a needle case and scissors envelope both of which I use daily.

Beverly's quilt went to Valerie Langue in Winfield IL. Valerie has an online quilt shop called The Quilt Merchant.
Coincidentally just now a box arrived from BJ. Filled with pieces from her extensive indigo blues collection. I'm thrilled.

Aren't quilters just the best!

Thanks for a fun swap, Lori! Thanks for playing, Beverly!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

Back to the Beach

Hello! It's mid-June and old man winter has finally lost its grip on the beach. Yesterday summer arrived with a bang. One day we're shivering in our fleece jackets, the next day it's 85 freakin' degrees.

I thought I'd melt! Poor MO,in his fur coat!

There's people on my beach. Huh. Our version of a busy summer weekend.

I suppose there is room for all without it looking like Coney Island.

The winter storms and winds did an excellent job of rebuilding the outer dunes. This area was flattened just 2 and a half years ago.

The fake dunes are compacting and leveling. Grasses are starting to grow.

Sadly the show of the endangered birds is very scanty this year. I don't know if they were killed off by the harsh winter?  [they do fly south and should have missed it.] Or if they were put off by the aggressive shore leveling and sand raking by the giant trucks which invade each April, just when the birds are arriving and nest locale hunting.

Only 4 plover cages on the entire many miles of beach. Down from 17 nests maybe 8 years ago.

3 sets of oystercatchers only. That makes me sad as they're my favorites.
No terns! Which is --well, I hate them and they hate me, they're attack birds...but they're endangered and tiny and beautiful. In their own mean ways. [Arctic terns, least terns]

And on the beach, no black skimmers.  At one point, again 8 -10 years ago, they came in flocks numbering in the thousands. Oddly I found this little flock of them, plus a couple OCs [far right], huddled on the blacktop at the dog park. And I saw a couple of the tiny mean Arctic terns in a pond there too, along with a few black ducks.

Not what they once were. I hope in years to come the birds' numbers recover.

PS Mo is enjoying his little quilt. But he ate his best bed. :-(

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.

PPS on a quilty note: Today was Flag Day! I stuck out all my little flags on the deck rail.

Temecula Quilt Company has the cutest little patchwork flag , a free pattern. here

I'd love to get one made by Fourth of July. [or wouldn't it make a sweet little patriotic mini quilt, maybe 6 of the little flags?]

June Flea

Hi! I went to the flea market on Sunday morning. It was too cold for the beach which meant traffic would be tolerable if I took the land route there. I hardly ever go to the flea in June/ July/ August. It was great! Busy and crowded and and fun, with lots of good treasures to tempt my meager budget.

Cool stuff! These are the old glass door knobs like I used on Mo's leash rack. Lovely but they had all the hardware removed. I 'd have no clue how to fit them up to be useful.

And I loved this giant wooden spool. Beautiful wood patina. It was on a table with old fishing gear so maybe it once held fishing line? It was a bit big for my old spool collection. Kinda wish I bought it though.

I got a bowl. It was 4.oo.

  Spongeware. RRP and Co, Roseville Ohio.

Not old but pretty and a nice tall shape.

And the thimble guy had thimbles for me. They were 5.oo.

Old tin or nickel plated brass.
Had the shine worn off, showing the brass underneath.

One size 10, 2 size 8, 1 child's thimble, size 6.

One of what I'd call a size 8 standard is marked Germany and 15. They must mark their sizes differently?

My collection is growing nicely!

And the fun find---the big find--- was at the dealer who usually sells me my English Staffordshire transferware china. But this week he had---Fabric! From a NYC decorating  studio. Mounds of fabric, a van full of fabric.

Julius DeBruhl Lewis Design Studio. I've never heard of this person but apparently he is someone !---famous for being a character, a style icon. here  (take a look, he is quite fascinating. Scroll down.)
Some of the headers are marked 6th Avenue at W. 31st, which is very near where I worked for years. My own work loft was on West 32nd between 6th and 7th.
Later tags are marked W est 38th Street, more up in the trimmings district.

At first I thought this was the remains of on old bankrupt business. And these samples were lying around there since the early 1900s. There were pages and pages of lace samples, even entire white work Edwardian batiste and lace yokes for the white day dresses so popular c. 1900. Museum quality, really. Who knew the seamstresses could order the entire bodice yoke and sleeve cuffs/ inserts, all pre-pintucked and insertion laced?

 only bought one piece. Made in France pre-1920? Handmade lace, all hand embroidered.

But on looking up this person it seems his studio supplies[ed?] all sorts of antiques and exotic decorative goods. And this group was sold off when out of date.
Note the prices!? Must be for an entire bolt?

I got this lovely yellow, almost cheddar linen toile. It can be fall pillows or a table runner.

Fine cotton shirtings, they feel like silk.

And two beautiful vintage Indonesian or Malaysian batiks. They too could be pillows but probably will go into my blue and brown quilt someday collection. [I'm not a fabric purist in my own quilt designs].

I stopped to chat with all my regular sellers, reminding them that they might not see me again til mid-September. But that I am looking for thimbles, advertising and graphic feed sacks/ candlesticks/ buttons/white linens/ old baby clothes / transferware. It's always good to make your wish list known.

The last couple days have been warmer, but at night I still have to dress in jeans and a fleece jacket for Mo's evening walk.

I sure do love that it is light at 9 PM though, so no complaints from me. I actually like winter, I like the cold...but I don't like the short days and early darkness. Fall used to be my favorite season. Then I loved summer...now I'm not so sure. How about you? Summer? Fall? or...?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach

Apropos of nothing, my current fave bracelets: the vintage heart bracelet is new/ old, from eBay; the two African bead bracelets [one with a silver seahorse!, love, love] are made with beads bought in NYC during Hurricane Sandy. They don't ''go'' together but that's okay.

I ate the geraniums!

check out Julius D here