Civil War Doll Quilt Swap

swap quilt by Katy Sweigart

Hi! If it's mid-April, it is time for Lori's annual Humble Quilts Little Quilt Swap. I look forward to this fun event every year and I am never disappointed by the darling quilt I receive. This year I was thrilled to get two quilts made by Katy Sweigart. Two. I am so blessed and she is so talented. Thank you so much, Katy!

Here is the ''main'' little quilt.

The colors are so wonderfully "me", the fabrics are so interesting, and---Katy handquilted it.

Isn't it precious. I am guessing about 14" square.

And here is the back, isn't this a great choice, a newspaper or catalog page with all sewing items. I have been enjoying poring over all the details and info.

And then! It is sort of a tradition, though not required, to slip in a little gift or hometown souvenir item, when you send your quilt. It's fun because the little quilts go all over the world! One of mine came from Australia one year. I often put a local post card and one of my sewing emeries. I sort of have the idea that if they hate my quilt, at least they get a cool sewing thing. Anyway, Katy put in a second quilt [and some darling note pads]! Her tiny quilt says it is a mug rug but I think it is too special to get tea stain circles and crumbs on it. Also beautifully made, with perfect points. I admire how Katy used very different fabrics and color palettes and print scale in each quilt. I'll treasure these always.

....

Then, haha, my contribution. My recipient was Lila, in Missouri. Oh I dither and worry. Whatever might she like, I wonder. It is so fun and exciting, but the swap has a LOT of rules: ''only use Civil War era repro [or original] fabrics''; ''do your best work'' // ''it should look like it traveled thru time from the 1860s''. And...''do NOT be late.'' Lori's rules, Lori's swap and truth is her guidelines just add fun and challenge to the event.

But what if I make a mistake? Or, gasp, run late? [I am famous for being late in real life and always behind on sewalongs.] For this swap I made four  yes four potential quilts!

Last fall I made this quilt using antique madder Stars. But--it needs to be washed and tea dyed for authenticity, and I thought maybe that was a No.

Then I considered offering my Little Red Quilt made with my extras from the TQC sewalong 1880 Sampler. But it's not entirely Civil War or even CW fabric at all, really. Again, no.

So I decided to use this tiny late 1800s doll quilt as my inspiration.

It dates from about 1880-1910 and is a classic miniature Nine Patch with unusual sashing that creates a secondary design. It is a true doll quilt or miniature, not a cut down from a larger quilt. My little old quilt is the only remaining quilt from my fairly extensive collection, all the rest sold on eBay. This little treasure is too washed, too worn, too loved ---now only by me--to sell. It has the tiniest hand quilted hearts in the sashing and I just love its old faded imperfection.

But! Its red white and blue colors  aren't Civil War era, so I redid it in cheddar, indigo  blue and cadet blue, with double pink accents.

I LOVE my result. If you look at the original closely, you can see that the tiny calicos are broken up by the use of plaids. And I used thrifted plaid shirtings in my version. But then I got worried. Will this be wrong, not in the rules? Surely blue work shirts existed in 1860? But I didn't want to be kicked out of the swap for cheating or disappoint my swapee, so I set it aside.

I will finish it soon [and show you of course]. If it's not for the CW swap I can use my fave mustard spool print from Cotton and Steel for the backing. Or keep it authentic and use a 1800s repro blue print.

Now what? Time's a-wastin'/ deadline looms! Oh noooo.

New version: I carefully chose a CW colorway of brown and pink and made sure that each and every fabric was a CW repro, most of them Judie Rothermel for Marcus, from my long-hoarded stash.

I did put in a homespun plaid, it is true to the timeline and I felt I needed the nod to the original.
My accents are a purple-brown,"fugitive purple'', tiny sprig,

....the backing is a brighter purple from the Jamestown "Hideous" fabric group.

I machine quilted in traditional styles And even did a very narrow single ply binding as the inspiration quilt has. I did not miter the binding corners because in the years I have studied antique doll quilts I rarely if ever saw modern mitered corners. I do know how, but preferred authenticity this time.

I wrote a short story about the little girl who, fictitious obviously, made the quilt when her daddy went off to war. I'll put it in a separate file page, link at the top or here 

And did a photo shoot with my CW era china dolls.

Oh my stars, I do promise, sort of, that Esmeralda will be provided with a dress! Soon.

As will her own dolly Sarah Maeve .

My recipient liked it! I added some special dark chocolate for her, just in case she was disappointed.

I think Lori said there were more than 70 swappers this year. I'll let my blog readers know when the show and tell linky opens mid-May.

Thank you, Lori. This was so fun. Your efforts and hard work are very appreciated. 

PS Mel, I do not know the name of the block pattern of the quilt I received. Maybe an Anvil or Jacob's Ladder variation? Maybe Katy will tell us. The diamond shapes look like a section from a Lone Star.

For LINKY party with pics of all the tiny quilts in the swap, click Humble Quilts, here

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach.......  

PS 2 Kel says Trader Joe's has cut lilacs this week! Very authentic, CW type of flower. Swoon! I love lilacs, don't you?

Mo dancing,
he loves to dance but my kids won't let him wear a tutu,
too too bad.

Link again:  Emma Leah's Nine Patch Doll Quilt  [her story] here

Garden Peeking and Daffodil Kisses ~ Out and About Mid-April

It's suddenly daffodil season here at the beach. Despite the cold grayness of the days the daffs and forsythia have suddenly burst into bloom. I have the notion that they bloom by the calendar not the weather, I must look back at blog and journal notes to see if that is true. I do recall that every spring my parents sadly lamented that the daffodils were long since over by the time the spring celebration of Brewster in Bloom (Cape Cod, MA), end of April, occurred and they'd question why the fest wasnt held in early April instead. At one point the town [?] gave away thousands of King Alfred daffs [the classic big yellow] to anyone who would promise to plant them that fall, in hopes of filling the Cape Cod town's lane verges with glorious golden blooms.

Mel asked to see a photo of Mo sniffing or kissing the daffodils. Outdoors, Mo isn't too interested in things like flowers, he is too busy with other dogs, cats, and squirrels, seagulls, helicopters, and cars on the far off road. The only way to interest him in the daffs was to put treats on the petals and it was too windy for that to succeed.

"Do I haveta, mommy?"

"Oh Okay, are you happy now? I sniffed it..."

Instead we've been inspecting gardens and yards. Not much to see, but on weekend mornings some folks have been busy with late winter clean up.

Mo discovered a new lawn Goose!

She is silly but darling in her Easter finery.

The forsythia is blooming...

A few early robust hyacinths.

 The first shoots of the brave daylilies that grow everywhere here. They'll be tall and in full bloom on the 4th of July.

A pretty water grotto...

Sweet bronze St Francis of Assisi, new. Tucked in the corner of a bayberry hedge and wall.

This is the small green area that I used to bring Mo to, to play in the cool grass. And where he slipped his harness and ran like the wind down the six lane road. He has never been taken back! Sad. The lovely daffodils are new; in the summer the beds are filled with blue hydrangeas, pink peonies, and beach roses.

The feral cats are more active. Here is Twin One. Camera shy. She was mean today and swiped through her fence at Mo's inquisitive face.

Towards the koi pond we again saw Tuxie and this striped pal of hers.

I call him Stripey and I wish he was my fave kitty who moved on a few years ago, but I don't think he has Stripey's sweet face. He does seem to know me however, and if he is Stripey, he may just be showing the age of years on the street. Stripey first appeared winter of 2008-09 and unlike Kitty and the Twins he never really became tame, except to come each summer night for food I'd give him..

Yesterday an immense cloud of terns arrived on the beach. It was sunset and they looked like whitecap waves, only visible as birds through my binoculars, swirling and wheeling low over the water. They'd circle and dive, maybe for minnows or hatching flies? Must have been thousands of birds. [photo is the terns last autumn, before they migrated].

I'll try to hike out tomorrow for a closer look, weather permitting. Then a day of sewing, mostly on my Baskets, but also---new pet peeve!---adding pockets to a recently purchased pair of jeans. Why do modern jeans not have pockets, where am I supposed to put my phone and car remotes, hmmm? Who decided pocket-less jeans is an okay thing?

Then I plan to make a big pot of matzo ball chicken soup, because--sorry to be repeating myself!---it's really cold here. But no blizzards or floods, so I shouldn't complain. The grocery store was filled with spring flowers too. I love the orange trumpeted narcissus offered this week. Look at that price, who could resist?

Have a good weekend.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

PS From Kel, something for all of us to try: BEE Baths! Save our bees, give them a place to drink safely. HERE