Chickens on the Back

I have been enjoying my husband's visit to California! There are more chores to do because I have to do his chores as well as my own but there is less to do because he is not here. Only one load of laundry all week, the dishwasher has been set off once since he left instead of daily, etc. etc. etc.

I have been working on my blue and white boredom backup quilt. Three out of five rows are complete so I think it may be finished to the first border stage this weekend, then I must return to the Double-X effect because it is calling to me.

A back-ordered fabric arrived . . . one of the great joys of living somewhere without fabulous fabric stores is the arrival of a package! This will be a quilt back.

The fabric is Warren Kimble's Patriotic Roosters for Quilting Treasures. I am pretty sure this is the same rooster called Chicken Sam in the print of the same name, shown at right, a charming folk art spoof of Uncle Sam.

There have been some wonderful chicken fabrics over the years. Somewhere in my stash is some black and white chicken fabric I bought for backing at least ten years ago. I just haven't made the right quilt for it yet although I can think of at least two quilts I have made with chickens on the back.

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Household Objects

My friend Lori asked if anyone uses household items for quilting. She was writing about applique, which I will not do but I thought I would share with you a project in which I used a household item.

This is a 42 block lap sized flannel rag quilt. You can find the pattern in Frayed Edge Fun: 10 Cozy Quilts by Evelyn Sloppy, right there on the cover. This book must be out of print because I know I didn't pay what they are asking for it. Its a good book but not that good!

I used a Corelleware plate for my template. The last survivor from a set of four place settings which was a wedding present from a much loved (now departed) sister in law. I still use that plate every weekend for the delicious breakfast my husband makes on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and each time I think of Kay.


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They Say

The older you get the faster time whizzes by. Where did this last week go? If you find out please let me know, I am still looking.

Monday Goals. It is not a race!

Monday goals should probably be changed to weekly goals! I did finish my goal with the Double-X. Another row is completed. The next row has seven blocks plus pieced setting triangles and I really do not intend to rush the process. I mean, it doesn't make sense to rush rush rush when you are doing something you enjoy. Unless you are the kind of person who enjoys rushing. I don't think I do anymore. I am more into savoring the moment these days. Anyway, I am targeting mid February for this next step.

I don't know why I have been procrastinating sewing together the backing for my French Reel. It is there, waiting. Just like the wall behind my Double-X is waiting for sheetrock and window trim. How do you like my 'design wall'? One day this house will be finished, I live in hope.

The anti-boredom backup project

I always have a second project to play with because I get bored easily. My current one is a very bright and graphic blue, white and yellow affair. I got a great buy on a collection of bright blue batik fabrics at Hancocks of Paducah made by Textile Creations, a company I had never heard of. It is called Corfu Blue and I bought a yard each of ten different patterns. Some are floral but most are abstract or geometric designs. The material is very heavy, similar in texture to the Indian batiks that were being sold a few years back, but softer. The 'hand' reminds me of genuine 30's feedsack fabric; which of course had to be sturdier than our modern reproductions to hold 50# of feed without breaking.

In other news, I have ordered a copy of The Quilter's Apprentice from Amazon. My blog buddy Jay is doing a hand piecing class based on the book at the Keene Library in Freemont Nebraska. No, I haven't had a breakdown and started hand piecing but I thought it might be fun to follow along, at a distance both literally and metaphorically.

If you are ever near Freemont do check out the library, it is an amazing and beautiful Art Deco building in a historic district filled with wonderful Victorian homes.

Lots of new and some 'new gently used' patterns listed in the last week in our Bonanza booth take a look! Free shipping on all new patterns and we love to combine shipping for you.

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Monday Goals

Nothing has changed, still working on my Double X effect quilt. Still stitching the half square triangles on wrong and doing a fair amount of unpicking as a result. Grrrr.

Last night we had steady but light rain for most of the night. The morning after a rain is especially nice not only because the ever present dust is laid but the rain removes the VOG. VOG is the particlate from the volcano suspended in the air, the effect is exactly the same as heavy pollution with an inversion layer. The dirty yellow sky you used to see in Los Angeles. This morning the air has been washed clean and I can see for miles and miles.

Today I am going to be doing un-quilty things. Bills to pay, maybe even an office cleanup, or maybe not.

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Schnibbles

Cracker Crumbs from Miss Rosie's Autumn Quilts (Leisure Arts Publications 2003).

I have always had a fondness for Carrie Nelson's quilt patterns, even when I had to buy retail. I own two of her books Autumn Quilts and Floral Quilts and have used her designs for inspiration. Why inspiration? I am not always keen on her methods, she paper pieced Cracker Crumbs, but love her work and am always happy to buy the pattern and give credit for the design.

I was enchanted to discover her Schnibbles line of patterns.

Schnibble: noun A scrap of fabric; a leftover bit of cloth; a small piece. The word has a German origin and is found primarily in German settlements in the Midwest.

The patterns are for small quilts, designed for 5" charm collectors and seem to have almost a cult following. There are online Schnibble a month groups.

This one is called Sunday Best and it requires 32 pairs of charm squares and 3/4 yard of background fabric. It finishes to 37" square. I can see this in 30's reproductions or very shabby faded florals. Make it times 4 with one single border and you would have a nice sized throw.

So many patterns, so little time,


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A New Book

I am an unrepentant book collector. I need to buy more bookshelves. I need an extension on my house to put the books in!

I have a new book for my quilting reference library. It is Carrie Hall Blocks and it contains over 800 historical patterns from the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas. I got it at Amazon 'used' for less than $7 including shipping and it is a brand new book. If you click on the link above and then scroll down for used books you will find another one just as well priced from the same seller 'whypaymorebooks'.


Section One is a full color gallery of over 600 blocks. Section Two has 200 blocks which have been 'patterned' with references to the full sized templates found in section Three.


A treasure trove!


Who was Carrie Hall?

Carrie Alma Hackett was born December 9th 1866 in Caledonia Wisconsin. When she was seven years old her family moved to Smith County Kansas to homestead. Widowed young her second husband was John Hall. She liked to be called Madame Hall and ran a successful dressmaking establishment. By the 1920's the demand for elaborate gowns was less and she started making and selling quilts. Between 1900 and 1935 she collected more than 850 quilt blocks making a sample of each one.

In 1935 she organized and categorized her collection with black and white photographs and published a book The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt In America (still available very reasonably priced) which quickly became the quilt block reference book. In 1938 at the age of 72 she donated her entire collection of blocks to what later became the Spencer Museum at the University of Kansas, to be preserved for posterity.

Four years later at the age of 75 she moved to North Platte Nebraska where she opened a successful doll shop, making and selling character dolls of important historical figures. She lived to the age of 89.

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Monday Goals

Better late than never!

Last weeks goals were to complete the next diagonal row on my Double-X effect quilt and to piece the backing for the French Reel throw.

I accomplished part one but not part two, so that becomes this week's goal.

The third row on Double-X requires 5 blocks plus two pieced setting blocks. I will make that a get it done by the end of the month goal.

Lori and I got a large shipment of patterns and quilters tools this week. I will be busy listing them and updating inventory spreadsheets.

I noticed my Double-X effect pattern is very similar to one shown here, published in fall 2002 by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. Called SFNK (Single Female No Kids) she says it is based on the traditional pattern Old Maids Ramble.

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