Multi-Generational Quilt Top

So my husband calls from an estate sale and says there is a quilt top with lots of brown fabrics in the blocks with a light blue floral alternating block.  He is not a quilt expert so that is pretty much all I could get out of him.  I guessed it might be circa 1870 so told him to splurge the $7...

Well, I was half right!

The blocks are 19th century but that blue (which I hoped was Lancaster blue) is most definitely not!

Plus, the blocks are all neatly sewn by hand while the alternating blue blocks were sewn on by machine.  Since the fabrics are more than 30 years apart it would be considered multi-generational...even though there is a chance it was all done by the same person.

This top was packed away with some of my other fabric study pieces...

That was the cabinet I worked on today...it took a long time to pack.

However I am making progress on the packing front...think my sewing room will be finished by the end of the week!!!

In the sewing room...

So much is stressful right now...Korea...Virginia...my move...falling!  I know they aren't all equal but they are all keeping me awake at night!

So I am spending more time in my sewing room.

When Goldie, my 17 year old cat, gives me a bit of space.

small quilt I machine quilted...still have quite a learning curve but getting there!

I am making miles of binding...have 4 quilts to bind for our show in November and three wallhangings that need binding for the silent auction.  Wouldn't it be nice if they all just used the same fabric?!  Never works that way..

Just a few more feet of binding and the Picasso in Paris quilt will be ready for my sister.  This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern from her website.  I took her scrappy trip around the world blocks and put them on point.

I am really happy with the stripe I used for binding!

My biggest "finish" is my Baltimore Applique leftover top!  I started this 25 years ago...vintage before it is even quilted.  I was happy to find I had enough of the background fabric to piece a back for the quilt.  A friend is going to hand quilt this one for me.

So perhaps a few more quilts and a couple more days of limiting the number of  hours I listen to the news and I'll be back packing up the house again...until then I'm hiding in the quilt studio....

Jones Treadle Machine - go or no-go?

The clear out continues and gets a bit harder with each bag or box packed up for the charity shop...

On the bubble right now is this Jones treadle sewing machine circa 1890 (looked it up once but have forgotten the exact date.)

It moves freely...

had drawers of parts...

including a manuel...

and fun decals...

but do I need it?  It has been in the garage for several years...but I don't have a treadle machine anymore....urghhhhh....

I'll think it about it tomorrow...

in the mean time I will work non the guild donation quilt.  It is the Kaffee Fassett vase and bowl pattern.  It took me way too long to square up the blocks!  That part is done and I hope to have this out of my studio this week...

continue to find some fun things in the piles like this runner (?)  It is all hand stitched and lays almost flat!  I may just quilt it up...

Well back to work now....

Day to play and day to work

My selection for viewers choice...great use of fabric!  A Karen Stone pattern.

Yesterday I took a break from organizing and packing and went to a quilt show with some of my wool-ie buddies.

Susan Edmondson's booth...always bright and creative!

The show was up in Columbia S.C.  Oddly since it was a sweltering 100 degrees out being inside and looking at quilts seemed like a good thing!

Now I know it also sounds a bit crazy to be shopping when I am packing to move...

I didn't buy big stuff...

Some threads and neutrals from Shakerwoods Woolens

Mainly threads...

and a couple yards of Phillip Jacobs that will go well in Florida!

Today it is back to the to-do list!  We are having movers do the majority of the packing and moving.  After the last two moves however I decided that I will always pack and move my quilt collection myself.

If I pack a few each day then the van will be full Monday.

Of course I've been packing a few each day for weeks!

It is fun to unfold and look at each quilt before packing.  So you can see why this takes so long!

The other big project for the day...getting all the cat hair off of the rugs!

It is a nice sunny day with a bit of a breeze.  So good day for getting the fuzz off the rugs then roll them up before Goldie and roll all over them again!

Have to finish something!

Today I decided to sit at the sewing machine and sew for a bit.

 All this folding, organizing and packing was just wearing me out!

Also I was afraid that if I pack up this leader and ender project from two years ago that it would never be sewn together!  So after several hours I almost have a top!

Did go through some more boxes that leaves me shaking my head...

like this almost quilt top made from leftover/orphan blocks from my Baltimore Album quilt.  I think I took that class in 1993!  I think I'm going for a personal record with this....

Found boxes of 4-patches in reproduction fabric...

two patches in brights

and even the blocks from a Bonnie Hunter Mystery (this is only about 10 years old so not ready to finish yet!)

The things you find...

There is a lot of "stuff" in our house.  That said, we are making great progress in sorting and packing.

I have to keep an eye on my husband as he would toss anything that he doesn't immediately recognize...like a box of block doesn't have value since it isn't a quilt!  Yup...got to keep and eye on him.

Been gathering lace and wool for this quilt for years and it almost went to the charity shop!

Of course I am guilty of trying to finally get rid of a box of record albums that we have hauled around at least 4 moves and never taken out of the box...but I told him I was doing it.  That is why the box is back in our hallway...he is "thinking about it."

But on the bright side I found some scraps of my favorite fabric that I thought was long, long gone....

I so wish they would reprint this Paris fabric!

On the other hand I found 3 yards of this superhero fabric!  What was I thinking?

I am also putting aside a few items for the American Quilt Study Auction at this year's seminar in New Hampshire.  Not sure yet if I will be able to go but I want to support the organization.  I've narrowed down the quilt donation to one of two: the red, white and blue rocky road to kansas in the photo above or the circa 1880 braid quilt below.

I also have a few books that will go up there and maybe some blocks...

first...a nap...

Moving!

I hate to even think about it!  However it is true...we are moving to Florida in September.

For the past few weeks I've been supervising the packing and moving of things not going with us.  The folks at Catholics Charities and Salvation Army know my husband by name now.

(Of course in the middle of all this a friend gave me this quilt top...it is coming with me!)

We did a first cut at culling the bookcases...imagine my surprise when I realized all our bookcases were double stacked!  Zikes!  I thought that only happened in my Quilt Studio...

The clearing part is almost over.  I sold a few pieces of furniture and some other "stuff" to lighten the load.  Have a few boxes packed to go to nieces and nephews.  After that I'm settling back to my sewing room while my husband tackles the garage!

We are having movers come in to do the actual pack-out and move.  I just don't want to move stuff down there that we will either not need or not use.  Sigh...

The most exciting news...Watson is now a therapy dog!  He finally passed obedience school and showed his three "skills": if I fall to the ground and do not move he howls to get attention; he will go find my husband on command (my husband has hearing problems so if I need help it isn't like I can just call him!  I have to send the small white dog) and finally when a beeper or alarm goes off he demands that either I or my husband goes to it.  It took us 3-1/2 years.  I think that may be as far as we can go with him!