Teddy Pruitt lecture

A few weeks ago quilter, quilt historian, and appraiser Teddy Pruitt spoke at my local guild.

If you ever get a chance to hear her lecture take it!  She has great stories and wonderful quilts.

Antique String quilt...

For this lecture "From Sublime to ridiculous" Teddy showed antique or vintage quilts ant then a quilt she made that was either inspired by it or used a similar block shape within the quilts.

Teddy quilt...

A quilter who sat at my table told me "I don't usually like antique quilt talks but this one was good."  I was glad to hear that...and will sit elsewhere next lecture!

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!!!

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...

Random Quilting stuff

The clean-up of the UFO "Tower of Shame" continues...

I've pulled a long...long lost project off the top.  It was a reproduction of a friend's, Bill Volkering, quilt.

Pretty much all the piecing is done (except for the setting triangles which may be solids, may be string pieced or may be a random selection of neutrals...humm...)

I also did this in some reproduction fabrics without the applique...more on that in a future post as I don't have photos.

Vintage Wedding Ring from NC.

Which gets me to why no photos...MS has decided to make itself known again.  My MRI was a bit like Swiss cheese (don't even ask me what the Radiologist said to me...do they have any lectures on bedside manners?!)

Speaking of cheese...made an awesome quiche with zucchini and mushrooms!  Brought it to a quilt-in last weekend.  We made over 50 pillowcases for elementary children who are homeless...when I'm feeling bad for myself it helps to do something for others!

My husband has been helping me with my annual refolding of the quilt stacks.  These are my antique quilts that I take out at least once a year to inspect, air out for a couple of hours, then refold.  

This is one of my oldest quilts.  It is a Carpenter's Wheel dated 1838.

The date is embroidered in the center.

And the makers name is stamped in one corner.  I think the name is Frances J. Shriner (Shriver?)

I've often started to reproduce this quilt but never found the right fabric for the borders...There are several new lines coming out this year so perhaps...

Almost Modern!

A few weeks ago I posted about the bag of vintage quilts I found.

In the bag was this hst quilt.  I loved the mix of prints and solids.  So when I broke my finger and had to spend the last couple of weeks with my left hand all taped together I started working on a quilt inspired by the Vintage - almost modern.

It was a fun quilt to make.  I used 4-inch strips so my hst finished at 3-1/2.  I think if I made one again I would use 5 inch strips but as I wanted a smaller quilt the size I used is ok.

I didn't want to match up the fabrics exactly but to get the same "vibe" as the original quilt.  I did use a couple of vintage fabrics in my quilt just to see who could find them!

All fabric except for the border came from my stash.  All have made previous appearances in other quilts!  I love picking up a piece of fabric that has memories...

It will be awhile before I can quilt this.  Just got word from the doctor that my pinky isn't healing as well as expected...they may put a cast on it Monday!  duh...he wants me to really not use my left hand over the weekend...so much so the sewing room!  The real culprit I believe is the heavy book I was reading...made my hand hurt!

Storm on the way...

Can't believe that last week this time I was in the Bahamas.

Nassua Bahama

It was sunny and warm.  Today the islands are being hit with Hurricane Mathew.  Prayers are with them.

Small church on Half Moon Caye

Me on the tender back to or ship...

I live about 2 hours inland so we don't expect more than some rain and a bit of wind.  We are at the end of evacuation route.  I heard that all hotels in our area are booked!  I did volunteer a few hours at an evacuation shelter for pets...will even take some horses!

I figured it is appropriate to share a photo of my Ocean Waves quilt...

Hope all in Mathews path stay safe!  I'm going to go hide in my sewing room for awhile!  Maybe even finish up this Roll Roll Cotton boll!  Appropriate for the wind that is starting to kick up...

A "new to me" sailboat quilt

I went to a local estate sale this week because the photos online showed a stuffed sewing and craft room.  It was "stuffed" but not just with stuff but with people...boy was it a crowded sale!

I did however get a twin size quilt pieced in a pattern I had never seen before.  Now if I was going to make a sailboat quilt (again) this would be the last pattern I would choose!

Talk about making something difficult!  Anyway, I posted the quilt on a vintage and antique facebook site and within a few hours one of the members had the info I needed on this quilt...

I did give the quilt a good bath when it got home...it had a few stains and really didn't smell so good.  Glad to report stains are gone and it smells fine!  Fabric are all solids: medium green, watermelon pink, and an off white.  The back is off-white and the binding is front to back.  There is some bunching in the batting.  I'm estimating mid-1940's.

I also got some vintage packages of needles.  These are tricky to buy since so many reproductions were done and sold in stores like Joannes but since one of the packets is printed with "made in occupied Japan" I'm pretty sure I'm good on these.

Some Denim in the driveway!

It looks like my love of textiles has extended into my choice of vehicle!

This is the stock photo of my new VW "jean bug."  It is actually a bit bluer in real life...

It is a blast to drive and I love the retro feel!  And it drives so much better than the VW's of the 70's!  Though I doubt I could change out the engine in this one like I did with my college roommates in her '72 beetle!

I'm wondering how the project on my design wall may have influenced my choice...

lots of Indigo on that wall!

And I was just folding an early carpenter's wheel with lots of indigo...and it is the indigo that is holding this 1848 quilt together!

or maybe it was my photo visits to Sibley Mill - a local mill that dyed and wove material for blue jeans until the late 1970's...

This is a quilt that has a back made from mill scraps photographed by a friend on the steps of Sibley Mill!

A few more quilts in my collection with denim.  Guess I just love my indigo, jeans, denim...

Estate Sale finds...

A couple of interesting quilts from estate sales last weekend!

First a hexie quilt!  I know I said I had enough EPP in the closet and said no-more but this one is different.

I haven't seen a lot of black pathways in a garden block!  Paving perhaps?

This quilt is hand-quilted using blue thread which matches the backing fabric. I see this fairly often here in the south and am wondering if it is a regional characteristic.  

It has a great collection of fabrics that range from circa 1910 through the 1930's.  Lots to look at!

Next to come home was a top.

There are some fun western fabrics in this.

It is a simple 4-patch with alternating block pattern.  A good piece for fabric study.  It is pieced both by machine and by hand.  Would love to know which came first!

I learned a hard lesson at this sale.  There was a quilt that got away.  It was circa 1850 and in really tough shape but I went back to it several times.  I didn't know the pattern.  When I got home I checked all my referenced...no luck.  So during breakfast I talked my DH to driving me back to the sale only to find the quilt had been sold!

So I've drafted up the pattern and while the "quilt that got away" is fresh in my mind I'll piece a few blocks to hang in my sewing room.

New to me basket quilt

I left one quilt out of my estate sale finds posts last month!

Maybe because it really needed a bath...fast!  (and not because Watson sat on it!)

It was made circa 1930.

I like that the baskets are scrappy.

wet quilt drying out on the deck...

Love that the setting triangles and the 2-3 inch border is also pieced!

There are a few loose seams but it is clean so I can go about fixing those...

The quilting is done in a squared off fan.  The backing is pieced and likely home-dyed.  Binding is back to front.  All the typical characteristics of a "southern" quilt.