Design Wall Monday - September 20, 2021

Good Morning Quilters!  I decided to veer off into another subject related to doll quilts:  A spool doll bed.  I have regular doll beds and have some wooden thread spools saved to make doll furniture.  Have you ever made a doll bed with old wooden thread spools?  I would love to hear about your experience if you have, and also send me a picture.  Here are two pictures I have saved from the internet:

Source:  Baker Street Antiques

If I make a rocking chair instead of a bed, I will make a cushion for it.  The spools don't look very comfortable for a doll to sit upon.  

Source:  Etsy

This bed looks fairly straightforward.  I would stain it instead of painting it white though, and I would add a ticking striped mattress.  (And of course, sheets, pillows, and a doll quilt).   And a doll!

My progress so far:  I have a shoebox full of wooden spools, and a sketch of a possible doll bed.  I have just purchased stain and a small brush.  I was looking for more pictures of spool doll beds yesterday, when I found the rocking chair made of spools.  So maybe I will change my mind and make a chair.

Stitching news today is that I am finishing one more dish towel with an iron on embroidery transfer of a squirrel!  I thought I was finished with the squirrel towels, but I found another one.  This is definitely the last one, and there are only two more tree leaves to embroider before it is finished.

The squirrels are so cute outside this time of year.  Our driveway is being pelted with acorns, and they are busy squirreling them away.  It must be a harsh winter coming, as the oak trees are producing a bumper crop of acorns to prepare the animals for it.

The boat is out of the lake and into storage, and the dock is being removed later this month.  The hammock came down Saturday.  These are the sad moments of fall starting, but the good moments are the trees are starting to turn into their beautiful colors, and I'm looking forward to their spectacular annual show.

What are you working on this week?  I visited all of your blogs this past week, and you are an amazing bunch.  I am blessed to see what you are working on every  week.  Thanks so much for continuing to link to the Design Wall Mondays linky party.  And thank you to those who provide a link back here and also mention Design Wall Mondays - you are appreciated.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Design Wall Monday - April 20, 2020

How are you?  I had a birthday Thursday, and my internet friends kept me in smiles all day long.  Facebook puts me in touch with people I’ve known at various places/times throughout my life, and it brought me lots of good memories.   Plus all the telephone calls from children and close friends.  It was a birthday that made me feel very blessed, even though we didn’t go anywhere or do anything very special.  Hubby made a beautiful fire and we enjoyed that while I got used to being 77.  I sure don’t feel 77, but the numbers don’t lie.  We participated in a Zoom meeting with some church friends, and that was fun.  They all sang Happy Birthday to me.      

I learned that Zoom is a meeting app that allows you to see others as well as hear them on your phone.  New app for us, and we managed to get it working without too much difficulty.  It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks!

I haven’t made much progress on the redwork borders, but I did finish a basket block for the May Baskets quilt.  


Here it is, isn’t it cute? 

I am taking the redwork borders project  with me when I sit with my sister today during dialysis.  The baskets require different colors of floss, and they are easier to work on while I am home.  Sis is less anxious with me beside her, so that is going well.

Please link up and show us what you have on your Design Wall (or are working on) this week.  Please remember to link back to this blog post from somewhere within your blog post.  I thank you.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Design Wall Monday - March 30, 2020

Hi everyone.  Another Monday in isolation for us.  I see Bonnie Hunter is starting another mystery quilt to help quilters keep busy while we are isolated.  It starts today if you are interested.   

I have only two projects with me at the cabin. 1) The baskets of flowers that you have seen in the past few weeks, and 2) a redwork squares quilt that I’ve been working on for ages.  This week I finished one square for the baskets quilt, and one square for the redwork quilt.  This basket looks like a snow globe or a fishbowl.  

Here is the square I finished for the redwork quilt, not yet pressed:

The redwork quilt has 64 squares, and this one brings my count to 61; so I can see the finish line....except for the four borders that are leaves and flowers of redwork.  I blogged about the borders (Here)

What are you working on?  I had this happy (fantasy) dream that ALL of our UFOs will be finished when we finally get the all clear to leave our homes again.  A girl can dream can’t she?  America just got the stay apart order extended to the end of April.  We are so fortunate to have quilting to keep us calm, aren’t we?

Please link up below and show us how you are coping with the virus. You posted such pretty projects last week and I thank you all.  Just put a link back to this blog post somewhere within your post.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Design Wall Monday - March 23, 2020

Monday morning again, and my little world is calm, as I watch the bigger world change drastically.  We are staying at home, and I am working on my embroidery UFOs....very calming.

I am praying for all those who have been laid off, that there will somehow be an ending to this virus.  And for jobs beginning again.  It is all so unreal to me.  

Here are the two baskets I’ve worked on this week:

I have been calling a lot of old friends, just to see how they are coping, and most people my age are just fine.   Very reassuring to me.  I pray you all are coping well with the confinement. 

Please link up to reassure me that you are stitching, as it is the only “normal” part of life right now.  I appreciate so much your pictures and links to your blog posts.  Thank you.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Design Wall Monday - March 9, 2020

The 30 basket patterns have been researched somewhat and I have a little more information about them.  Last week, Annie O, of Annie’s Quilt Orts (Here) gave me more information and I thank you Annie.  I had wondered why the woman who designed them used so many French knots on each block.  The article Annie told me about is published in a Better Homes & Gardens special edition “Century of Quilts” from 2002.  The article on Pages 60 and 61 reveals that the baskets were designed by a man!  I bet he never even made a French knot in his life, which explains his excessive use of them in his designs!  I’m just sayin...

Hubert Ver Mehren and his wife lived in Des Moines, Iowa and he stamped quilt blocks, pillowcases, and linens with designs for embroidery, as a side business for his button and pleating business.  His wife worked from home, and they started a mail order business called Home Arts Studios, and that name was sometimes used on his patterns, but never his actual name on any patterns.  

Here is the basket I finished last week; notice the big circle of French knots:

In November 1932, Successful Farming, offered Hubert’s “May Day Flower Basket” quilt as a set of 32 embroidered designs, each with different flowers.  The baskets came stamped on white muslin, sateen, or broadcloth, for $1.00 up to $1.75 for the set depending on the fabric chosen.

The patterns I have are later copies of the baskets from a semi-monthly Publication called “Pattern World” and there was one basket pattern in each issue in the 1979 and 1980 time frame.  I bought the 30 copies of baskets I have on EBay, and note that there were originally 32 baskets in the set—30 to use in a quilt, and two extra for shams or pillowcases.  I am missing #30 and #31.

I am trying to get a picture of how the original quilt was put together, but I only have a small picture of it from the magazine Annie pointed me to.  More research is needed.  

So I decided this will be my March UFO to work on, as we watch a lot of basketball here and I can work on embroidery during half-times and between games.

What are you working on?  There were lots of great pictures last week, and I thank you all.  Just link back to this particular blog post from somewhere within your blog post and I will be happy.  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Design Wall Monday - March 2, 2020

March is here!  Not spring here in Michigan yet, but edging closer to it.  The birds are singing their cheerful spring songs.  My March UFO project hasn’t been pulled out yet; I will do that this week.  I will choose something spring like, I think.
Last week I worked on some nine patch blocks for the next Churn Dashers of Tidewater Virginia exchange.  We are exchanging negative and positive nine patch blocks, and I had fun making them.  We are making four “sets” of 2 nine patch blocks for each member of the group who is exchanging the blocks (six of us). one negative and one positive nine patch in each “set”.  I found this "a sweet little technique for making nine patch blocks two at a time"  (Here)

Here is a picture of my exchange blocks on the design wall.  It went very quickly using the new (to me) method.  Since my blocks finish at 3 inches square, I started with a light and a dark fabric that were 4.5 inches square.  They all turned out the right size when the process was finished.  I would never have thought up this method, but it sure was easy.  Each column is for a different person.

I noticed some fabrics I chose were “directional” and this method made it easy to make all the squares in each nine patch go the same direction.  Such as these keys on a ring in the shirting fabric below:

Also the embroidered baskets are multiplying on the other end of the design wall.  I have a plan to make about 15 of them into a quilt. 




These vintage baskets were designed by someone who loves French knots! Just look at this basket:

How will a long arm quilter quilt this for me?  Will the French knots cause trouble for them?  I know that is a problem for the future - not now, but if any of you have any thoughts on quilting embroidered French knot projects, I'd love hearing from you.

What are you working on this week?  We'd love to see it!  Just link up below and we will be encouraged by your progress.  You keep me inspired.  All I ask is that you link back to this particular blog post from somewhere within your blog post.  Thanks!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Design Wall Monday - February 24, 2020

My February UFO is ready to send to the machine quilter, and I have one more week left in the month!  Yeah me!  Here is the completed quilt top on the design wall:

Since I had an extra week before a March UFO, I pulled out an embroidery basket project that I’d only finished two blocks for.  I am pleased to report that I have three finished now, and #4 is almost complete.  These baskets are old patterns from the 1930s I think.  I like these baskets because each one has a lot of French knots, and I like to make them.  Here are the 2 that I worked on last week:

#3

#4

The basket handle is embroidered with a stitch that is new to me.  It is called a basket stitch and I thought it appropriate to use on this basket handle and edge.  The tutorial I used is here .  I love to learn new things, and the internet is such a great tool.

What have you been working on?  Please link up and show us, and no you don’t really have to have a design board!  My only request is that you have a link back to this particular post included in your blog post.  Thank you.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Day Lily Quilt is Finished!

This quilt was one of the first quilts I started, and has been a quilt top for a long time.  First I was going to hand quilt it, then I was going to machine quilt it, and this year I sent it out to be quilted, and I am very happy with the results.  My friend Joyce Brenner quilted it.

The pattern is in a book that I have, but all of my books are packed away while we are in transition from Virginia to Grand Rapids, so I can't give you the designer right now.  When I get my books unpacked, I will look it up and tell you.  But I finished the binding while we were watching more basketball games this weekend.   By some sort of miracle, our Michigan State basketball team is going to the Final Four.  We are so happy for them.

But enough fussing about other things!  On to the pictures!  This is the basic block, and I'm not sure what the flower is - I call it a Day Lily. 

 I turned the edge of the fabrics under and appliqued them down with thread, and then also used embroidery floss to buttonhole stitch around the leaves and flowers.  The blossoms and stems are with outline stitches and French knots.  I loved working on it, and love the colors - so cheerful looking.  DMC floss, three strands.  It is one of the first quilts I attempted and I am so happy that it is completed!

Joyce's quilting in a closeup:  She did a great job!



It's Monday and I'm going over to Judy Laquidara's blog to see what other quilter's have on their design wall.  (Here)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In keeping with St. Patrick's Day, here is a quilt square.  It's not green or a four leaf clover, but close enough - it's four three-leafed clovers, done in Redwork.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here are two more Redwork squares that I worked on this weekend.  The "H" letter block is for the first letter in the last name of both my friend Dee and I, as we are doing this embroidery project together.  I just finished it and a butterfly.

Here is the butterfly:

Dee just sent me a text message with a picture of this  beautiful water lily block that she finished this weekend:

The squares are all the same white background, and are all embroidered with red pearl cotton thread, and they will be combined into a quilt top when we get them finished.  Dee embroidered the four clover leaf block in the first picture.

I have had lots of time to work on Redwork while away from home this weekend, and am looking forward to April when Dee and I get together.  We can then see all of the squares together that we have finished, and see how far we have come.

Monday morning is the time to look at Judy Liquidara's blog and see what is on everyone's design walls.  (Here)

Go Oft To The House of Thy Dear Friend.....For Weeds Choke Up An Unused Path

Today, my dear friend Dee brought out two old projects that I had made for her years ago, and I thought I'd share them with you.  I love the old fashioned feeling they both have.

Both patterns are from an old needlework magazine that she bought in England while traveling.  The first is a needle case made from four cardboard hearts.  I had such fun making it, and she has treasured it ever since I gave it to her.  The saying embroidered around the edge is:  "Go oft to the house of thy dear friend....for weeds choke up an unused path."  So true!

 

 

Two of the hearts are cut into halves so they fold, and the two whole hearts are padded with batting on the inside, to hold needles and pins. The four hearts are whip stitched together.

 

I braided strands of pearl cotton in a lavender color to make the ties that you use to tie a bow to close the hearts.

The second project is a travel laundry bag that she takes on trips.  It was hanging on a peg in the closet when I visited her, and she says she uses it all the time.

 

It's made of muslin on the front, and yellow gingham on the back and lining.  I changed the pattern to write "Ocean City" on the towel on the clothesline, since we had vacationed there together.  Here's a closeup of the embroidery.

I'm flying back home tomorrow, and will miss Dee very much.  

Here's a picture of one of her quilts that we worked on together this week.  It's now a completed quilt top, and I just love it.  We have very different styles in quilts, but it really inspires me to visit her quilt room, and see all of her projects.

The circle making the "coffee" in the cups is the cup fabric, but the wrong side of the fabric!  So clever.  She machine buttonhole stitched around each cup.
I think it's so cute!  

I will be flying home tomorrow, and am going to be working on redwork in the airports.