Keepsakes

I've always been a collector of stuff. One of my favorite acquisitions is, of course, fabric. Vintage fabric, like feed sacks or 36” wide cotton, makes me happy.

Today's quilt has me grinning from ear to ear. The block, Grandmother's Pride, was published as a Laura Wheeler mail order pattern sometime in the 1930's, 40's, or 50's. It is also called Empress.

I sent a request to Norma Grimmer at Blue Wren to make a die for this block and I got it last month from Australia. 

I chose feed sacks that coordinate with tomato red cotton and natural muslin to recreate this quilt that looks like those our grannies made. One of the sacks actually came from Granny Rose, the others I bought at estate sales. I added two reproduction fabrics. 

The blocks sewed together beautifully. I rotary cut the setting triangles around the outside. A homespun navy and blue tiny floral makes great backing and binding. With medium beige thread, I used a scallop stitch 1½” apart diagonally across the quilt. It measures 50” x 55”.

Keepsakes seemed the right name for this one. I like that my feed sacks are useful again, and that I can enjoy the family tradition of quilting. I'm pretty sure the grannies would be proud. Thanks Norma and Edward for helping me reproduce vintage quilts! (I have the fan block in progress.)

Blue Wren dies used:
6983 Grandmother's Pride 12” block
6720 Magic Strips 1” - 9½”

October Vintage Stars

Oh my, how I love this Candy Star die from Blue Wren!

It is a new version of a previously unnamed vintage block, published sometime after 1933 from Old Chelsea Station (magazine/newspaper mail order). I saw an antique quilt photo online, found the block layout in BlockBase+, and suggested the idea to Norma at Blue Wren.  Before long this new die was available. 

I selected two older fabrics from one of my garage sale finds. These autumn colored cotton prints were only 36” wide, dating around the late 1960's. Remember harvest gold, avocado green, burnt orange, and brown? They were the fashionable colors to have back then.

October Vintage Stars

I added a coordinating persimmon solid, black prints, and natural muslin to complete the look from that era. I used twelve blocks, framed with two borders. I really enjoyed sewing this retro inspired quilt, October Vintage Stars, which is 48” x 60” finished size. I quilted using a free motion meandering stitch in cream thread.

The corner sections that form the secondary stars are made with a Y-seam. I did a few test runs since I was out of practice, but only used the seam ripper once.  Key tips: sew precise 1/4" seams, stop 1/4" from edge and lockstitch, flip and sew from corner to edge, press each section the same way.   

It was very satisfying to sew, but the best thing about this die is that Blue Wren includes alternative pieces to avoid a Y-seam altogether and create more design options.

I was so inspired that I finished in only 5 days: die delivered noon Monday, quilt completed Friday. I have already designed more in EQ8/BlockBase+, and each version has a totally different look.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6958 Candy Star

Accuquilt
55054 Strip 4½”
55017 Strip 2½”

BlockBase ID: 2725

Groovy Traveler / Elna Update

I'm continuing my trip into the past with this quirky quilt. I browsed the scrap boxes for bright and colorful pieces to use with black and stone neutrals.

The original block, Arkansas Traveler or Traveler's Star, is usually laid out with four segments like a star. I decided to put single 6” blocks all on point instead. I think it looks both modern and retro. The fabric combinations remind me of peasant dresses, bell bottoms, and vests of the hippie era.

With the black print border, Groovy Traveler finished out at 52” square. I quilted using gray thread in a 4” grid pattern. Piecing was done on Elizabeth (Singer 404).

Blue Wren dies used:
6361 Traveler's Star
6720 Magic Strips (borders and binding)

Accuquilt dies:  (for corner/side pieces)  55001 HST 6" finished 

55002 Quarter Square Triangle 6" finished

Elna Update: I posted on Facebook last week about our latest sewing machine acquisition. Found on Ebay, the 1951 model bright green Elna 1 Grasshopper was in good condition with a few scratches. One of those was a Social Security number carved into the paint, on the front just under the free arm. Another is a curved deep scratch to the right of the needle plate. Otherwise, her paint just showed some oxidation. The case was awfully dirty, dry, and scuffed. She had the wrong belt and no power cord.

Those Swiss engineers were smart. I love that the case makes a sewing table! She's a cutie, and now runs well after a good clean and oil. We left the silver repair shop label and the SSN as that's part of her story. Jerold modified the power outlet to accept a modern grounded cord, replaced the capacitor in the motor, found a green belt and LED bulb. I did a lot of scrubbing and polishing with Goop hand cleaner, scratch out, and car wax.

Ivy: 1951 Elna 1 Grasshopper

She runs slower than the Singer Featherweight, but that's ok. Miss Ivy is a keeper, in great shape for her age.  I've already pieced a small project with her.  

Christmas Past

This quilt has a story, although I don't know much of it. I found a box of beautiful hand stitched quilt blocks at an estate sale earlier this year. The fabrics are soft and look old, probably feed sacks and repurposed clothing. Each 9” block contains four 4½” LeMoyne Stars around a center square.  I can't imagine hand stitching all those tiny points with such precision!

Interestingly, these lovely blocks had once been in a quilt, then taken apart. There is cotton batting fuzz on the backs and tiny holes around the edges from picked out stitching. I'm guessing that the red material bled onto the original sashing, since a few look slightly faded. I don't know happened to it, but someone took that quilt apart to salvage those blocks, and meant to finish it. I guess now that someone is me.

There were 37 blocks total. I chose sixteen that had some green coloring to make a Christmas wall hanging. I added narrow green sashing after doing a couple of repairs and squaring up blocks. Considering they were hand cut and hand stitched, most were nearly perfect.

Christmas Past vintage quilt rescue, 2021

To keep the vintage look, the backing is natural muslin and binding is a green mini check. I used a machine stitch that looks like handwork for quilting with cream thread. My hand stitches are not that pretty. Christmas Past finished out at 42” square.

I'm so pleased that I rescued vintage blocks that someone felt were important enough to carefully pick a whole quilt apart. Now they'll live on in at least two projects. And that's a happy ending in my book.

Merry Christmas to all,

and to all a good night!

Whirling Stars

I'm back to stitching together remnants, this time dark and medium prints on a creamy muslin background. I used five different dies to recreate this beauty.

Granny Rose made several of these quilts with random scraps of old clothes, flour sacks, and curtains. The vintage block is called double star, and a more recent version is whirlygig pinwheel*. It's relatively easy to sew, with a partial seam for that center square.

I quilted with a medium tan thread, sewing diagonally and straight to accentuate motion in the block. Backing is a white on natural print. Whirling Stars is 45” square. 

I designed the 10" block in EQ8, did all the piecing on Annie (Singer Featherweight 221), and quilted on Janelle (Janome 9400).

Accuquilt dies used:
55031 Half Square Triangle 4” finished
55047 Quarter Square Triangle 4” finished
55159 Rectangle 2” x 4” finished
55059 Square 2½” multiple
55017 Strip 2½”

*Blue Wren has two dies for Whirlygig Pinwheel:  6220 & 6558

For more Granny Rose and Granny Hill quilt posts, click the labels below.  

Purple Passion

I had several other quilts finished and ready to write about, but I moved this one to the head of the line. This new die from Blue Wren is gorgeous!

The die is called Oopsy Daisy. It is very similar to a vintage design published as America's Pride in the Laura Wheeler syndicated newspaper column, which started in 1933.

As I waited for my order to arrive from Australia, I used EQ8 to design so that when it arrived I would be ready to go. The postman delivered my package of dies on Thursday around lunchtime and I started making test blocks immediately. I cut this one and started sewing Friday morning.  I finished quilting and added the binding on Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, there was no cooking or cleaning done at my house since Thursday.

Luscious purple batik and prints show off the elements of the block. The curves sew easily and quickly. I used medium lavender thread to outline stitch part of the design, then filled in with free motion quilting on the solid color. Purple Passion is 37” square and fits nicely between the windows in my sewing room.

Purple Passion

I absolutely love this one! Thanks to Norma and Edward Grimmer at Blue Wren for all their pretty dies and great customer service. Three more of their dies are waiting for me to cut and sew, and I can't wait to get started. Stay tuned!

Dies used:

Blue Wren
6816 Oopsy Daisy 6” finished quarter block, 12” finished block

Accuquilt
55017 Strip 2½”

 

Vintage Bows

Remember those sugar sack remnants from last week?

I couldn't wait to use them for this reproduction of one of my Granny Hill's quilts. The bow tie block is quick and easy in the 6” size. I added more feed sacks in yellow, red and green prints, including a scrap of Granny Rose's.    

Tan muslin squares alternated with the bow ties add to the traditional design. I framed it with two borders, a 2” navy and cream mini print and a 3” tan muslin on the outside. Vintage Bows finished at 53” square.

Vintage Bows

I quilted with cream thread using a straight stitch in a 3” grid. Backing and binding features the navy/cream print. Such a soft and cuddly Granny quilt! It looks and feels like an antique, even though I just finished it. Of course, most of the fabric IS vintage.

Accuquilt dies:
55000 6” Square
55772 6” Bow Tie
55818 Half Square Triangle (6” Bow Tie set)
55017 Strips 2½”
55032 Strip 3 ½”

Joy is

a day

spent

sewing

Sugar Sack Stars

Sugar Sack Stars - Katie Scarlett Designs

Well, here's the first quilt from the vintage sugar sacks I bought last month. Rose and blue prints suit this block perfectly. The only new fabric I used is natural muslin. The pink and blue solids and backing was from 36” wide yardage, not as old as the sacks but not new.

Sugar Sack Stars is made up of nine blocks cut with Blue Wren's Jackaroo Star die. I wanted a small 37” size to use as a wall hanging in my dining room, which is furnished with early 1900's tiger oak pieces. I decided to keep with tradition and quilt it with medium beige thread in a free motion meandering stitch.

I remember seeing similar designs in bed quilts made by my Granny Hill and also Jerold's Granny Rose. By the way, I added one of Granny Rose's sugar sacks to this one. There are many versions of the block, including Arkansas Traveler, Travel Star, and Cowboy's Star.

Women have used sugar sack material for years to make all kinds of useful items. Grain sacks were sewn into dishcloths, curtains, tablecloths, pillowcases, clothing, and of course, beautiful quilts.

I love reproducing antique quilts, so having authentic materials is a bonus. It was hard to cut into that first one, but I believe fabric is intended to be used. Don't worry, I've kept a few intact. And, I now have vintage scraps left over for my next project.

Blue Wren Dies used:
6369 Jackaroo Star 12”
6720 Magic Strips

Camper Sewing and Fabric Bliss

Sorry to miss last week's blog post. We had poor internet connectivity at the campground. We were able to check email and a few favorite online sites, so we got by. It was actually a very nice, relaxing two weeks, including my birthday. We ate inside a restaurant for the first time in over a year!

We filled our time with leisurely walks, reading, movies, people watching, and enjoying each other's company. I was able to sort some of the hundreds of quilt design idea pics that I've saved on my laptop. I moved them into folders organized by the block name or die design.

Both quilt kits that I took along are nearly done, just a few finishing touches left. I set up Rockette on the dining table and stitched away on those cool rainy days. Here's a sneak peek at the tops. I'll post details later when they're quilted.

I saved the best news for last: This past weekend, I saw a yard sale listing that included a room full of fabric! Yep, it was only 40 miles away from the campsite, so my darling husband had keys in hand and was ready to drive me. A sweet lady was downsizing into a condo. Wonderful antique quilts, unfinished tops, books, notions, and hundreds of yards of fabric, sorted by color. Needless to say, I wanted it all but I practiced some restraint. I did buy a lot of it. I haven't measured yet, but I estimate over 160 yards of quilting cotton.

One of the coolest finds was her huge collection of vintage flour and sugar sacks, all sizes and such colorful and retro prints. Of course, I bought all 169 of those! I also got a set of gorgeous hand stitched blocks that I plan to finish into a quilt. Thanks Mrs. Mary, I absolutely love every single piece.

I'm an extremely lucky woman to have such a supportive husband who indulges and encourages my fabric addiction. He always says “Go for it” when I tell him about a fabric sale, new die or handy sewing gadget. Of course, I do the same when he finds electronic gear, radios, or tools.  I love that man to pieces!

Singer Slant-O-Matic 500 Rocketeer

Singer Slant-O-Matic 500
Rocketeer

Do you know what sometimes happens when you're just browsing around, not intending to buy anything? Yep, that item catches your eye and you are hooked.

I've been bad. I certainly didn't need another sewing machine, especially a vintage one from the early 1960's. But this Singer Slant-O-Matic 500 is so cool looking, so space age and interesting that it is commonly known as the Rocketeer. Price was only $49, including the original manual and accessory box, so I figured why not.

My sweet husband and I cleaned, degunked lint and grease out of the gears, replaced a worn bobbin winder tire, broken spring, and a few other parts. We polished this well built gem to a shine. I love working on projects with my guy.

She sewed beautifully, even before we cleaned her up. But now, what lovely stitches! I had attachments from my Athena 2000 that fit, but ordered some cams and bobbins. My investment is around $100 so far; I call that a bargain!

Rockette won't be my primary machine, but I will use her often enough to keep everything running smoothly. I tested her out by quilting and binding a small project and she sewed a dream.

Rockette at work

I've got to stay away from antique malls, thrift stores, yard sales, and online marketplaces. I'm too easily tempted! I don't have space or funds to go crazy collecting sewing machines. But, if I win the lottery...

Sampling Designs

Fancy Flowers pattern

I see design ideas everywhere. Magazines, blogs, Facebook, Pinterest and nature are my favorite inspirations for color and block layouts. 

Lately I've been experimenting with Accuquilt dies to reproduce vintage blocks. My resources are Granny Rose's clippings from Progressive Farmer magazine and Nashville Tennessean newspapers. I also search online for photos of vintage quilts.

Lydia Rose block

Before starting a new project, I usually sew a test block to see how it will look, especially if it is new to me. I also use EQ8 to design and test color combinations.  If that block doesn't end up in a quilt, I keep it in my sample drawer or make something useful out of it.

I found Fancy Flowers in Granny Rose's pattern shoebox, complete with templates and notes of how many to cut of each fabric. She also had one completed block in a lovely yellow, green and navy color combination.

Fancy Flowers - my version

My scrappy version is cut with Accuquilt Lemoyne Star, 4½” half square triangle, 2½” square and strip dies. I made an 18½” table mat with the sample, quilted with several decorative stitches. You may see this pattern again in a larger quilt.

I am thankful to Lydia Fort Rose for her quilts, and to Hazel Rose Ireland for saving these bits and pieces of patterns and scraps. Using them to sew new quilts brings me joy.

Milestones

After a relaxing week at the campground, I'm staring right at a significant occurrence in my life. Yep, my 65^th birthday is here; I have a Medicare card to prove it if you don't believe me.

I have officially reached that milestone. I am OLD. Senior. Elderly. Antique. Mature. Over the hill. Maybe even wiser. I have learned at least three things in this adventure called life:

1)  If it makes you happy, do it

2)  If it doesn't, then don't

3)  Go your own way

Turning 65 isn't so bad, really. I'm not yet senile, ancient, a doddering old crone, or ready for the nursing asylum. I have added a few extra pounds but they smooth out wrinkles and might give me a bit of a cushion if I fall down. My bones are occasionally creaky but isn't that what Aleve is for? I am still sassy, curious, and eager to learn new things.

There are nice perks to getting old. Senior shopping discounts save me a few bucks. I can eat early and get home in time for the news. Medicare costs less than my previous insurance. 

If the weather is bad, I can stay in and read. If it's pretty, I can play outside. I can sew all day if I choose to. I don't have to drive at rush hour or care what anybody thinks. I have plenty of time to enjoy my home and the world around me.

So what if I'm 65? It's just another milestone. Senior life is good. I've quit saying someday; instead I'm asking what about now? I'm looking forward to many more years of following my own path.

Now that I'm old,

I don't want people thinking

“What a sweet little old lady”

I want them saying

“Oh crap, what's she up to now?”

Batik Trail

Batik Trail

Here I go again, mixing and matching dies to create old favorite blocks. This time I made one from the 1920's – Snail Trail, also called Monkey Wrench in some old magazines.  

Sea blue leafy batik fabric is paired with crisp white and bordered with a cross hatch print. Each 12” block is made up of a center four-square, adding triangles to expand the design. 

It looks more difficult than it really is, especially because of the perfect cuts with AccuQuilt. The dies I used are: 55018 small value die (2 1/2” squares); 55006 half square triangle (3 ½”); 55031 half square triangle (4 ½”) and 55001 half square triangle (6 ½”). 

Free motion quilting was done in medium blue thread in a meandering design. Finished size for Batik Trail is 30” square.

Both my Singer and Janome machines are humming! I'm still working on my Christmas project, as well as cutting and stitching more scrappy star blocks. I've laid out several vintage quilts in EQ8, and I'm always on the lookout for more ideas.

DESIGN
a life
that you will
LOVE

Granville Quilt Festival

On Saturday, we took a road trip to Granville, Tennessee. Our destination: a quilt show, part of their annual fall festival. Oh the quilts! Amazing designs, outstanding stitching, fabulous colors, and a combination of modern and old standard designs, all draped over the pews at Granville United Methodist Church.

My favorites were the antique and hand-quilted categories. Tiny, perfect hand stitches, in narrow rows only ¼” apart made me feel totally inadequate but inspired. The quilters featured in the show are all artists. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The festival was spread over the entire little town on the Cumberland River. Quilts were draped over porch rails on most of the historic homes. The E.B. Sutton General Store, the Granville Museum, and Sutton Historic Homestead featured 1950's quilts along with their regular displays.

Demonstrations of frontier life, spinning, weaving, blacksmithing, wood carving, basket weaving and more went on all day. Live music at the gazebo and a lakeside stage for Jazz on the Cumberland kept everyone entertained. Booths were nicely curated (no tacky cheap stuff or yard sale junk here). Most were Tennessee and Kentucky craftspeople. 

As a former tourism director, I want to congratulate Granville for an excellent festival. This was the most organized event I have ever seen in a little town. There were helpful volunteers everywhere, excellent signage, trams & golf carts to and from convenient parking areas, all the shops and homes were decorated and I'll bet all the residents were participating in some way.

If you want more info, www.granvilletn.com has details.

Lydia's Ladder

Lydia's Ladder

Today's quilt is my smaller version of one of Granny Rose's old quilts. It features 12" Jacob's Ladder blocks in a square 42" finished size. I used Accuquilt dies to cut the pastel prints, which went together quickly. 

This time I chose the backing/binding fabric first, then picked coordinating fabrics from my collection for the front blocks. I thought a lot about her while working, so I named this one Lydia's Ladder. I copied her quilting as well, using the Baptist Fan pattern. I did not hand stitch, but adapted the design for machine quilting on my Janome.

Baptist Fan machine quilting

Granny's original handmade bed quilt was being used as a furniture pad to wrap around things that needed protection. I rescued it from the basement of her daughter's house, even though it was stained, tattered and torn, probably past restoration. The fabric looks like feed or flour sack prints along with shirting and dress prints. I may use a few of the intact sections to frame or make pillow covers, so it will live on as another Useful Remnant.

Original Jacob's Ladder by Lydia Rose

Antique quilts have such a soft, worn quality to them from being well used. They were lovingly sewn by hand or on a treadle machine, washed hundreds of times, dried on a line in the sun, then folded into cedar chests to be passed on to relatives. They hold stories that we can only wonder about. For instance, I think this was one she made, but I can only guess. Her church quilting bee group shared fabric and made quilts together, so everyone may have stitched on it. Or it could have belonged to her mother since it was so worn. A labor of love anyway, passed down to my mother-in-law, then to me.

Will today's quilts will even last that long?  I hope they do, and that people continue to love them.  

“Quilts reward study. They can look great from 20 feet across the room, and then you get closer and there are little dramas. It doesn’t have to be intricate. It can be simple. It just has to be authentic.”  

Ken Burns, film maker and quilt collector