Changing Shape

I was given this lovely caftan by my friend Julia, proprietor at Basya Berkman Vintage Fashions.  When she's scouting out fun vintage outfits, she sometimes finds things she thinks I'll probably like.  She is nearly always spot on correct!  It's like having my own personal shopper.  

This caftan has lots for me to like.  For one, I always love woven plaids.  I love to explore the subtle color variations as the stripes of colors cross and interweave.  I also like all the embroidered details.  And in this incredibly hot, hot summer, I've taken to wearing dresses all the time - so much cooler even than shorts.

But there's just one problem.  You'll notice the long straight shape of the caftan.  But I am not a long straight shaped woman.  

Tiny Clothes

This is a story that spans four, maybe five, generations.  

My friend Debbie and I have known each other since we were 12.  Our moms were friends, too.  Debbie has a grandmother who is now 106 years old.  She used to do pretty much any kind of needlework and sewing you can imagine.  So she and I get on pretty well!

So here's the intergenerational tale.

Flower Power

I seem to have crossed some sort of invisible line.  I'm starting to get "old" quilts for repair that are full of fabrics just like the ones I actually remember wearing.  I'm still not quite able to conceive of this shift in things. When I started learning about and repairing antique quilts, it was the 1980s.  Generally the most recent things I worked on were about 40-50 years old, made in the 1930s and '40s.  Well now, people are still bringing me quilts that are 40-50 years old, but that now places them in the 1960s or '70s.  Those were my coming-of-age decades.  I seem to have been here on the Earth for quite a while now.

Here's a walk down memory lane for people of the same vintage.  The quilt belongs to a friend of mine, made by her grandmother, and containing scraps from making the clothes of her childhood.

Thoughts about Repairing Antique Quilts

beforeafter

Last month, two different blogs posted thoughts and discussions about repairing quilts, and I'm happy to say that they linked to both my website and this blog.  I'm delighted to be sowing some seeds that add to the thought process.  Once all the options are considered, you will be making an informed decision that will fit your needs the best.

Probably the whole thing can be summed up in three main points:

The Tablecloth Project

We spent last weekend in the Michigan countryside at wonderful Ronora Lodge in Watervliet.  It's not a bad drive from Chicago, once you leave Chicago.  :-) 

    

Well, I wanted to bring some handwork.  Of course.  But I didn't have any projects in a handwork-ready state.  

Solution:  Start something new!  You know, because I have such a scarcity of projects and an abundance of time.  Ha.  Ha.  

Hence, "The Tablecloth Project".  This is a cut-work embroidery tablecloth that was started by my mother-in-law quite a few years ago.  

Road to the Wedding Quilt

I posted a couple of weeks ago about this quilt that I made for a friend's son's wedding.  Here is the story of the design process.

The Cats Go To A Wedding

I've gotten such nice response to the post about the wedding quilt I just finished, that I thought I'd write up the wedding quilt I made last June.

A long time ago, I'd discovered this really cute cat block while surfing.  http://w1.avis.ne.jp/~miyako/cat.JPG
(To see more of Miyako's work, go to her home page.)

When Emmie and Gordon, who are great cat-lovers, announced their engagement, I just knew I'd found the perfect use for this block.  The cats are even wearing bow ties, so are dressed and pressed and ready to attend a formal event!

I drafted my own templates according to the look of the photo.  I think my kitties turned out to be a bit more pudgy than in the original quilt.