A Bit of Whimsy

 

This quilt is basically a utility comforter.  It's made of large scraps and tied with yarn.  The ties are done with many colors that march in lines across the quilt rather than being a scattered mix.  I think this makes the quilt quite fun!

Plus, it's had a mishap that I think actually makes it kind of wonderful.

A Stellar Quilt

 

I fell in love with this quilt while rebinding it and patching a few torn pieces.  

It's a great set of blocks, each one different, totally fun.

A Sparkling Crazy Quilt

 

This is a stand-out crazy quilt, isn't it?  

I generally think of Victorian crazies as having so many more blacks and maroons, browns and navies, with brighter fabrics and embroidery threads interspersed only now and then. 

So I looked back at photos of other crazies that have crossed my path, and well, was surprised to see how many are very colorful after all.  So what is it about this one that makes it feel so very different? 

This quilt is super joyful!  It is packed of a wide variety of embellishments, all heightened by beading and other creative and fancy bits - it is simply dancing.  The brightness has been heightened a bit by patching done in the 1970s that add in that era's colors, too.  But clearly the quilt was a riot of color right from the start!

A Beauty of a Quilt

 Here's a gorgeous quilt.  It's as simple as that.

This quilt came to me for repair.  The quilt dates to c1850.  As old as it is, it is in nearly pristine condition, save for a place in the center where it got wet somehow with something.

Here's how fabric looks in an undamaged block.

A Tale of Two Quilts

 

Just about three years ago, I posted about a quilt I repaired.  The great-granddaughter who brought me the quilt for repair wrote the story of the quilt and its maker, and sent photos, all of which are included in my post.  The pattern is Pointed Tile, and both the great-grandma and the great-grandpa were quite handy with all sorts of needlework and crafts. 

Christina Waldman found that post and wrote to me about a Pointed Tile top made by her grandmother that she was quilting up.

A Special Guest in Chicago

I'm happy to say that I got to spend an afternoon (almost two weeks ago now) in Chicago with Elizabeth Townsend-Gard, her grad student Madison, and her daughter and friend.  Elizabeth is the creator of the Just Wanna Quilt podcast and community.  She's a gem! 

She is a law professor at Tulane University.  She's blended her love of quilting with her skills in copyright law and business entrepreneurship by creating programs that use the quilt world as a case study for her students.  The podcast is a series of interviews with quilters from all the myriad aspects of the quilting world.  It's simply the best thing to listen while quilting, and the info she is gathering is super useful!  Brilliant, and a boon to everyone involved!  It was so great to meet Elizabeth in person and talk face-to-face, the old fashioned way!

Chicago contributed super wonderful weather (a rarity here in this year of very wet and very cool weather with little blips of super hot and humid every now and then).  We talked quilts and quilt biz over lunch, and continued talking during a visit to the mosaics at the Chicago Cultural Center and a wander through the Art Institute, especially the Thorne Miniature Rooms - two of my favorite Michigan Avenue places since my childhood.  Beauty and quilt inspiration everywhere!

Stylish: Jeanie and Barbie

My mother-in-law Jeanie knew how to dress well and properly.  All the time.  All occasions. 

This photo was taken in 1961.  She is standing with my husband, at 13 years old, on the day of his Bar Mitzvah.  There are two more photos of Jeanie's style at the end of this post.  (Oooops, the white smear is a glare on the photo, not a smear on Larry's suit.) 

Jeanie also loved handwork, including crocheting and knitting.

She put these two loves together and designed and crocheted dresses and gowns for Barbie dolls.

 

Spools and Sawtooth

One of the nicest things about repairing quilts is that some really marvelous quilts cross my path.  I get to see and work on such a wide range of quilts.  Here's one I really enjoyed.

I love the combination of the spool blocks and the alternate sawtooth edged blocks.  The blocks play visual games. The two blocks form a cool secondary octagonal pattern that kind of comes and goes.  I find it hard for my eyes to focus on the blocks themselves, and instead there's a rhythm and movement across the quilt. 

Creative Quilt Ties

What really intrigued me about this quilt were the "ties".  Instead of the usual yarn or thread knotting, this quilter "tied" her quilt with oversize lazy daisy stitches!  Sometimes, she used a contrasting thread that lets the stitches really show.

Here's the stitching, front and back.  Very clever, don't you think?  And the brocade on the back is really lovely! 

 

Look at These Cool Buttons!

I did a tiny bit of repair on this jacket, and fell in love with the buttons.  It's a cropped polar fleece jacket from the late 1980s or early 90s.  (And for sale, if you're interested, at my friend Julia's Etsy shop.)  The jacket is by Spanish designer Celia Tejada.  And let me tell you, she had quite an eye for choosing buttons!

Has anyone out there ever seen a button styled like this?  I haven't!  I mean really, how fun is this?!

There are appliquéd red rectangles at the buttonholes, so when the jacket is closed, these clever buttons get the spotlight they deserve!

Here's to those who step out of the box!

Color and Light

I do love walking around with my phone/camera, i.e. tiny magic box that can do anything.  ;-)

The other day, I was leaving my friend Julia's place, after picking up a big blue Ikea bag of full vintage clothes to mend for her shop.  This time, there's nothing tricky, a selection of wonderful items with just open seams, missing buttons, loose sequins, and such.

This little view caught my eye on my way out the door.  I've always loved the green stone pot, seeing as how I love green and have a pretty extensive collection of interesting stones that I pick up wherever I go.  The landlord's choice of planting this year is spectacular, and the low, late afternoon sun added its highlighting.

Catching The Moment

For the past few years, I've been using photography as a means to mindfulness and awareness.  I've been taking daily photos of little things that catch my eye - things that either are artsy or symbolic of what I'm doing with my day and my self, or sometimes both at once.  A subcategory has been watching the light and sky out my front door.  I live across from a park, so have great sky views!  Also, I have a huge front window that lets all the changing light into my living room.  It's where I sit to hand sew.

Yesterday, I glanced up right after a small but heavy rain came through.  The clouds were amazing.  I grabbed my camera, but didn’t get to take the photo, because my neighbor was coming up the walk to return my sewing machine which she had borrowed for a couple of hours.  As she left, the clouds were still great and the sun broke through up above.  I quick snapped the photo, all smiles and excitement. 

I’ve always loved that odd combination of sunlit yellowish green leaves against dark blue-grey storm clouds.  It’s a color combination I’d never have thought of on my own, so I find it fascinating that it looks so cool.  It also speaks to mindfulness quite strongly, as these moments pass in an instant. 

I've been thinking to share some of my daily photos just for fun.  So perhaps this is a beginning of that aspect of this practice. 

Another Perfect 1930s Double Wedding Ring

The Double Wedding Ring pattern was sure popular in the 1930s!  This spring, I've had two here for repairs in the same month.  When I blogged about the first one, I called it a perfect quilt - hence the name of this post.

Both have the same characteristics, including a huge variety of pastel print scraps and great needlework.  Here they are side-by-side, so you can see how they are alike and how they differ.  I always think it's great fun to compare and contrast the design choices that make each rendition of a pattern unique.

    

Formal Wear Quilt: BowTies and Tuxedos

This quilt combines many of my criteria for a wonderful quilt - it has a creative design, a great story, and it's signed and dated!