Notes from the Quilt Lab

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T16:54:00.002-05:00

My Book...something's gotta give

2012-02-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

There is only so much time for quilting and I realized that if I want to make my dream of a book happen, something has to go. With two kids going off to college in 2013, retiring from my job as a chemist is not in the cards yet. So...I will be giving up craft shows. While I do enjoy the show itself, there is a lot of work to do to get ready for each show. And with quilting, I can't make quilts the night before...I have to work on them all year. I will do two shows this year, and then retire my pipe and drape for the forseeable future.

I will focus on quilts for publication in magazines and a book of my own. I will still offer quilts and other small items for sale on Etsy, but with my own timeline, rather than the pressure of being ready for shows. Here is my low budget start.

I have made three quilts so far and planned 3 more. I also want to write a book on PA pillowcases.

Double nine-patch quilt top

2012-01-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

Sheryl of Temecula Quilt Co. showed some double nine patch blocks on her blog recently and asked for ideas for setting the blocks. They reminded me of this small ca. 1890 quilt top that I have. The blocks are set straight with an indigo fabric that has tiny white open circles.

The blocks are just under 12" and the top is 55"x67". It has a narrow border.

There are lots of wonderful fabrics in the 9 patches, spanning approx. 1870-1890.

What happened here? Just a wee bit short on the indigo fabric...

Antique quilt to show you

2012-01-26T20:36:00.000-05:00

I just changed my living room quilt to this this beauty. This is one of my favorites. It is only two fabrics, a rusty red and a green calico. I think it dates to 1850-1870. I love the colors and the border. And the quilting is to die for. Unfortunately, it is hard to photograph the quilting so you can appreciate it. In each of the plain white areas, there are different floral quilting motifs. Some are sunflower types, others look like mums, maybe daffodils, and lovely curving stems. The quilt is 72" square.

A little cross-stitch and I've got mail (reposting from yesterday)

2012-01-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

I received notes from readers saying that my blog could not be opened. I copied it and will try posting again.

I picked up needle and floss for the first time in many years. I had made many reproduction samplers in the past, and have shown them on my blog previously. This time, my project was significantly less complex, just a few words on linen. I found some great vintage linen toweling and experimented with making simple hearts with simple sentiments. One is completed as you can see, the others are in progress, "Love" and another "Be Mine" with a fancier script.

Hanging on my jelly cupboard.

I also made a heart from antique red fabric. This one is already gone to one of my friends at work.

And now for the mail. I just received this great book about the Amish quilt collection of Darwin Bearly. He posts on facebook in the antique quilt group and I bought the book directly from him. I have just paged through it briefly, but the photos are gorgeous. I will enoy snuggling with this book this weekend during the snowstorm we are suppose to get.

My other package contained an angel--a hooked angel rug from one of my favorite artists,

Annie Hayes.

www.anniehayesrugs.com

Here's my angel hanging in the quilt lab watching over me (with two other Annie Hayes rugs).

Annie has some nice valentine themed rugs on her site right now, and I must admit they were the inspiration for my linen hearts.

I hope you all have an angel to watch over you.

A little cross-stitch and I've got mail

2012-01-20T17:12:00.002-05:00

Hanging on my jelly cupboard.

I also made a heart from antique red fabric. This one is already gone to one of my friends at work.

My other package contained an angel--a hooked angel rug from one of my favorite artists,

Annie Hayes.

www.anniehayesrugs.com

Here's my angel hanging in the quilt lab watching over me (with two other Annie Hayes rugs).

Annie has some nice valentine themed rugs on her site right now, and I must admit they were the inspiration for my linen hearts.

I hope you all have an angel to watch over you.

I'm feeling a little blue...and white...today

2012-01-14T17:13:00.000-05:00

I pulled out some blue and white items today. Maybe the sudden change to winter weather has me thinking cool colors this weekend. Here is my front hall, with my small collection of antique blue and white fabrics.

Some are linen, some cotton. Some true homespun, some millwork(factory made). I also pulled some blue and white crib quilts to show you. The first is a small album patch quilt. It has one indigo fabric and solid white. The neat thing about this quilt is that it is dated, May 1885, embroidered in the center of one block.

Very narrow blue binding, same indigo as the blocks.

The size is 20"x30". It gets a little lost on this wall, so I don't usually hang it here.

I may have shown this blue and white Burgoyne Surrounded before, or you may have seen it published in American Patchwork and Quilting along with my little quilt. This one is also dated, 1850, this time in the quilting. There is a name quilted in, but I have not been able to decipher it.

It measures 33" x 42".

The last quilt for today adds a little color to the blue and white scheme. Sorry to tell my fellow cheddar lovers that this is not cheddar, but is really, truly orange. No date on this one, so I can only guess it is last quarter of the 19th century. This one measures 38" x 38".

Antique Crib Quilt

2012-01-12T16:43:00.000-05:00

I switched the quilt-lab quilt to this cheerful antique basket block crib quilt.

The colors are typical of PA German quilts of the late 19th century. I have seen these fabrics over and over in other antique quilts.

The size is 39" x 45". It is hand quilted. The yellow sashing is lightly quilted with a chain type pattern. Other areas are filled with chevrons and hearts (in smaller pink triangles). The back is turned to the front to form the binding which is machine stitched down.

Pretty neutral backing fabric with roses and clovers. We've had a very mild winter so far, so I guess I am thinking spring with this quilt.

More on Newark Museum Quilts

2012-01-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

My recent post described our trip to the Newark Museum. I had no photos to show and no book to share. I tracked down the 1973 out-of-print catalog through Abebooks, "American Quilts in the Newark Museum Collection" by Phillip H. Curtis. It has only one color photo, on the cover. This quilt was on display in the recent exhibit, and was my favorite. There are lots of black and white photos, but b&w just doesn't do it for me, when trying to enjoy the quilts. Nevertheless, the collection is documented and described, so better than nothing. I do wish they would do a new book!

Latest Changes around the quilt lab

2011-12-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

Here is the office area. I love to mix old and new.

Antique ironing board and a nice view out the window.

Shipping area, oops, somebody needs to clean up that mess.

Latest display of my little quilts in the yardstick gallery.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

A visit to Newark

2011-12-30T18:37:00.001-05:00

My husband and I drove up to Newark, NJ today to see the quilt exhibit at the Newark Museum. And yes, he looked at the quilts with me. No photos allowed and no exhibit catalog or book of the museum's quilt collection to share.

Above is the flyer describing the exhibit with a small portion of an antique red and white delectable mountain quilt shown along the bottom. There were about 15 antique quilts on display, plus some contemporary quilts, and they were all gorgeous. The museum boasts a large quilt collection, but they do not have a recent book of their collection. They must get a lot of questions about a book, because they had a statement posted saying they just don't have the funds to produce a book.

We also wandered through other parts of the museum and were quite impressed with their collections. They have a restored Victorian house attached to the museum--the Ballantine House--they were not poor Victorians so it was gorgeous.

The quilt exhibit ends tomorrow.

I had never heard of the Newark Museum before the quilt exhibit. It was worth the trip.

www.newarkmuseum.org

Another Antique Quilt to show you

2011-12-29T12:16:00.000-05:00

I continue to have fun going through my quilt collection. Not only for my enjoyment, but I also refold the quilts which is important to keep them in good shape. I hung up this colorful quilt yesterday.

The name I know for this is "Lawyer's Puzzle". It looks like a variation of delectable mountains. Does anyone know another name for this pattern?

The only green in the quilt.

The fabrics date this quilt to ca. 1890. Not sure where this was made. I do not think this is a PA German quilt, based on the use of white fabric for the background and backing. The quilting is dense, cable in the border and double line quilting throughout the rest of the quilt.

Pennsylvania Fraktur Quilt

2011-12-26T15:20:00.002-05:00

It is that time of year again. Time to open up blanket chests and quilt cupboards and rediscover some of my treasures. I came across this one yesterday. It is signature quilt with writing done in the German fraktur style script. (fraktur=fractured)

This quilt has 13 name blocks. The center block is Mary J. Auer, The script is slightly fancier on this block, and the fact that it is in the center, leads me to believe this was made for Mary. It is not dated, but based on other examples I have seen, as well as the fabrics used, I would date it to ca. 1850-1870.

Some of the other names include Amanda Schafer, William Deibert, William Auer, Priscille Steward, and Ruben Steward.

The back.

The X is sewn down by machine.

One of my many future projects will be to research the names on the quilt to find out where and when it might have been made,

Here a couple other treasure I found that I have listed for sale on Etsy, which, by the way, has been successful for me. I thank everyone who has browsed and/or bought items and those who may have passed the link onto a friend. I appreciate it!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my blogging buddies.

Chester County, PA Historical Society Needlework Exhibit-A Must See!

2011-12-23T12:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I visited the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, PA. I have been here before for quilt exhibits. Currently on display is a large collection of samplers and other needlework. Many were done at the West Town School, a Quaker school.

The most fascinating items to me were the needlework globes. They were used as a way to teach needlework, geography, and astronomy. Most are the earth but one on display was a celestial globe. These are extremely rare items. There is a combination of stitching and inking to draw and label the continents. Lots of details, these works are really amazing.

There were other related items on display. Sewing roll-ups, sewing bags, pillowcases and linens.

Hopefully these photos will give you incentive to take a trip to West Chester, PA. There are probably 150 samplers on display. If you are local, you gotta go!
I picked up this book in the gift shop. Very nice book about quilt documentation in Chester County. Lots of photos.

Interesting new doll quilt

2011-12-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

I recently received this antique doll quilt that I won in an on-line auction. It is not a perfect piece, with some fabric loss, but is an interesting piece.

Here is the front, which is what I could see in the auction photo. The half square triangles are about 1/2 inch in size. You can see a little Prussian blue, some green and a touch of cheddar. Some of these fabrics date to ca. 1850, but others appear to be late 19th century. I would date the piece to around 1890.

The front is all I could see in the on-line auction, so when I received the quilt and looked at the back, I had a nice surprise. A date in cross-stitch, 1892.

The back is a crazy quilt piece with much of the silk fabric lost. From what I can read, it says

aged 68?? (the 8 is clear to me but what do you think the other number is?) 1892.

Hard to see in the fuzzy photo, but there is white cross-stitch that says To Ebbie. Also on the blue piece on the left it looks like Vt. (vermont?)

On this black and white fabric I can make out the word Mother. There is another word that might say "from" but I can't really be sure. So did Mother make this for Ebbie in 1892? Was mother 68 at the time--doubtful. Unless mother was grandmother. Or maybe Ebbie was 8 in 1892 and the figure bfore the 8 is not a number

First vacation chore complete

2011-12-18T12:22:00.001-05:00

I just finished listing a bunch of quilts, quilt tops and blocks in my Etsy Store, including those shown above and below.

VACATION! almost

2011-12-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Monday is my last day of work for the year! It would of been this past Friday, but I forgot to account for my son's wisdom teeth surgery, for which I had to take the day off. He had a 5th tooth that had to be removed in addition to the 4 wisdom teeth. What an over-achiever! He did well; I nearly passed out as I watched the post-op nurse remove the iv. Why did I look? Things like this never used to bother me, but the older I get the more squeamish I get.

Anyway, with vacation days looming, I am planning special things to do, along with quilting, of course, and mundane, though satisfying chores, like cleaning and home repairs. My quilt buddy and I will be going to West Chester Historical Society to see a needlework exhibit. My husband and I will take a road trip up to Newark NJ to see the quilt exhibit before it closes at the end of the year. He is my driver (I hate the NJ turnpike) and will be rewarded with a nice lunch. I wonder if he will look at the quilts with me?

I am also hoping to read all the references I tracked down on PA pillowcases.

Another Christmas-time Quilt

2011-12-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

Another of my favorite quilts to hang at Christmas time. I love the crossed tulips in the corners. Dates to ca. 1850.

Another little display in a corner of the same room.

My Etsy Store is finally filled!

2011-12-11T14:31:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: finished adding items for today and already sold some!!! Thanks!!!!

My Etsy store is now populated with some vintage and antique textiles. There is more to come, but here are a few photos of what I have listed so far. Visit www.etsy.com/people/annhermes1

Having a great time...decorating

2011-12-05T18:28:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I pulled out the Christmas decorations and had a great time arranging and rearranging.

Living room. Rug by Joanne, www.snippetsandscrapsandpieces.blogspot.com.

My new doll bed, which I love, decked out in antique linens with redwork accents. (for info on the bed, see Kathy's blog, A Sentimental Quilter)

Another doll bed, with doll pillow, apron and bonnet.

Front hallway, rug by Annie Hayes, www.anniehayesrugs.com. Pinkeep by Lori www.homespunprims.blogspot.com.

Living room.

Quilt lab. Angel by Barbara Stein.

Carolina Lily quilt in the living room. Check out the fantastic quilting. Dates to ca. 1850.

Quilt top fragment, makes a nice wall hanging in this spot.

Crib quilt, ca. 1850, hanging in the quilt lab.

Ooh, look at those turkey reds.

PA Patchwork Pillowcases

2011-12-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

I am so excited that I just came across some old references to PA Pillowcases. Up to now, I had only seen two articles written on the subject. For the first time, a Google search brought up a reference in the Quilt Index (http://www.quiltindex.org/) to an issue of Quilters Journal, Summer 1979. Perhaps these periodicals were only recently added to the Quilt Index?? This issue contains an article titled Pennsylvania Pillowcases by Patricia Long . AND there is a photo in the article of one of the pillowcases in my collection! This is from the set of PCs with the squirrel pillar print on the back. I blogged about this a while ago.

What a surprise to see this. I am now trying to locate copies of the references in this article. I have found many on eBay and Abebooks. I am still looking for an old issue of "Antique Collecting" August 1978, which has an article by Ada R. Robacker, titled The Patchwork Pillowcase.

reorganizing and looking for inspiration

2011-11-27T17:56:00.000-05:00

I delivered quilts and ornaments to the Mennonite Heritage Center for their PA German Folk Art Sale, which starts this coming weekend. I have time to plan some new quilt projects and do a little clean up in the quilt lab. I pulled out some stacks of antique quilt tops, blocks, and cutter quilt pieces that I have been hoarding. As I sorted them, I found lots of inspiration-color combination, blocks I have never tried, etc. I also came up with a pile of items that will go on my Etsy site, as soon as I get a chance to take some good photos.

My antique ironing board covered with my hoard.

The court house steps doll quilt tucked in the pile on the right, inspired some quilts I made a few years ago.

Hey, is that cheddar I see? What a suprise that I would be drawn to this late 19th century top.

This strippy top was inspiration for my quilt that appeared in Quilt Mania.

Oh, green and light cheddar. Love it.

A rainbow. No kidding this is a strip that was put together for a rainbow trip around the world quilt, late 19th or early 20th century. I don't have the heart to take it apart and use the fabric, so I will keep it just as it is.

One of the few subdued quilt pieces in the stack. The fabric is very early, maybe around 1830-1850. I did not cut this one up(!), I bought it this way--somebody was going to make a vest out of the old quilt. Ouch.

Do you see anything that inpsires you?

More antique quilts and other news

2011-11-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

First for the news:
1. I have updated my website with some new ornaments and quilts. www.annhermesquilts.com
2. I am opening an ETSY store to sell antique and vintage textiles, quilts, fabrics, etc. I am using this is a way to reduce my collection, not to become a retailer, so the prices will be very reasonable. The store is there but there are no items in it yet. As soon as I add some items to the store, over the next week or so, I will post the link.

And now for some quilts for your viewing pleasure. I have had this one for several years and just love it. Check out that zigzag border.

Here is the really special feature of this quilt. It is signed Jacob Harris' quilt, dated 1855. It came from Washington County, PA. It has double line quilting.

Here is a test for you: This quilt is dated 1855, so what is wrong with the block below?

Here is another quilt I just put up today. This a PA crib quilt, from the late 19th century. I suspect though, it might have been finished later.

The reason I think it might have been finished in the 20th century is the backing and the binding. All of these yellow calicos prints were made produced in the 19th century and well into the 20th century. I have seen these fabrics in 24" and 36" widths. The back and binding are different prints than the yellow on the front and seem "newer" to me in the texture and color. Also the binding is sort of wide and covera part of the corner blocks which are actually nine-patches. So that part of the workmanship doesn't seen to match the workmanship of the piecing design which is rather complex.

Happy Thanksgiving; changing of the quilts

2011-11-24T14:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US friends and family! The turkey is taking care of itself in the oven right now, so I took a little time to switch some quilts. I am not mentally ready for Christmas yet, so I did not get the red and green quilts out yet. I decided to enjoy fall quilts for a couple more weeks. In the living room, ca. 1860 PA quilt. Check out those borders...and the brown print on the back, no plain white muslin for those PA quilters. This one is about 74 inches square in size.

In the quilt lab...another PA quilt, this time a crib size, 42 inches square.

antique ironing boards--- people-size and doll-size.

Similar fabrics and colors in both quilts, even the back, another brown print.

2011 show in the books

2011-11-20T11:37:00.002-05:00

This is how it starts.

Two hours later

Sales were off versus last year for me (about 33% down) and for other crafters. My loyal repeat customers showed up, though, and made my day. Thanks to them!!! When is the economy going to rebound??
Of course, I did my part to bolster the economy by doing a little shopping. My big purchase was this large metal angel. I have been looking for something to hang in my kitchen above the pantry and refrigerator. It is big space and up high so I needed something large and graphic. I think this is just right.

getting ready

2011-11-13T08:55:00.000-05:00

Less than a week to go and I am almost ready. The tables and curtains and props are ready to go.

An alert helper for a change

Staging area in the quilt lab

Only a few more ornaments to finish.

Labels need to be sewn on new quilts.

using doll cradles for display of small items

wool pincushions with three squares are my design published in "Quilts and More" a while back.

Two weekends left...

2011-11-04T18:16:00.004-04:00

before my big craft show at North Penn High School, in Lansdale, PA. I have to buckle down this weekend and get the rest of the quilt bindings done and labels sewn on.

drawer filled with finished quilts

a few more bindings, but the end is in sight

I also have a stack of 25 ornaments that need to be quilted and bound. The end is not in sight.

This just sort of happened.

Good news is that the Merry Maids came today while I was at work, so the house will be nice and clean and I can order pizza for dinner and get to work sewing.

The weekend before the show I will have to get my display stuff out and organized, print up price tags, get change, etc. A few days after the North Penn show, I have to deliver items for the Mennonite Folk Art Show. They need time to price and display before the crowds show up on Dec 2.

Once that is done, I will clean up the quilt lab and start some new textile experiments.

Bindings...2 down, a few to go

2011-10-24T20:18:00.000-04:00

I love binding...I really do. Well mostly.

2 quilts done

Only 14 more to go.

More ornaments. I really must stop and finish what I have already pieced.

Visit to Sisters Choice Quilters

2011-10-22T15:35:00.002-04:00

I just returned from a trip to Falls Church, VA, outside Washington, DC. I was invited to come down and give a presentation to this great group of quilters. My talk was titled: "Pennsylvania Patchwork Pillowcases and Other Small Treasures". I showed pillowcases from my collection, representing about 100 years of antique PA textiles. The earliest was a dated piece from 1829, the latest was from 1900, with a note attached with maker's name and year presented. I also showed some of my doll quilts made from antique fabrics, along with the antique pieces that inspired them.

I was treated well by the lovely ladies of the guild. We had a great Thai dinner before the meeting and luscious frozen yogurt afterwards. Thanks to my host Amy for making very comfortable arrangements for me and for their attention and interesting discussion from the guild members.

Find them on facebook Sisters Choice Quilters

Quilting Marathon

2011-10-17T19:50:00.000-04:00

Armed with...

And assisted by my helpers...

I quilted all weekend.

And took a break to make a couple new ornament designs.

Phillies, piano, fall quilt

2011-10-14T20:45:00.001-04:00

I am coming out of my depression over the Phillies early exit from the baseball playoffs. Growing up as a Cubs fan in Chicago, you would think I would be numb to such disappointment, but it still hurts.

You may remember that I share the quilt lab with the family piano. I don't play; it was my husband's childhood piano and my sons learned to play on it. Nobody in the house played it any more, and much to Love's chagrin, the piano tended to serve as a three tier shelf for my fabrics (including the bench!). A shelf no more. My husband's sister wanted the piano for her young son. My husband agreed and it is on its way to California.

And I have more space.

And now for the fall quilt, you can see it on the wall. This is a crib size quilt. The yellow and red fabrics date to ca. 1850 I would say. I think the back may be 1870 or so. I counted 16 different red prints and 13 different yellow prints. The green and brown fabrics are solids. This may be a PA Mennonite quilt.

As you can see, the quilting is beautiful. Very tiny stitches. I always love to hang this quilt in the fall.

tiny treasure

2011-10-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

I pulled out this little antique textile item the other day. I have had it for a few years and just love it. I guess you can call it a small potholder, it has thick batting inside.

It measures just over 4 inches and has a great selection of ealy fabrics, ca. 1850. If the front isn't enough for you, check out the back.

Front

Back

For size perspective.

No quilting or ties. Handsewn loop. The batting feels like it could be a thick blanket piece. I'm glad somebody saved this tiny treasure so we could enjoy it today.

Ornament Production

2011-10-03T21:53:00.000-04:00

Show season approaches. Here are many ornaments in various stages of completion. Some are planned, some are spontaneous from leftovers.

My new design for this year is the square in a square, with a very tiny center square 1/2". No, not paper-pieced.

Just playing around with indigo

2011-10-02T15:03:00.000-04:00

I made this little doll quilt top a while ago. It's in the queue to be quilted soon.

I had some left-over blocks, some that didn't quite match up properly, so did not make it into the quilt. I wasn't sure what to do with them. I cut some in half, sewed them together, cut them in half, sewed them together. Here's what I ended up with. It even has a title:

Indigo Abstract

That was fun!

Look what I got in today's mail

2011-09-30T21:05:00.001-04:00

Lori of homespunprims recently updated her site with fall items for sale that she made. I purchased this three pumpkin pillow. It is so cute; I love her use of ticking for the background. Now, just where to put it. Hmmm...

Maybe on the chair? No, too small.

Maybe here? No, too many pumpkins already.

(and to think those cute little boys in the photo are driving a car now!)

How about here? Yes, just right.

Does this remind you of something?

2011-09-28T20:10:00.000-04:00

I made this little quilt top a couple weeks ago and blogged about it. Just yesterday, I posted this picture of my favorite quilt from crib quilt study center from AQSG.

I know next time, I have to include some blue.

AQSG Seminar-Crib Quilt Study Center

2011-09-27T20:39:00.000-04:00

On Thursday morning I attended the crib and cradle quilt study center presented by Debbie Cooney and Polly Mello. They showed crib quilts from their collections that spanned about 100 years. Both ladies are extremely knowledgeable and shared their expertise with us. They graciously allowed us to photograph the quilts at the end of the session. This reversible 4-patch was my favorite. I love the colors and the simplicity of the four patch block.

Front

Back

One of the interesting comments was that some of the pieces that we call crib quilts (because they are small) may not have been made to be used in a crib or cradle at all. They might have just been small works of creativity on the part of the maker. A few more photos

Ooh, and a pillowcase. My lucky day.

AQSG Seminar

2011-09-25T20:31:00.001-04:00

Sunday night football is on in the background. I perked up when I heard 3rd quarter...but then I realized they did not mean third quarter of the 19th century. I am back home after 4 days at the American Quilt Study Group Seminar in Cherry Hill, NJ, overwhelmed and very tired. I only had an hour drive to get home, so I can imagine how tired those long-distance travelers must feel about now.

There were about 250 attendees at the seminar, 99.9% women. The speakers, study centers, and social hours (which involved quilt displays of course) were great. Along with the organized events, I really enjoyed the spontaneous discussions/viewings that broke-out in the lobby or hallway when someone pulled out an antique quilt or textile. I met lots of nice people including fellow bloggers.

I will post more pictures in the coming days once I get organized. Here is one to get started, a PA pillowcase owned by Joan H. She brought it to show me, since she knows of my interest in pc's. A small group gathered in the hallway to discuss this beautiful piece. I think the dating consensus came to 1830-1850. Check out the gorgeous chintz back. Wow.

Finally Finished

2011-09-18T21:36:00.001-04:00

Classic red and white variable star. I love this one!

Another variable star in blues and browns,

Classic nine-patch. I do love yellow and red together.

Another nine-patch in a more subtle color combination. Is yellow subtle?

What do you do with 4 left-over blocks? The border is a ca. 1890 neon print

Pillar Print Repro Fabric

2011-09-18T19:11:00.001-04:00

A while ago I posted a pair of antique pillowcases that had a pillar print back. I made special note of the squirrel because I found it amusing. At the time, Kathie said she thought there was a reproduction of it. Well, a little sleuth work by fellow blogger Susie found a supply of this fabric at www.fabricshack.com. The collection is called Winterthur Toile from Andover. I bought a yard of the reproduction to compare to the original. It is a very close match, although not identical. There are two different column types. In the original the column capitols match up across the width. In the reproduction, the column capitols are offset with respect to each other. Also, in the original, the engraving lines are more detailed and rich.

Repro on the left, original on the right.

A Productive Piecing Weekend

2011-09-05T20:23:00.000-04:00

I got busy in the quilt lab this holiday weekend. I finished the blocks for my fall variable stars. Despite the popular vote, I picked green over rust for the 9th star. Yes, the rust matched and would have looked fine, but the green offers more interest, a little surprise.. I haven't picked any border fabrics yet.

I also completed 17 red stars.

I will make two quilts from these, with two different settings.

Finally, I got a good start on my nine-patch. I will probably make enough blocks to make two variations on these.

Field Trip DMV for the teens and shopping for me

2011-09-02T20:57:00.000-04:00

It's been a big day. I took my freshly-minted 16 year old twins to the DMV to get their driving permits. They passed. Since this represents yet another rite of passage for them, and translates into "I am getting even older", I took myself shopping.

I have been wanting to visit The Cinnamon Stick in Hereford, PA for some time. It's a bit of a hike from here, about an hour drive. It was well worth the trip! What a charming store, all decked out for fall and Halloween right now. They have primitives, antiques, and folkart. Check out the Cinnamon Stick's blog.

Here's what I got, just in time for fall.

The hooked rug is by Joanne McIllmurray. Joanne is one of the artisans invited to the Mennonite Heritage PA German Folk Art show that I also participate in.

I pulled fabrics for a new project, this pile of fabrics is destined to become a nine-patch quilt.

And the beat goes on....

2011-08-31T19:14:00.000-04:00

I am still working on my red and white star quilt.

I got tired of making red and white flying geese though, so I started my next quilt, "fall" variable stars. Doing several projects at a time keeps me interested. The new quilt is predominantly blues and browns. I cut out squares for the stars and layed them out. I narrowed it down to 2 combinations. Center row, left side is the only change--green or rust? Which do you like?

I also made a little flag quilt from Temecula Quilt Co. blog. Sheryl posted instructions for this on or around the 4th of July. I think it is just adorable.

Changing of the quilt

2011-08-28T11:43:00.000-04:00

I changed the quilt in living room this morning. I purchased this basket quilt many years ago. It was my second antique quilt purchase. That made me a collector! This quilt dates to ca. 1890. It has a variety of prints including late 19th centry neons.

Doll cradle with nice old homespun linen apron. The apron waist band is blue and white ticking.

Irene spared us...sewing machine humming

2011-08-28T11:31:00.000-04:00

We got a lot a rain and some water in our basement. Our power stayed on except for a brief period last night, so the subpump and shop vac could deal with the water in the basement. The rain has cleared out and now we are getting some moderate wind. We were much luckier than others.
Since I had power, I was able to do a little sewing. I finished my little brick work top.

I started a red and white variable star. Finished block size will be 3 inches.

The Slipcover Diaries-the final chapter

2011-08-25T17:45:00.002-04:00

Recall last time I had completed the slipcover for my ottoman. That was my practice piece before attempting to do the wingback chair. The ottoman came out really well, my confidence was high, so I decided to....

get the chair reupholstered by a professional instead of making a slipcover!

What I did not tell you before is that the wingback chair is a recliner. I had planned to wire it closed so it couldn't recline, and slipcover it. And that's why I bought the ottoman in the first place; who needs a recliner when you have a nice comfy ottoman upon which to rest your feet?

Well, apparently my husband and sons do. When I revealed the details of my plan, suddenly the chair they hardly ever used, became their favorite spot to relax and it had to recline. I gave in, thought briefly about learning to reupholster, then made a phone call. The chair was delivered today and I love it.

Recline or use the ottoman or do both. We aim to please. The cat likes it too.

The world travelers return

2011-08-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

Not my two sons, my two little quilts. They are back from their trip to France. I am glad to have them home safe and sound. Both were published by Quiltmania; one appeared in the Special Winter Edition 2010, the other in the Special Summer Edition 2011. The box also contained copies of the magazines. Quiltmania and their special editions are always beautiful--lovely quilts and great photography. Copies are sold in bookstores in the US but not always easy to find. You can visit www.quiltmania.com to purchase. The price on these special editions is $19.99, just so you know.

Oops, forgot this pattern link

2011-08-22T14:41:00.000-04:00

This was my first quilt published by American Patchwork and Quilting. Shown here is my quilt in the original colors.
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/bags-pillows/rolling-stone_1.html
(The on-line photo does not do justice, the colors are very bright in the original)

Another quilt pattern link

2011-08-22T14:36:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to another of my little quilt designs that appeared in American Patchwork & Quilting. Shown is APQ's color option. Their version is bolder than my original which had 9 diffferent fabrics for the stars in pink, green, light blue, peach, and brown.
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/table-toppers-runners/little-sawtooth-stars_1.html

Moving right along...

2011-08-20T17:05:00.000-04:00

I finshed my one patch tops. I really like them because they are like mini-collections of antique fabrics. Each square is 1 inch.

Here are latest 4 finishes all together.

While on this theme, I cut out pieces for a brick-work scrappy quilt. For this one I chose fall colors--browns, rusts, cheddar. It is layed out and ready to stitch. the finished size of the rectangles will be 1 x 2.25 inches.

I am trying to get a bunch of tops done this month in anticipation of my craft shows in November and December. I have to start early and pace myself; I can't wait until the last minute. Here is the list of what I plan to make. Six quilts down, eight to go.

Link to another quilt pattern

2011-08-19T09:50:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to another favorite quilt of mine. My orignal published quilt was in blue and white, inspired by an antique crib quilt. The instructions shown on the American Patchwork & Quilting website here http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/table-toppers-runners/tiny-pieces_1.html are for their color variation.

Link to a free pattern from QUILT Magazine (based on my miniature)

2011-08-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

One of my miniatures was published in QUILT Magazine in 2009. The magazine posted a pattern for a bed- sized version. It can be found on their website here: http://www.quiltmag.com/quilt-patterns/quilt103-84-chimney-sweep-quilt/ My original quilt had 9 blocks, obviously much smaller in size than these blocks. I always liked this quilt and the color combination, so thought I would share the link with you

Getting there...

2011-08-18T19:45:00.000-04:00

I am back to my one patch quilts. I find it so fun to pick out the fabrics, cut and lay out the squares...but then you have to sew them all together. Boring! But I have applied myself to the task and made some progress. It helps to have the Phillies game on in the background.

The pink and brown is done, except for a border. I think it will be one of the following browns.

The other one, which has even more squares, is getting there.

from one patch to four patch

2011-08-15T19:26:00.001-04:00

Last post I showed you two 1 patch quilts that I had cut out. I really didn't feel like sewing all those little patches together just yet, so I set them aside and made two 4 patch quilts this past weekend. The first came about when I ran across this piece of vintage fabric in my stash.

I had used this fabric in blocks before, as well as a border in another quilt. I had only this piece left and wanted to use it to best effect. I decided to cut two inch pieces to use as setting squares for a four patch quilt. The size was defined by how many of these squares I could eek out.

I picked some colors that I thought would work and made several combinations of strip pieces for the 4 patches.

Here is the final result. I tried a few borders but when I put up the green, I knew that was the one.

The second four patch was inspired as I was paging through photos of quilts I had made over the last several years. I made one very similar to this when I first starting using antique fabrics. It is simple, but there's much to be said for simple. The smallest squares in this one are 1 inch finished.

Here is a photo of the two quilts together so you can see a size comparison-1 inch vs. 3/4 inch squares.

Finally got the cat to move...

2011-08-13T09:11:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to do a scrappy one-patch for a while, so I dug into one of many ziplock scrap bags and started cutting 1.5 inch squares. I was going for "bright". I think I got it.

While cutting I starting thinking about Kathie's brown and pink nine-patch she recently posted, so I pulled out a few more pinks and browns and came up with this.

Yes, that aqua color is a 19th century color. It was made around 1876, the centennial year. My husband calls this a wabi-sabi quilt. From Wikipedia: Wabi-sabi (侘寂^?) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".^[1] It is a concept derived from the Buddhist assertion of the Three marks of existence (三法印 sanbōin^?), specifically impermanence (無常 mujō^?).

Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

After reading that complete description, how about we call this wabi-sabi lite?

Close-ups of some of the antique fabrics:

What a life...

2011-08-12T13:32:00.000-04:00

Just getting ready to start cutting my next quilting project...maybe later.

Look at the grid on the cutting mat; you can see just how big this cat is.

And the layout is...

2011-08-10T19:34:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for your comments on my last post. Most everyone favored layouts A and 1, the versions I liked also. Well...I was making those two layouts, but something happened along the way...and I am not exactly sure what happened. Maybe it was subconscious as I was sewing the blocks together but here is what I ended up with. I didn't even realize it until I sat down to write this blog entry. I am happy with both but just am a bit concerned with my apparent rapid loss of brain cells.

Original layout A

Final version below. I guess I started off with first block facing the opposite direction vs. what I intended. Overall it is the "same" arrangement, just a different section of the overall design. I added two borders--very Pennsylvania--bright colors, multiple borders.

As for the blue and white, look what happened here.
Original layout 1

Final version below.

What the heck????
I decided not to put a border on this one but it will have a surprise binding. Hmmm...

Blocks done, here are the layout choices

2011-08-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

I finished 16 blocks for each of the new quilts, the blue and white and the PA German variation. I layed the blocks out is several ways. Taking photos and comparing them side-by-side helps me to pick the one I like the best. Which setting do you like for each quilt?

Playing around with blocks and some pretty quilts

2011-08-01T19:15:00.000-04:00

I was playing around with my blue and white and PA German blocks tonight.

these two are the same setting

I picked up the 2011 calendar from the Packwood Museum on our trip earlier this summer. Here are some pretty quilts from the calendar.

info on hanging vintage yardsticks

2011-07-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

I have had a number of questions about hanging the yardsticks on the wall. Here a link to an earlier blog post where I described the details.

http://notesfromthequiltlab.blogspot.com/2011/05/rulers-and-yardsticks-arent-just-for.html

Little Quilt Gallery Finished/blue and white block reveal

2011-07-24T14:22:00.002-04:00

Remember the vintage yardsticks? How could you forget?! I had hung one yardstick in my narrow hall way with the intention to hang more once I found some. Today I completed the gallery by putting up two more yardsticks. The hallway goes from the front of the house to the kitchen in the back. There used to be a closet right there, but we removed it during some major rennovation to our 1929 home. The hallway is narrow because of this and difficult to get a straight-on photo. It is a good spot because there is no direct sunlight to fade the textiles.
Clips are available here: http://www.ackfeldwire.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_112&osCsid=7ae181e7a43e5e72ab18342897ba695c

The quilts on display are all ones I have made. I can also display antique doll quilts.

Regarding my last post, here is the blue and white block I have decided to do. Colors will alternate as shown. It is rather large, 3 inches finished :) PA German version is coming next.

I just looked out the window and it is raining. Yay!!!!

New Project

2011-07-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

The really, really, really hot weather reached the east coast today. Ouch. It's a good time to stay inside and quilt so I am starting a new project. Inspired by some recent blogs showing two color quilts, particularly blue and white, I decided I wanted to make one. Temecula Quilt Co. has several two color quilts on their blog. Taryn made a very pretty blue and white Ohio star a while ago. The design I picked will remain a surprise until next time. I picked out some antique fabrics to use, 3 or 4 white shirtings and 2 indigos.

I love blue and white but as I was picking out these fabrics I thought "what would the PA German quilter do if she she wanted to recreate a blue and white quilt she saw?" Certainly it wouldn't be blue and white. I picked out some more fabrics to make a second quilt, same pattern, much different color choice. It should be fun.

first garden pickings

2011-07-16T21:41:00.000-04:00

green beans, mini eggplants, phlox, bee balm

Antique treasures from my trip to Lewisburg, PA

2011-07-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

In addition to visiting the Packwood House Museum, my husband and I visited several large antique coops in the Lewisburg area. The best among them was Roller Mills.

The prices here were quite reasonable; the farther away you get from the Philly, the better! I found this great quilt top. I love the colors. You can see that the green is a combination of blue and yellow, "over-dyed" green.

Remember my vintage yardstick obsession? I found some nice ones-only $2-3 each.

A doll size rocking chair painted red. This cost $40. I tell you because I saw a similar one in Adamstown, PA for $195. See, the prices in Lewisburg are really good.

My little quilt published

2011-07-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

"Waste Not" appearing in the Summer 2011 Special Edition of Quilt Mania.

http://www.quiltmania.com/magazine/magazine/acheter-des-hors-series.html

photos from Quilt Mania website

The Slipcover Diaries, Don't skirt the issues

2011-07-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

The last major step for my ottoman slipcover was to add the pleated skirt. Since the shape is already defined, there is no pin fitting needed so I could work right side out. I put the slip cover on the ottoman right side out in order to pin on the piping (that I had made earlier). Having the slipcover on the ottoman allowed me to measure while I pinned so that I could position the piping at the right height all the way around.

After pinning, I sewed the piping on then trimmed the edge. With piping sewn on, it was much easier to handle when I was ready to add the skirt.

To make the skirt, I cut 8 inch wide strips; I needed three lengths of fabric, sewn together, to give me the length I needed. Because of the pleating, I made the length 2 times longer (plus a little extra) than the perimeter of the ottoman. I hemmed the entire length by turning the raw edge twice, pressed, pinned and sewed.
I used one of my quilting rulers to help me space out the pleats evenly. After putting in the first pleat, I layed the ruler along the pleat line, then pulled fabric back over the ruler to the 2 inch mark. I pleated the length of the fabric, pinning and then machine basting the pleats in place.

Next I pinned the skirt to the top portion of the slipcover and sewed into place sewing right up against the piping. This was much easier than I expected; everthing fit very nicely

I left an opeing so I could meet the end of the skirt in the proper place.

All done!

The Slipcover Diaries, Pipe Down

2011-07-05T19:03:00.001-04:00

I used this tutorial for cutting bias strips for the piping for my ottoman slipcover. http://www.patemeadows.com/Cutting-Bias-Strips-for-Piping-and-Banding_ep_61.html

Bias strips, 2 inches wide.

I used Wrights cording, which washed up nicely to preshrink it. The fabric is wrapped around the cording and stitched as closely as possible to the cording using the zipper foot.

I made two lengths of piping for the top edge and above the skirt.

Pin fitting the slip cover:
I got a lot of helpful information from Miss Mustard Seed's slipcover tutorial on her blog. http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/ The idea with pin fitting is to cut your pieces to generally fit the chair/ottoman section, then pin the the sections together inside-out to the form of the furniture.

Top piece

Side section. An additional skirt section will be added later.

The piping gets sandwhiched between the top and side fabrics. The wrong side of all pieces face out.

I worked my way around and got better as I went. I had to go back to the start and re-pin some of it a second time, until I got it right.

I left the ends of the piping hanging for now, until I sewed most of the way around.

Again using the zipper foot, I sewed along the pin line right up against the piping, pulling the pins out as I went. The corners are tricky and needed a few little tucks here and there. You need to ease the fabric in.
I left the last corner open, then turned the slipover right side out, to figure out the best way to overlap the cording. I pinned that corner and sewed it into place. Here is how it came out. I am going to live with it a couple days and see if I want to try to make any little adjustments. The corners are not exactly the same, but a little adjustment can fix that I think. Next comes the comes a pleated skirt, attached to the bottom with another round of piping inserted. I do best with projects like this if I do a little bit at a time. If I tried to do it all in a day or a weekend, I would get frustrated and it would come out poorly.

Packwood House Museum, part 2, other items in the collection

2011-07-04T15:00:00.001-04:00

(SEE MY PREVIOUS POST FOR QUILTS FROM THE MUSEUM) The Packwood House Museum is full of items besides quilts. I am drawn to the PA antiques like redware, spongeware and furniture. The family also collected Asian artwort and just a little bit of everything, some a little odd. Enoy the photos.

1929 refrigerator.

The family installed the dental chair so they didn't have to leave the house to go to the dentist; the dentist came to them. It's true!

Packwood House Museum Visit

2011-07-03T15:27:00.001-04:00

My husband and I took an overnight trip to Lewisburg PA, about a three hour drive from our home. Our first stop, and the reason I picked this destination to begin with, was the Packwood House Museum. They have a large collection of quilts, furniture and art. The story of the family is long and complicated, so you'll have to visit for yourself to find that out, but I wanted to share photos from the museum. The museum director was gracious enough to let me take lots of photos. Good publicity for the museum he says--so please go visit! Here are the quilts on display now. They have many more and are planning a special quilt exhibit for 2012. I will post other photos later.

RED WHITE and BLUE

2011-06-30T14:44:00.001-04:00

I took two vacation days from work, so with the 4th of July holiday on Monday, I have a nice long weekend. I am alternating between my slipcover project, my little basket quilt and cleaning up the clutter around the house. With things in better order, I was able to take some photos to share with you of my summer patriotic decorations.

The Slipcover Diaries: Part I, The Ottoman Empire

2011-06-29T19:27:00.000-04:00

My sons are on a trip to England for 10 days. All quiet in the house. It's time to make a slip cover.

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Fabric is 50/50 linen/cotton blend. Since I will want to wash the slipcover after it is made (for example after the cat throws up on it), I prewashed the fabric.

Mound of fabric right out of the dryer.

Pressed piece.

THE PLAN

I will be doing some piping around the top and above the pleated skirt, so I need some cording for the piping.

Coming soon...bias strips and making fabric covered piping.

new sewing project, but it's not a quilt

2011-06-22T18:01:00.000-04:00

No offense to those of you with plaid chairs, but I need to move on...I am so over plaid. I have been wanting to make a slip cover for my plaid wingback chair for some time, and I have finally worked up the courage to do so. I found a great tutorial here.

Inspirational photos from magazines:

My chair

50:50 linen cotton blend

And why not an ottoman too. I got this one for cheap from overstock.com. I know it doesn't match, but it will.

Wish me luck. The last time I made piping I was in high school and it didn't work out so well.
p.s. I just sold a couple items from my updated website. woo hoo!

Website updates done!

2011-06-18T21:22:00.000-04:00

I finished putting items into the quilt store page. It is very time consuming! I'll be doing refinements I'm sure, but for now it is done. Check it out http://www.annhermesquilts.com/

I've been working on the website

2011-06-17T21:21:00.000-04:00

I finally had time to sit down and work on my website. Before I could do that, I had to solve my iMAC/windows problems. I spoke to several young geeks at different computer stores to figure out what I needed to do. By the time I added up all the additional software I would need to make my iMAC windows friendly so I could edit my site, it was just as economical to buy an inexpensive laptop PC. And so I did, and here I sit in the living room, watching TV and typing away on my Dell. As far as the website goes, it is looking pretty good. I still need to take photos for my "quilt store", but I made a lot of progress. Take a look: http://www.annhermesquilts.com/

More pillow and bolster case show and tell

2011-06-11T15:49:00.000-04:00

I pulled out three cases to show you, one is a long bolster case, the other two are pillowcases. I grouped these together because they are similar in color--lots of fantastic browns--are scrappy in nature, and date to ca. 1870.
The bolster case design simply starts with one four-patch and two nine-patches, which are then built out with strips to the desired size. I love to make quilts like this. You can vary the strip width and you can piece the strip to end up with a very antique looking quilt. You will see this concept in one of my future magazine publications (probably early next year).

Here is a sampling of all the fantastic prints in this case.

The back.

The next show and tell is a pillow case. Again, remember, pieced and applique bolster and pillowcases are a form limited to the Pennsylvania Germans. Our good friend the nine-patch shows up in this pillow case. Triangles in the border on two sides adds a lot of interest I think.

The back. Check out that aqua color. It really is 1870--not 1930!

The final pillowcase is an interesting one because it is made partly from 1870 cheater cloth. See Eileen Trestain's fabric dating book for an example on page 75.

The cheater piece is the section contains the star block and the paisley section above it then over to the right until you get to pieced one-patch border. The rest is filled out with squares are various sizes to make the desired sized case.

All cheater in the above photo.

The back is fantastic madder print as a central panel with 1 patch borders on the long sides.

Memorial Day Gig

2011-05-30T18:56:00.000-04:00

My drummer and bass player. Do you think they look alike?

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T09:02:00.000-04:00

It feels more like July 4th , though, with the temperature predicted to reach 92 F! My husband and I finally got the vegetable garden planted yesterday. We had so much rain, this is the first time the ground was dry enough to work.

Tomatoes, eggplants, red peppers, green beans.

The mulch pile is definitely decreasing in size, thanks to my sons and husband. I love my job as mulch dumping director.

Kousa dogwood is in bloom now.

Seems I ended up with a red, white and pink theme this year for my planters.

Who likes cheddar?

2011-05-28T10:44:00.001-04:00

I took down the show towel hanging in my living room and replaced it with this bright PA German 19th century bolster cover. Sometimes you just need a little cheddar to liven things up. It measures 19" x 63". The PA Germans made patchwork pillowcases and sometimes bolster cases too.

The front fabrics are solid cheddar, solid brown, and green calico. The back is a black and white mourning print. On one long edge, cheddar from the front wraps around to the back. You see this often on pillowcases, where the back wraps to the front or the front wraps to the back. I think they just did what they had to do to make the case fit the pillow. Often it will be symmetrical on both sides, but not in this piece

One of the unusual features of this particular bolster case is that it is quilted. Only occasionally do you see quilted pillow and bolster cases. If you look inside, you can see that the backing of the quilted front is a mourning print, although not the same print as the back of the case. The back is not quilted.

Sleep Tight: Doll Quilt and Bed Contest-check it out

2011-05-25T11:21:00.001-04:00

http://www.callforentriesiqfselvedge.com/

I know there are a lot of small quilt makers out there...Looks like a fun contest, for a doll quilt and a bed.

changing of the quilt

2011-05-21T18:24:00.000-04:00

No yardstick photos this time, I promise. I switched quilts in my living room and took a few photos to share. I put up this red and white quilt today. I have a blue sofa, so this makes for the start of summer patriotic decorating. The fabric is a solid turkey red. It is always hard to date a quilt with solid fabrics. This is probably a late 19th century quilt. The binding looks like it was replaced, as the red is different than the red in the appliques and looks sort of like bias tape. The quilting is nice, though not super dense. The red appliques are precisely done.

This the quilt I took down. Of course, I forget to snap a photo while it was still on the wall. It is pink, green and indigo turkey tracks with fantastic quilting. It is one of my favorites in my collection. Again, probably from the last quarter of the 19th century.

Yardstick mania...I just can't stop

2011-05-20T17:16:00.000-04:00

What else can you hang on your vintage yardstick?

2011-05-18T16:39:00.000-04:00

How about a grouping of antique doll aprons and quilts?

What about some family photos?

It would be cute to display a child's school photos from kindergarten on along the yardstick.

One more yardstick photo

2011-05-16T21:51:00.001-04:00

I received more little clips in the mail today, so I could complete the yardstick/quilt display the way I wanted it.

Antique Crib Quilt

2011-05-16T17:15:00.000-04:00

Just hung this beauty up in the quilt lab. It is an early crib quilt, dating to 1830-1850. Maybe someone out there can help me pin down the date better. The chintz border is just beautiful.

The bright blue leaves are actually a repaired area. The repairs were done so well, that I didn't notice them at first. They are possibly done with period chintz.

I took a funny angle shot to try to show the quilting; the motifs in the setting squares are not all the same.

The brown backing fabric has deteriorated.

Rulers and Yardsticks aren't just for measuring anymore...

2011-05-13T16:41:00.000-04:00

Remember the cute yardstick boxes I got on my trip to the Temecula Quilt Co.? While there, I also purchased a yardstick. I didn't mention it before because I was a bit embarrassed since it cost me much more to ship the silly yardstick home than I paid for it. I figured if I tried to carry on the plane, it would either snap in half at some point during the flight or be confiscated by the TSA.

So why did I buy the yardstick? To copy another of Sheryl's great quilt hanging ideas, of course (remember the vintage clothes hangers?). In the shop, she had several little quilts hanging on the wall attached to her store yardsticks.

I used metal clips with hooks from a wire hanger that I had--I have since found them for sale separately from the Ackfeld Wire Company. The hook part hangs nicely over the yardstick; the clips hold the quilt. To prepare the yard stick for mounting on the wall, I stuck two felt pads to the back to keep the yard stick from being flush against the wall--to have room for the hooks.

I nailed the yard stick to the wall, putting the nail through the yardstick and the felt pad. It helped to tap both nails in part way before holding it in place on the wall. Voila. This is in a narrow hall, so hard to get a great photo, but you get the idea.

You can also tuck the corner of a quilt behind the stick.

Hang as many quilts as you want. Do multiple tiers of yardsticks. Use vintage rulers or yardsticks. I have some vintage 12 inch rulers that I am going to try.
When I was grocery shopping this week I picked up the latest edition of Flea Market Style magazine and what did I find? Lots of project ideas using vintage rulers and yardsticks.

One of the things about Temecula Quilt Co.'s yardstick, it was stained to give it a vintage look, so if you have a brand new yardstick you can stain it to age it a bit. Also, if you do a search on ebay you will find lots of vintage yardsticks and even more rulers for sale.

Calendar winners!

2011-05-10T13:04:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who participated. I appreciate all the comments I get on my blog. I wish I had more calendars...The winners are:

Marsha and YankeeQuilter

Please email me your shipping addresses abmommy@comcast.net

Yard Sale Today and a Give Away

2011-05-07T19:12:00.000-04:00

I held a yard sale today to try to reduce the clutter and prove to myself I am not a hoarder! I sold a lot of stuff--you never know what people will buy! After the sale, we packed up 3 large boxes of unsold items to drove them over to the local Impact Thrift Store.

I was also left with 2 unsold 2011 APQ calendars to give away, not to the thrift store, but to you. If you are a follower, leave a comment or become a follower of my blog and leave a comment. Deadline to comment is May 10 at noon (eastern time). Good luck!

Guess I am into cats these days...

2011-05-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

Wool cats in this case, two real cats are enough. This rug is by Tish Bachleda of The Tweed Weasel Primitives. Tish has a website and a beautiful shop filled with her primitive folk art and antiques in Schaefferstown, PA. It hangs in my newly painted upstairs hall. I used a vintage clothes hanger, simply stitching the hanger to the rug binding.

Spring Garden

2011-05-03T16:39:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos of my garden. The spring delicate blooms don't last too long so I wanted to capture them while I could.

Special request...Pillar Print

2011-05-02T20:40:00.000-04:00

After I posted the photo of my quilt cupboard--ok, one of my quilt cupboards--I received a request from Sandra (Textile Time Travels blog) for a photo of the pillar print she spied on the top shelf. The pillar print is the back and front edges of a pair of pillowcases dating to around 1830.

note the squirrel

Probably my earliest piece. Enjoy the photos.

It's Always Flattering...

2011-05-02T16:32:00.000-04:00

when someone makes one of my quilt patterns. This one, Hidden Stars, appeared in Fons and Porter Easy Quilts Spring 2011.

photo from Fons and Porter website

I received an email from Debra; here is her version. Very nice, isn't it?

The pattern for Hidden Stars is available as a down load from Fons and Porter.

http://www.shopfonsandporter.com/product/hidden-star-digital-quilt-pattern/patterns

AQSG Seminar 2011-Anybody planning to go?

2011-05-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

The registration packet for the 2011 American Quilt Study Group seminar in Cherry Hill NJ is out. The event will be held September 21-26 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ. I am so glad the seminar has come to our region so I can finally attend. There are many exciting aspects of the gathering--tours, workshops, lectures, show and tell, vendors, and silent auction. I am presenting Pennsylvania Patchwork and Applique Pillowcases during a lunch time round table discussion on Saturday. Here is a link to AQSG website for more information.
http://www.americanquiltstudygroup.org/seminar.asp

Last Night's Event...Always try to find the positive

2011-04-30T21:31:00.000-04:00

I was invited to show my work at a local coffee house during a community event yesterday. The peg board set up they provided worked out really well for my quilts. They promised me that lots of art lovers attended their event. Unfortunately most of the art lovers must have been washing their hair last night.

I brought samples of antique fabrics and a book of my publications to share with all the art lovers. Here is a shot of the first quilt I ever got published. It was in Country Quilts (by QUILT magazine), this title is no longer published. The editor at the time, Jean Ann Wright, gave me my start!

A majority of the crowd at the coffee house was teenagers. Now I have two teenagers of my own, but... I did not like teenagers when I was a teenager and I am not all that fond of them now. Plus teenagers don't buy too many miniature quilts. I sold nothing, but did enjoy the free coffee and pastries.

California Trip Part 3-Fairfax Ave. farmers market

2011-04-29T11:56:00.000-04:00

Whenever we go to LA, my husband and I stop by the historic Fairfax Ave. farmers market. Located at 3rd and Fairfax, it has been there since the thirties. No fabric stores here, the visit is strictly for the food (and maybe a couple tacky souvenirs)!

They have all kinds of food and fresh produce for sale. What is a Pummelo?

Quesadillas are served by the same vendor as corned beef and cabbage. Both are delicous. The fresh-squeezed orange juice is a must-have. I always get a fresh donut here:

If you know what a real Philly cheesesteak is like, don't get the Philly steak sandwhich here:

More recently they have built "The Grove" adjacent to the farmers market. Filled with high high high end stores, it is sort of the antithesis of the original market. We walked through it once, but skip it now.

California trip Part 2 LA fabric district

2011-04-27T17:04:00.000-04:00

On Sunday of our vacation week, my husband and I went to the fabric district of LA to check it out. Funny, my 15 year old sons had no interest in going. I had read an interesting article about the fabric district here: http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=091608. I was concerned that everything would be closed on a Sunday, but I was wrong. The streets were packed with people and all the shops were open and packed with fabric.

We walked around only a portion of the district. I found one store with quilting fabric, and at $9.75/yd, I skipped making any purchases there. What struck me was the immensity of the stores and the huge amount of fabric and related notions.

Most of the stores featured fancy, sparkly, shiny, silky fabrics, not my choice for a quilt certainly, but fun to look at any way.

I call this photo Zipper Rainbow. Need a zipper in any color, they have it here.

This article I mentioned above is from 2008--Notice the "everything for $1" photo in the article. I have a picture of the same store I think, but now it is "everything $1.99". Inflation in action.

For quilting, I definitely prefer the quilt shops in Temecula, but it was fun to visit the LA fabric district nevertheless.

Trip to California Part 1-Temecula

2011-04-24T11:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter everyone!

We returned yesterday from our annual spring trek to visit my husband's family in LA. While there, I took a day trip with my SIL and MIL to Temecula, CA. It was about 75 miles from where we were staying in Glendale but the way my SIL drives, it didn't take very long to get there! Temecula is a lovely town with lots of antique shops and the Temecula Quilt Company. We spent a lot of time in the Old Town section shopping for antiques.

We had lunch at a local diner. I can't remember the name but the food was great.

I found this brown and white transfer ware pitcher in one of the shops. Here it is filled with flowers from my SIL's garden.

Our last, and best, stop of the day was at the Temecula Quilt Company. If you don't follow Sheryl's blog already, check it out. The shop is beautiful, filled with reproduction fabrics and sample quilts. I loved every quilt in the place.

I purchased a bunch of boxes that Sheryl's husband makes from yard sticks. I gave one to my MIL and SIL. Although they are not quilters, they admired the beauty of the shop as much as I did. I also bought a few pieces of wool for a future project--don't know what it will be, but the colors are going to inspire something nice.

I'll share more about the trip later, including a visit to the LA fabric district and the Fairfax Ave. farmers market.

Antique PA pillowcase and offspring

2011-04-15T16:05:00.004-04:00

I love this antique pillowcase that I found out in Adamstown, PA a few years ago. It dates to ca. 1850-1870. I made a little quilt, obviously inspired by the pillowcase. My fabrics are antique, but not as early, probably ca. 1880

A couple readers were curious about what was inside the cabinet in one of my recent posts.

Surprise...the cabinet holds antique textiles--pillowcases, doll quilts, homespun linen. I am a textile hoarder, I admit it.