Retail Therapy

No sewing since my last post, but there has been some retail therapy!  I visited a couple of local shops with a visiting quilting friend.  Luck was with us -  Needle and Thread was having a fabric sale.  We ran into friends that told us about a shop only 10 miles from my house.  What kind of quilter am I - how could I miss a quilt shop that close to home?  Scrapyard Quilting had a nice sale table with repros!  I did some damage, but it put a smile on my face!  I fell in love with the combination of these two fabrics.  I'm pondering the quilt options.     

To make your visit worthwhile, I'm including two more quilts from the Frugal and Fancy Exhibit.

The Star of Bethlehem quilt (1880) was made by Anna Marie Arnold Clemmons, Shelby County, as a gift for her husband.  The quilt includes two inscriptions: 'J Clemmons married A W Arnold March 22, 1866' and 'Presented to J Clemmons on his 34 birthday by his wife'.

Whig Rose (1845-1865) was made by Lavina Rudicil Rubottom of Franklin County.  The quilt was presented as a wedding gift to relatives in 1887.



I'm anxious to get back to the sewing machine, but the calendar isn't co-operating.

String-A-Long Quilt Show, Part 1

Popping in to share the antique quilts that were exhibited at the local guild show.  The first three quilts are part of the county exhibit.   

The quilting on this sawtooth star was amazing.  Wouldn't you love to see the full quilts!

This log cabin was folded with only a small section displayed. Unfortunately, the info sheet was pinned to the quilt.  This was one of my favorites - very soft colors.

Next, a 30's quilt.  Again, beautiful hand quilting!

I saved the best for last!  This quilt is owned by a guild member - part of a small antique display.  Another example of beautiful hand quilting and wonderful applique!

The Ghost of Christmas (Distant) Future

I started this applique at a Gwen Marston retreat (the last Gwen piece I have to share). The spark is from Country Living Country Decorating by Bo Niles from 1988. This book has been culled from my local library, so I'll have to find my own copy. This will be a nine block Christmas quilt. The original has deep sashing between the blocks with beautiful hand-quilting. There's a wavy vine border sporting big cabbage leaves. The red center and green leaves(?) will remain constant between the blocks, but I'm changing the shape of the light print pieces with each block - the second block has a pawn shape piece replacing the whale's tail here.

I wish I had some beautiful red and green delicate applique to show, but 'it is what it is'. The applique alone measures 14" across - big, clunky pieces, but I like it! You can probably see the stripes of the spread peaking thru on this picture, but the background is a solid (P&B 01).

A pic of my kitchen Christmas mantle. I finally broke down and paid a ridiculous price to frame this poster - a Christmas gift to myself. The red transferware plates were a gift from my mother-in-law a few years ago - I love them! My son painted the village tree stand - a treasured piece placed out of reach.

Antique Quilts from Show and Tell

Here are the remainder of the antique quilts shown at the DJ Retreat. The applique quilt was purchased in Shipshewanna. The two Amish quilts are from the early 1900's. The Shoofly reminds me of a Gwen Marston 'liberated' quilt.

Antique Applique

This antique applique was the highlight of the DJ Retreat Friday Night Show and Tell. And the best news - it's being offered as a free 'Block of the Month' here. Each installment is free for one month and then is available for purchase on the site shop. I just checked and the first installment hasn't moved to the shop even though the second installment is out. Enjoy!

Red and Green II

Here's another of my favorites from the Amercian Quilt Study Red and Green Exhibit. I thought you'd prefer this to another pic of my Colorado quilt. I'm done with the pieced blocks and am sewing rows together. Next, hundreds of QST's for rick rack border.

Red and Green

I was fortunate to make it to the last hour of the last day of the American Quilt Study 'Red and Green' exhibit in Bloomington, IN. This quilt was a stand-out! What a beauty. I wrote the quiltmaker's name on a scrap of paper, but that's nowhere to be found. I surfed the net (no success), but found this site displaying 19 quilts from the collection. I apologize for the lack of info on this stunning piece. Enjoy!