What's Been Keeping Me Busy...

This baby has lived on my dining room table for months now.  I've been repairing her for a customer off and on between other projects ~ I had to do it that way to keep it affordable for the customer, and to keep my sanity :)

The old girl needed lots of work.  Where it had been folded in storage is very evident.  Take that as a lesson for anyone with quilts in storage ~ make sure the folds are "soft" and not sharp folds by making rolls using wadded up archival tissue paper* and placing them inside the folds of the quilt...and rotate the quilt every now and then: Take it out of it's storage box, let it spread out on a bed for a while and "breath", and then when you are ready to re-store it make sure the folds fall on different areas of the quilt. 

*Also, fold rolls can be made by cutting a foam pool noodle (floating device) to the lengths that you want, and wrapping them with archival tissue paper or batting and placing them in the folds of the stored quilt.

...And it's a good idea to make a "pillow case" for the quilt out of muslin to protect the outsides of the quilt.  At the very least, use scrap batting to lay between the quilt and the vessel it's being stored in. 
 ...Ok, I'll hop off the soap box now :)

Some of the damage on this quilt is just from really thinning fabric.  Some areas are just shredding.

Since all of the fabrics are so thin, it was decided that I would try to preserve the quilt by adding tulle netting over the worst areas to minimize future tearing.  But first I hand stitched some stabilizing stitches on the torn areas.  (You can click on the pictures to get a better view of what I'm talking about.)

Then, where I could I appliqued new fabrics over patches that were completely gone.  (All of my work is "removable" and the original quilt wasn't permanently altered to maintain any value it may have as an antique heirloom.) 

So after (probably millions of) stabilizing stitches, replacing missing patches in the rings, and applying tulle netting over the major damaged areas, and around all the edges she is finally ready to head home to her owner.  Even though she has some wear, I think she's still sweet :)

Then I shifted gears and spent some time this week quilting this little Chirstmasy wall hanging for a customer.

This one was a quick, short and sweet project :)   I love the colors in this one ~ it's put me right in the Christmas spirit, so I think I'll take some time today to "deck some halls" at the Stewart house :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

New Life for an Old Girl

In between other projects I've been working on patching up this Old Girl.  This is an example of one of the blocks where the fabrics have torn away.  Searching all the local stores trying to match the old fabrics has been quite an adventure.  Notice that the "batting" was an old blanket ~ I love that!

So here is the block all patched up.  My new fabrics added on top are not exact matches.  The little check is a bit lighter, and I couldn't find any plaids like the ones in the quilt, but I did find a shirt at Goodwill that had the same colors and feel.  I think it'll work since the over all quilt is very scrappy, and just a little wonky.  At least my patching will give her new life.  I'll show you the whole quilt when I have her all finished :)

And for the winner of my quilt book give away...Random.org gave me #2 ~ Pamela!  

Pamela said...

"I may have made a Resolution not to BUY any new books, but never said anything about winning them, right?" Yea for winning them!!  Pam I'll be emailing you for your address :) Enjoy the day! ~ Dawn

Inspirations from the Past

I've been having fun making pinwheels lately.  Here is a little sneak peek of one of my large pinwheel blocks that have been keeping me busy ~ I'll show you the whole quilt sometime soon when I'm allowed :)

My modern day pinwheels that I've been making are inspired by an heirloom quilt top that I own.  I came across this antique feedsack quilt top literally in a pile in an old shop one day, and I decided it needed to come home to my house with me. 

The maker never finished this top into a quilt.  Perhaps life got in the way, and she put it aside...never getting back to finishing it, or maybe the fact that it doesn't lay completely flat discouraged her from tackling the quilting.  Both things that I can relate to, and feel a little connected to this quilter from the past.  At any rate, besides the really nice colors in this quilt, I like that it's a bit wonky, and very un-pretentious...

I like how the triangle prints are pieced to get the most out of every scrap of fabric (you can click on the picture for a more close up view). 

And on many of the heavy weight background pieces, you can still see the printing from the sacks that were cut up to become pieces of the quilt.  If it was finished, I wouldn't have the great view of this on the back side of the blocks.  I don't know if this was someone's first attempt at quilting ~ and perhaps even her last, or if this was just one insignificant piece in the body of one person's work.  But something made her hold on to it, and not toss it out.  Somehow it was kept to be passed down for someone else to appreciate.  True treasures are not always prestine and perfect...sometimes it's just about the simple art of the pieced quilt. 

Enjoy the day,
~ Dawn

Repairing the Past

Take a cool old patchwork quilt like this one...

...and let Rover have at it, and this is what you get.

There were small holes on the back that didn't go all the way through too.

So I was commissioned to do a little first aid.  I added some thin batting, and then patched up the back.  (The quilter of this old quilt had used an old blanket as the batting.) 

Then after patching up the back of the big hole, I added some batting, found similar fabrics (that I pre-washed), and appliqued patches over the front hole.  I added two patches to the front to cover that big hole.  It's important to maintain the integrity of the vintage quilt to make sure any repairs I make don't alter the quilt indefinitely.  (Anything I do could be removed and the the quilt would still be in completely original form.) 

Now she has been reinvigorated, and is all ready to warm a few more generations ~ I love my job :)

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Sometimes a Little TLC Is In Order

There are times when we all feel like we are coming apart at the seams ~ when a little TLC is in order to get us back to where we need to be.

This little gal was feeling a little rough around the edges and feeling her age...

...Like she was just falling apart ~ after the February I had, I can relate.

So without taking away too many of her original stitches, it was my pleasure to work on her this month,

to repair the loose seams, and add blanket stitching to stabilize the edges of her dress.

It's been good therapy this month to spend time working on repairing some antique quilts for a friend of mine. There are two more that I'll be working on ~ I'll keep you posted on their progress and show the entire quilts soon :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Fun Finds

I love taking what I call "Creative Meanderings" to antique malls, thrift stores, and to estate and yard sales. You never know what you will find or be inspired by. I found this cute crib quilt in a booth at a local antique mall.

The little Sunbonnet Sue in the middle has the name Lisa embroidered on it. At the time, my daughter Lisa was pregnant with Elsie, so this little quilt just had to come home with me. The fabrics are so interesting, some are soft flannels that appear to be old pjs.

This quilt I found at an estate sale. I don't know much about this one either, other than I love the soft colors, and for a used quilt it's in great condition.

I like to buy them, but since I have so many now, this one is available for sale right now in my ebay store. I have several that I've bought, and am intending to make reproductions of them...someday ~ if only there were more hours in the day!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

My Spring Vintage Quilt

Can a quilt from my childhood be called vintage? I suppose a quilt made in the early 1970s qualifies as vintage now. My mother made this quilt using all scrap fabric from clothes and other fabrics found in our household from the 1960s and early 70s. I love this quilt, but didn't know where in my house these colors would fit. But when I first put it on the bed in our spare bedroom which is my blue/white room, it just lit the room up! I think it screams Spring.

There are so many fabrics in this quilt that have memories for me. The center of this red flower is made from the first thing that I sewed ~ a blouse that I won a red ribbon on in the Howard County Fair! To the upper left in this picture there is a brown/orange floral that my mother had recovered some chairs in our house with. The plaid in the upper right corner was an outfit that my mom wore.

This daisy print was from a summer dress that my mother wore. (She made a lot of our clothes).

This cool mushroom print was from a matching short set that my mother made for me and my little brothers ~ how early 1970's is that?

It's hard to see it well, but here is a polaroid of us wearing the outfits. My mom had a matching sun dress as well, but she is probably taking the picture. We're standing in front of the Old Wye Oak that was located in Wye Mills on the Eastern Shore of MD in August 1970.

It's amazing the memories that a quilt made from old clothes can evoke. I cherish this quilt, odd colors and all! Don't be afraid to make at least one quilt using old clothes to pass down through the family :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

We All Start Somewhere

The other day Dawn Burchett brought in a rag quilt that she made using squares cut from her husband's worn out jeans. It was adorable! Well it reminded me of an early quilt that I made way back in the day. This one was made from strips from my worn out jeans, with some regular cottons added. I made it when my kids were little (probably circa 1990) and it spent many years at the foot of my son's bed when his room was decorated with choo choo trains and blue ticking. It is very warm!

It's a classic Rail Fence pattern that I learned how to do from the book by Marti Michell called Quilting for People Who Don't Have Time to Quilt Book One. I have a copy of this great book right now in my ebay store. We all start somewhere ~ this was one of my first attempts at quilting. Where did you start?

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Great Grandma's Summer Quilt

This is the summer quilt made by my Great-Grandma Burton. I've allowed myself to get it out of storage now that the screens are back in the windows, and I'm hoping that warm weather is emminent. It is one of two quilts I own that she made ~ if you missed it you can see the other one here in an earlier post that I had done. This quilt is in delicate condition with lots of wear especially around the outside blocks. My Great Grandmother made quilts for each of her children's families. This one was the one that my mother's family received, and it was well loved and used by her and her five brothers.

I call it the summer quilt because it is a quilt with a top and backing, but no batting. There is light quilting on it to hold the two layers together. I got it out today to hang it over my upstairs banister for a while, it always makes me feel that summer is here! I like the blues and tans with just splashes of yellow and pink, and I love the way that she turned the blocks every which way. I'm going to make a reproduction of this quilt (maybe a few for others in the family too).

And so the hunt is on! I've pulled a couple of fabrics, and I think I've picked out a Shirting from Jo Morton's Senica Shirtings collection that will be my background ~ whenever it comes into the shop. But I'm now on the search for the rest of the fabrics, and who knows how long it will take to find just the right ones. This part is the most fun for me, and I'll take my time and enjoy every bit of the treasure hunt. This kind of history is what quilting is all about, and I'll enjoy spending time with each and every one of Great-Grandma's stitches while recreating her treasure!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Whispers from the Past

I'm excited about this new little 14 piece collection from Jo Morton called Seneca Shirtings! I have been designing quilts that are reproductions of originals made by my great grandmother, and these will be perfect in one of them! Don't you just love it when you find just the right thing :) These cute shirtings will be shipping to quilt shops some time later this month.

My great grandmother, Anna Burton made quilts for the families of her children, and I am honored to own two of them. My grandfather's cousin gave them to my mom, who gave them to me! This is one of them. I keep it displayed here in the hallway outside my sewing room on the treadle machine that she probably made it on. My grandmother Lida had received the treadle machine from her mother-in-law, Anna and it was the only machine that she ever sewed on. As a child I was fascinated by it whenever we visited Kentucky, so my grandmother passed it on to me before she died. I cherish it.

The other quilt that Great Grandma Burton made I keep put safely away because that one is not in as good condition as the log cabin quilt above (It's the reproduction of that one I'll use the shirtings in). I do get it out occasionally and fold it gently over our upstairs banister for display, it's has a great summertime feel. This is why I'm planning to make reproductions of them. I want to perserve these whispers from the past and share them with others in our family. Maybe this new little shirting collection will help me move forward with these designs that have been on the back burner for a while!

Enjoy your day!
~ Dawn

PS ~ Notice that we have our logo on the blog header now! Thank you Ashley for your help in formatting the logo!!