Doll Quilt Swap Reveal

Now that Carolyn from Lee Prairie Designs has received the quilt I sent her, I can show you the whole thing.

I shrunk down four of the blocks from the Sally Post quilt. If you haven't heard of this quilt, you can buy the pattern at Sentimental Stitches. There is a signature block on it, done in cross stitch, that reads Sally Post, 1854. Age 63. I've had all the fabric to make this for a few years, you know how that goes. :) But I liked the smaller version so well, I may make the whole quilt that way.

My LQS owner, Chris, from The Attic Window Quilt Shop, gave me a new product to try out, and I have to say, it's the best thing I've found since the 1/4" bias maker, which is saying a lot! It's called Lapel Stick, and it's a temporary, non-staining adhesive that's water soluble. I used it to place my berries on a current project, and when I wanted to move one a bit, I had to PULL it off. I've tried about every liquid and stick glue out there, and wasn't impressed with any of them. I finally just bought an extra couple bottles of pins. :) But you really need to try this. It works better than you could imagine. I need to pick up a couple more so I have one in each room.

I love looking at everyone's pictures of flowers and birds, and I'd love to post some of my own, but with no garden, I'm stuck with just my four bird feeders, and here's what my attempt to take a pic of a woodpecker looks like. :(

Today I read about how the Bald Eagle has made such a comeback in Michigan, with over 700 pair as of this year, so I thought I'd leave you with a picture of a little fluffy baby chick. Unfortunately, eagle chicks might be fluffy, but they are anything but little. Very cute just the same. :)

Please keep Grand Rapids in your prayers this week. With a spree killer leaving 8 dead, and our hometown girl Betty Ford passing away, we are a city in mourning.

I'm Still Here!

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged, and I apologize. I had some tough times, and went through the worst two months of my life. I want to thank everyone who emailed, called, and prayed for me, as I wouldn't have made it through if not for my friends. Thank you all so much. I hope you will be patient with me while I get caught up with the going-ons in Blogland. :)

I didn't sew the whole time, so there's not a lot to tell, but I was entered into the second round of Christine from Once Upon a Quilt's Doll Quilt Swap, and my partner was Carolyn from Lee Prairie Designs. She has been waiting patiently for me to get caught up, so here is her sneek peak. I'll post a full pic after she gets it. Some of you may be able to guess what quilt it is. :)

And here is what I got in the mail from her. I just love it, so many fabrics and blocks in it. And she included a little needle case and book. I hope she likes the one I sent her as much as I like mine!

I also got a care package from Margaret from Quilt Station. She sent some fabulous antique lace, a piece of Smithsonian fabric, and an Aussie kitchen towel. I loved her note card so much I'm going to have to buy some!

I went to a local Antique Market last month with a friend, and bought a couple of books for my sister for Christmas. On the way home, I was looking through one of the books, and the pages fell open and I found this ~







I think my luck has changed. :)

This and That

You've probably wondered where I and my Quilt of the Week have been! I've been laid up with a terrible sinus and respiratory infection for over two weeks, so I'm a little behind the times. There are three levels of sick with me: Sick, Too Sick to Sew, and Too Sick to Read, otherwise known as Really Sick. Most of the time I was at Level II, but I've been sewing a little the last couple of days, working on the Maltaville. I've gotten one block done,

and I'm working on two more.

Since I signed the Process Pledge, I thought it wouldn't hurt to show something in progress once in a while. :) These are going quickly, and as soon as I'm caught up, I'll be starting on the Friends of Baltimore, which I'm thinking might take a little longer.

There's a new magazine out, called Primitive Quilts and Projects, and I can't wait to get the first issue.

This looks like a "must have" if you are into primitive quilts or working with wool. It has patterns by a lot of great designers, including Maggie Bonanomi, Cherie Ralston, Lisa Bongean, Bonnie Blue Quilts, Renee Plains, and many more. You can check out the other designers, and subscribe, at their website here.

Have you noticed that zippers are everywhere these days? They are used in the cleverest ways, to decorate clothing, or make cute little tote bags. Indygo Junction has a couple of new patterns to make flowers and jewelry out of zippers. Here's one of them.

And here is a video of how to make a simple flower and leaves from zippers.

I found a great website called Photofunia, and it's kind of addictive. You just pick an effect, upload a photo, crop it, and hit GO! It puts your picture into the template you chose by magic! I'm glad there are people smarter than me out there that think this stuff up. I used some pictures of the boys, and came up with these.

A still life of Brody

Rufus on a billboard

And Little Teague on the cover of Glamour

I'm pretty sure it works with human photos, too. ;) Have fun, and I'll be back with my Quilt of the Week on Thursday.

Quilt of the Week

Earlier this week I was tossing around the idea of having a "Quilt of the Week" on Wednesdays. You can see it took me a little longer than I thought. :) I found this great wool quilt up for auction on eBay. It just screams "folk art" in all the right ways.

There are 4 log cabins arranged around a courtyard, and if you look closely, you can see the letters H O M E stitched on the steps up to each house.

I love the design and colors. With bluebirds, sheep, flowers, cherries, and a picket fence, what's not to love. The seller is wwolst12, and you can see more pictures and the description here.

If you've wanted to take a portrait painted doll class with Susan Fosnot, this might be your last chance. The Old Courthouse Arts Center, where she has her classes, has been sold, and they have new plans for it. The class is May 14-15, and will be an 8" girl, painted in acrylics, named Zinia.

Susan always has a new tip or technique to teach, and this class is no exception. She is very excited about a new technique that makes the acrylic paint stay wet for hours, and blend and shade like oils. She says if you think oils are the only paint for you, this class will change your mind. You can see more of Susan's dolls, and details of the workshop, on her website.

In my last post I showed you a sneak peek of the doll quilt I made for Cheryl, my partner in the Doll Quilt Exchange. Here is a picture of the whole quilt. I had a lot of fun making it. Round II starts soon, with a new partner.

Thanks to Cynthia, I found the Lavender and Mint fabric I was searching for. Also, thank to Miriam, who also located some for me. The friends I've met blogging are the very best!

Aloha and a Swap

A couple of years ago I wrote a report for my quilt history group on Hawaiian quilts. I thought it would be a report on the silhouette quilts you typically think of when you think Hawaiian quilt, but I discovered there was a lot more to Hawaiian quilts than I knew!

Long before missionaries brought their version of quilting to Hawaii, native Hawaiians were skilled at making a type of bedcovering called kapa moe, made from a type of cloth called tapa. Tapa was made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. Women pounded thin sheets of the inner bark into thicker sheets sheets of uniform consistency, which were then sewn into clothing and textiles with thread made from twisted bark fibers. Kapa moe were made with four sheets of white tapa, topped with a layer that was frequently dyed with natural dyes and decorated with stencils. The layers were then sewn together with a running stitch at the bottom. Here are some of the patterns found on kapa moes.

On April 3, 1820, the ship Thaddeus, sailing from Boston carrying women from the American Board of Missions, made a brief stop at Kawaihae. Some of the women on the ship sat in a circle and taught the native women to do "patchwork." It is not know if this consisted of bits of cloth pieced together, or a type of applique, but for the most part Hawaiians seem to have made appliqued quilts from the start. The few pieced examples that exist duplicate designs that were stamped on the kapa moe, including the log cabin design.

In the 1860's, Pennsylvania Dutch Missionaries arrived to start schools in the islands, and brought with them the scherenschnitte cuttings that were popular in Pennsylvania and parts of New England. Two quilts exist that are made up of small scherenschnitte squares, and it is theorized that traditional Hawaiian quilting was influenced by these designs. Early quilters cut the patterns freehand, but later paper patterns were made. This stunner is Queen Kapiolani's Fan Quilt. It is currently on display at the American Museum at Bath.

One legend says the the Hawaiian applique originated when women laid a sheet in the sun and noticed the shadow of the breadfruit tree on the cloth. Since beginners are encouraged to start with a breadfruit, or "ula," quilt, this is the type of quilt most commonly found.

This quilt possibly represents the "Tree of Life" found on chintz quilts imported from India by the British.

Applique patterns were considered intensely personal, as were their names, and both were closely guarded. Patterns were sometimes stolen from a quilt hanging on a clothesline. A talented quilter could stand in the shadows and cut the patterns freehand on paper.

Outline embroidered quilts, what we think of as "redwork," were also popular and were often used for everyday, while the traditional Hawaiian applique quilts were kept for good. When the quilts became worn, the were cut up and used for children to sleep under. Hawaiian redwork quilts were a whole cloth quilt with designs stamped in a ring, sometimes around a central figure, in the style of applique quilts.

Another type of quilt is the Hawaiian Flag Quilt, Ku'u Hae Aloha, or My Beloved Flag. These were believed to have first appeared in 1843 when Lord Paulet of the British Navy claimed Hawaii, then know as the Sandwich Islands, for Britain. Citizens were afraid they would never see their flag again, so they used it as a symbol in their quilts. Later that year, a British Admiral restored the flag, which underwent numerous design changes over the years. Quilts can generally be dated by the design of the flags it contains, however, this is not always the case. It is rare to find a quilt made much earlier than 1875 because of the mildew and pest infestation caused by the humidity. It was a Hawaiian tradition to make a copy of a deteriorating quilt, so a later quilt could have a representation of an earlier flag.

Flag quilts were thought to be very rare, and almost none are found on the mainland, but during the Hawaiian Quilt Research Project, many flag quilts were found. Almost every family that has Hawaiian quilts has a Flag Quilt, but these were often kept in secret, and handed down from generation to generation. Because of this I was very surprised to find on recently on eBay, and the seller has generously allowed me to use her pictures here.

Here is your chance to obtain a piece of history! You can see the auction here.

For pictures of Hawaiian quilts, as well as more resources, check out The Quilt Index.

A while ago I joined a doll quilt swap hosted by Christine over at Once Upon a Quilt, and my first swap partner was Cheryl from So Many Quilts, So Little Time. Things have been so hectic here for the last month that I never got around to posting Cheryl's sneak preview, so here it is.

And here is the wonderful quilt I got in exchange. Cheryl reproduced one from Mary Ghormley's collection for me. I just love it! Thank you so much Cheryl.

You can't go wrong with pink and brown. This is the first doll quilt I own, and now I want more. We have a second round with new partners starting soon.