Old Quilts Adamstown Part 2

Someday...I want to live in Adamstown PA.
I even picked out a house... (not really but it's fun to imagine).  Many homes on main street are ART.

This is my third trip to this borough and once again it didn't disappoint.

Let's just say...I appreciate pack 'n ship.  If I keep this up I'll live there in retirement to sell all the 'stuff' - I mean treasures I've acquired.

There are antique shops that take a full day to get through and I'm sure we missed things!

If your just looking there is plenty of inspiration.  Checkout the 'pin band' on this Featherweight.

Lost count on the number of featherweights sited...colors, condition, etc. all varied.

I thought this sewing box was interesting because the thread holes are double-decker.  I didn't have the case opened to examine it closer, its not in the greatest condition.

Still a sweet little piece though.

I have one that I keep in the coffee table and I use it daily.
If you are interested in a similar reproduction click HERE.
Richard Hyers Woodworking - he has great sewing related furniture and accessories.  I may be talking to Santa about a piece or two.

Ready for a couple more quilts?

What could be better than scrappy HST's?

This one has condition issues with holes but the colors and fabric assortment are great.

Look at the use of contrasting colors as lights - but only sometimes.  Blues, pinks and chrome are positioned as lights in many places.

They were about 2" finished.  I'm ready to make one how about you?

This is a common color scheme.  Interesting claret with the red.

All hand quilted.

A little bit of binding wear.

This is a detail of the border - I love this quilting pattern.

I was glad I had some hand sewing along for the evenings.

Very relaxing.




Have a great weekend, thanks for stopping by.

Old Quilts Adamstown PA Part 1

We just got back from a vacation.  It was a vacation, not a trip.

Some plans were concrete, some days we slept in and decided what to do after coffee....lots of relaxing.

We love to antique and I thought I'd share a few pictures of some old quilts.  Some shops didn't allow photos.  I always ask.

This log cabin was really jazzed up with a border.

I should have taken a photo of the coverlet next to it too!

I was having too much fun shopping.  I found quite a few things in this shop I'll share in a future post.

2" finished HST.  Block set on point.

The hand quilting on this red and white was very pretty. Made of 16 HST's set on point.  How simple is that!

It's quite striking.

I wonder why I didn't get this one?  I left it for someone else, I can't have them all.

The shops were pretty busy, which was good to see.

We had one small detour on a back road to Sauder's in Denver PA, otherwise the area is thriving.

This nine patch was purchased while I was shopping.  I know it went to someone who LOVES it.  It was fun to talk to the new owner.

I was going to lay it out and take a picture of the variety of fabrics in the nine patches.

The backing is a 40's floral so the top was quilted later in its life.

Note the yellow tag - all the PA shops had them noting the item is used and not new.  If you're into regulations you can read about them HERE.

Simple and sweet old quilts!
I did bring hand sewing because looking at quilts always makes me want to stitch.

MANY more pictures to share...stay tuned.  What do you think of the log cabin border?
I'm off to catch up on laundry.
Have a great week

China Blue Pillar Nine Patch and Spaghetti Poodle

Pillow Case Cuff:  Mary Koval Paradise Garden Patt:  22270

Cobalt blue and white are so crisp together.

I saw the combo on Reproduction Fabrics website. As of this second - the pattern is on sale.  This would be nice with one of the new pillar prints!  This blue is ?? years old.

This is another of my quilts where I used extra backing fabric to make a pair of pillow cases.

This quilt stuck in my mind for quite a while.

I have to buy every pillar print that comes out...now to use them all...

I think this blue is kind of wild, which made it fun to use.

The nine patches were from an online swap.  I think there are very few repeats in the fabrics.

It is machine pieced and I machine quilted it.

The binding is a stripe that wasn't a co-ordinate but I love striped bindings.

Detail of the pillar with machine quilting.

I quilted following the patterns in the pillar print.

Here is a shot of Ms. Poodle without her scissors...I mean glasses...

She sits on her pin cushion base with the sweetest face.  Lovely lashes.

She's a Lefton Spaghetti Poodle pin cushion/scissor holder made in Japan.

Here's a detail of the bottom and another angle of the pin box.

Imagine a time when pins were expensive.

The needle case is carved bone.
The top is threaded.







When I finished the quilt I wasn't sure I liked it.  The pillar is so different from the others I have.
It's grown on me.  Different is sometimes a great thing.

Ever finish a quilt - and like at more years later? 

Strippy Whole Cloth, Etui & Jane Whitman Sampler

This quilt is the result from a quilt challenge by my Minnesota Quilt Study group
Land Of Lakes Quilt Study Group (LLQSG)

I combined a couple of the topics were covering in the year - Strippy and Whole Cloth.  I chose five prints for one side - and used a Benartex Stamped Whole Cloth for the other.

Hands on is a great way to learn and study group members are a wealth of information.

This is the whole cloth side.
Not too photogenic.
Click HERE to see the ad with better graphics of the quilting design.

I used the Welsh Beauty Crib Size.

Here's a detailed photo.  Double click to enlarge.

The quilt has a knife edge and thin cotton batting.

I did nor have any trouble seeing the stamped lines and the lines did wash right out when I completed the quilt.

I suspect issues arise if before completing it is pressed with a very hot iron, left in the sun or other events the instructions caution against.

This is my Jane Whitman Sampler.

It is a off-white linen stitched over two threads.

The kit is still available HERE.
It is the reproduction of a 1756 Rhode Island piece.

The sewing etui was a gift.  I don't think all of the pieces are a matched set but I love it for the gift it is.

The lid contains sewing needle papers.

Other contents include:
Bone handled folding knife, awl and hook,
Needles, scissors and sterling thimble.

The thimble is held in place with a clip.

Detail of bone handles.


Love the pocket knife!
O have a pearl handled one I received when I was 12 - no sewing etui with it though...

The needle packaging cautions not to be mislead by knock offs...














I love selecting projects to try techniques new to me - do you?
Have a great week!

More Littles - Donations and Gallery Wall Addition

This is my Little Whole Cloth for my home Gallery Wall.

I LOVE this colorway and didn't buy it - and a quilt bud came through for me - Life is good!
Now I can look at it everyday...
(Thanks)

No Piecing - it is hand quilted and finished with a knife edge.

For the back I used a mini preprinted whole cloth from The Stencil Company HERE.

I could have just cross hatched but I wanted to practice curves and I like the texture this one has.

It is hand quilted in a cream thread.

As I was snipping a thread on the front porch at dusk, getting the most of the dwindling light....

I cut the backing fabric!  Not just a little V cut...the whole piece came off.

I meant to go back and mend it before I washed the quilt - I forgot - but look how nice it closed up.  I thought it would be larger and a bit frayed...

Tossed Red and Green 7" x 8.25"

I was doing a little tidy up in the sewing room and decided to make a few more AAQI donation quilts.

I was able to hand quilt them while we watched a movie.  Great fun - and quite liberating.

Once I submitted one and had been through all of the steps they were a snap to get registered.  I sent three off in this batch.


I will be doing more of these!

Gray Matter   6.5" x 7.5"

This one is the friend to my Goldie Gray Medallion.

It looks crooked - but it was my camera angle...

I like the touches of blue in this one.

Seeing Red 9" x 10"

I included some of my favorite fabrics in this one.

I love red and brown.

This one is also machine pieced and hand quilted.


Like I said, it is hard to stop on these...

Thanks to those of you who inspired me to get involved with this effort!!







Have a wonderful weekend!




Click HERE if You'd like to join the fun and participate in Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Pine Trees Set in Pink More Needle Barrels

I had wanted to make the trees for a long time.
When I saw this setting I knew this was the one!

Block Names:  Pine Tree, Temperance Tree, Christmas Tree (ohhh...green and red would be fabulous...), Tree of Paradise, Tree of Life and Proud Pine.

This is Pine Tree from the book:
Big Book of Best Loved Quilt Patterns
ISBN:  0-8487-2555-7
The title kind of says it all...a classic book!

The Setting has the blocks on point - but the tree tops point to the center.

Each block is 12"
Yes, that's a lot of small HST's!
(over 400 but who's counting)

It is machine pieced and machine quilted.

I put birds on the back.
Kind of a forest theme...trees, birds...and I was looking for someplace to use this great bird print.

Wendy at Legend and Lace was gifted with Tree of Life blocks.  The pattern has more HST's than mine.
Maybe that makes it a Tree of Life and not a Pine Tree ;-)
She's a rich woman with her sewing pals!

I now have three Needle Barrels.  Each with it's own special features.

The center one is in English and marked imported. The other two are from Germany - one in German the other in English.

I admire the detailed decals.

The center needle barrel is also a sewing kit.
By pressing down on the thimble the top slides off to reveal thread wrapped around the center 'spools'.

The very bottom of the barrel spins to select the needle size and type, including "Latest Invention self-threading needles".




Have a great week!