I finished it!

Remember when I started my quilt squares?

Three years ago I took two classes at the SAGA Retreat in Las Vegas with Brenda Shade to learn how to make her Paper Doll Quilt Squares. The classes were two weeks after I fractured my right wrist, so I went with my red cast thinking I would not be able to stitch (yes, I am right handed) but at least I could listen! Well the first dress had five rows of cable smocking and I decided to try and do that. Well it took all day to do those five rows, but I did it! Of course I could not do anything else as

any fine hand sewing was out of the question, but that smocking was great therapy.

Once my cast was off and I could stitch again, I completed the two squares and went on to make 10 more. I love doing these little dresses! They are all done by hand and once you have cut the pieces out the project is very portable. I could have made many more of these, but decided to stop at 12  for my quilt.

And stop I did. Once the square were done they sat there and sat there. What was I waiting for? I was trying to think how I would join them together and I over thought it. I thought I would embroider the sashing pieces. Then I thought I would add shaped lace. Then I went back to the embroidery idea. And so the procrastination went on!

But no more! I decided a few weeks ago simple is best and just got on and completed the quilt. So here it is.

It just needs a label for the back. Now what do I write on my label..............?

Ironing Boards

So, walking around Brimfield (or actually any multi-dealer antique store) I usually find that there are one or two items that I keep seeing. I don't mean something like teacups, or figurines, but one particular item that seems to be something that obviously is an item du jour so-to-speak.

What was that item at Brimfield? Well it was ironing boards. My guess is no one wants the ironing board when an estate is sold or a house is down sized as I hear that nobody actually irons these days (sorry Jill, I know you do!).

I would say that every fifth booth had an ironing board of some description for sale. I say some description, because some of them had seen way better days and really were not suitable for taking the time to add padding and a new cover. Tell me, what would someone do with an old ironing board?

(Okay, had a flash back to a quilt shop in Buellton, California and the owner there uses old ironing boards to hook items for sale onto and also in her displays of quilt fabrics, so take that back. That is one use).

 So those were just a few of the ones I saw in half a day and believe me there were more!

There were also a few old irons, but not ones I would want to use!

 

The New England Quilt Museum

Another suggestion of a place to visit in the area near the SAGA Retreat at Bedford Glen is the New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, Massachusetts.

http://www.nequiltmuseum.org

The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM November - April

It was almost 30 years ago that a group of enthusiastic New England quilters began to dream of establishing a regional quilt museum. That dream became a reality when the New England Quilt Museum board of directors met for the first time in June 1987. Now, as its 25th Anniversary year has come and gone (in 2012), it seems miraculous that the museum exists and has survived and grown, fulfilling the mission first conceived by its founding mothers.

Over the years, as the museum sought a permanent home, endured water floods and also risked drowning in red ink, there were times when it seemed the dream might die. Still, it has endured, but only because of the support received from the museum's constant friends and members.

The museum is located in historic downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. Master craftsman Josiah Peabody built the Lowell Institute for Savings building in 1845 in the classic Greek Revival Style. The structure boasts an unusual rhomboidal footprint, with curved corners and an ornate wrought iron balcony along two sides.

Today the 18,000 square foot space holds exhibition galleries, a library and resource center, classrooms, a museum store, staff offices, support areas and storage for the more than four hundred antique and contemporary quilts in the permanent collection.

THE QUILTED CANVAS
The Crit Group: 30 Years and Still Quilting
January 11 through April 29, 2017

​This exhibit of works by five artists in fiber is a unique insight into the relationships of a critique group. Judy Becker, Nancy Crasco, Sandy Donabed, Sylvia Einstein, and Carol Anne Grotrian have been meeting each month for thirty years to support and sustain each other as artists. Nancy Crasco states, “the focus of our gatherings is always about the work: assisting with aesthetic and construction concerns, sharing opportunities to exhibit, discussing current trends in fiber, and providing the impetus to continue creating.”  All of the artists have gained national recognition and have exhibited widely in the United States and abroad.

Each of the artists has a distinct style which is acknowledged and encouraged by the others.  They agree that the scariest outcome of a critique group would be to have their works be similar.  Each artist has a different source of motivation or inspiration and employs a unique manner of working.

Pretty Pillows

So by now you know I have been making squares for a 'Paper Doll Dress' quilt and I have used my own scraps of fabric and lace and also re-cycled fabric from a ladies blouse for one square. Well, a friend asked me if I would make something for her two granddaughters from blouses she no longer wears-so I did. I made pillows.

I used the front of the blouses for the back of the pillow and the placket became to pillow opening.

I then made the 'Paper Doll Dress' as usual.

I made piping from the left over blouse fabric and put it all together.

I think she will like the finished pillows and her granddaughters will have a lovely keepsake.

Bags of Scraps

Do you keep the small pieces of lace or binding that get left over from working on a project? I do.

Some of the lace pieces are too pretty to just throw away.

A bag of scrap bindings and trims

I have two bags that I keep these pieces in and when I make a Wee Care item and/or need a small piece for a trim or to embellish something then I go to my scrap bags. I nearly always find something I can use!

A jumble of lace scraps!

I have been using my scraps on my latest project-making more 'paper doll dress' quilt squares.  and I have had fun finding the pieces for the quilt squares.

All the lace used on this paper doll dress came from the scrap bag

My scrap bags are a useful item in my overall stash of laces and fabrics!

It only needs a small piece of lace to trim the slip

And, yes, I have a bag of small pieces of fabrics too. Not really tiny pieces, but pieces big enough to make a Wee Care bonnet or use for applique  or to make bias binding or make a dress for my 'paper doll dress' quilt!

Visit Williamsburg- SAGA Convention Pre-day Tour!

Colonial Williamsburg textile tour

Tuesday, September 20,2016   8:00 am – 4:30 pm 

8 am  depart the hotel by charted coach to Colonial Williamsburg where you will begin the day touring two of the DeWitt Wallace museum’s textile exhibits. A Century of African-American Quilts showcasing eleven colorful and stunning quilts, half of which have never before been seen by the public. The quilts of African Americans varied widely, depending on the date, location or community, the purpose for which the quilt was made, and the personal artistic vision of the quilt maker. The bold designs and brilliant colors of the quilts featured in the exhibition speak to a longstanding cultural and artistic tradition within which the women designed and created their quilts.

African-American Quilt

Also view 18th- early 19th century stitched textiles in A Rich and Varied Culture: Early Southern Textiles. See stitched textiles, such as quilted clothing and bedcovers, decorative pocketbooks, and small accessories, which were usually made at home by women. Most needlework pictures and samplers were stitched by girls attending schools or seminaries often located many miles from the needle worker’s home The majority of American schoolgirl embroideries were created by middle and upper class white girls who lived on the Eastern seaboard in the New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Southern embroideries are not as plentiful as there were fewer cities and large towns where schools were most likely to be established. The samplers come from several different states including Virginia, the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. Each sampler on view offers a glimpse into a young girl’s life.

Williamsburg Sampler

12:30 pm following the museum tour the group will enjoy a southern lunch at the Shields Tavern. (At the time of registration, attendees will choose between pulled pork and fried chicken. All lunches include salad, tavern bread, beverage and ice cream)

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Williamsburg Millinery Shop

The afternoon will include a tour of the Colonial Williamsburg Weave Room, as well as the Millinery and Tailor Shop. Explore the technology of weaving and other aspects of producing textiles, including spinning and dyeing.  Karen Clancy, Journeyman weaver, spinner and dyer will share how Colonial Williamsburg uses botanical recipes to blend the historic old with a vibrant new world of pure color to create authentic dyes that are then spun and woven right in the Weave Room.  Just down the street visit the Margaret Hunter Millinery Shop and explore the trades of the milliner, tailor, mantua-maker, and stay-maker. Fashion was just as important in the 18th century as it is today. Learn about the changes and how clothing was viewed by society.

 

Masonic Apron

3:30 pm the group will depart for the hotel. Water and apples will be provided by SAGA business member, Lavender House.

Timeline summary

8:00 am               depart hotel for Colonial Williamsburg

9-9:15 am            arrive Colonial Williamsburg; walk from parking lot to museum

10am – 12 pm   tour the Dewitt Wallace museum exhibits

12:15-1:30 pm   lunch at the Shields Tavern

1:30-3:00 pm     walking tour of the Colonial Williamsburg Weave Room and Milliner and Tailor Shops

3:30-3:45 pm     board bus to return to hotel

4:15 – 4:30 pm arrive at hotel

Cost for the day - $130:  includes transportation, museum and historical grounds fee, lunch and all tips

Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. A sweater or light jacket is recommended for inside wear. 

Visit the SAGA website to sign up! www.smocking.org