Sajou linkup

Lori over at Humble Quilts is having a linky party for her latest sew-along...Sajou.  Here is my version all basted and ready to hand quilt....

jumped into this SAL late but so glad i did....got to use some pretty fabrics from my stash for this little piece that'll hang in my blue/beige bathroom....and it was no small feat to get this done either....a tiny nick in my finger while prepping some chicken for soup resulted in a day-long bleed for which had to again visit the urgent care.  trying to stay healthier is more challenging than anticipated....

now back to finish up potholders....november is looming and another scrap attack is on the horizon!

dora update

received an email from janet finley, author of the book, who had been in touch with dora's great-grandson. the photo was taken from a cabinet card and found its way from kentucky to colorado.  his research led him to two great-aunts, the only he could find who had ever met dora.  this was their response to his inquiry.....

they told of a quiet, pleasant woman who kept house all her life, was a thoughtful mother, worked hard for her children, was even tempered, smiled & laughed often, & made guests comfortable in her home & how that she had treated them both kindly when they were children.

he continued saying that her photo was chosen by the International Quilt Study Center and Museum (University of Nebraska in Lincoln) & appeared in their 2013 exhibit Posing with Patchwork: Quilts in Photographs, 1855-1955. The photo was greatly enlarged and matched with a comparable quilt from the museum’s collection.  

the great-grandson closed by admonishing everyone to document photographs and quilts to preserve information for future generations.....and so we should!

shopping trip

the other day somebody asked if i needed more selvedges for my potholders, but i declined.  this morning pulled 2 small stacks from the stash and cut these in under an hour...

so apparently have enough for this century anyway....

yesterday while selling raffle tix for the guild at a very lovely quilt shop, ogled some of the new aboriginal prints.  spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how i could squeeze funds out of the budget for at least a yard--four little FQs--but just couldn't....left feeling deprived of course, but after this morning's shopping, realize how many beautiful fabrics i already have that are waiting for me to play....no longer deprived but elated and blessed!  a great way to start a sunday or any day!

anniversary gift

have been mulling over what might be a good anniversary present for the one-year mark of the heart surgery--but this arrived yesterday and it will do very nicely!  there was only a last name on the return address, but have an inkling who might have sent it....simple thanks are so inadequate for such a gift...my new and improved heart was doing cartwheels!

already drool stains on every page....yes, it's THAT good!  last year had sold my "primarily quilts" mostly because it contained all very large and complicated quilts that i knew i would never make...it's a beautiful book, but it should be used.  betsy's book, however, contains only a few large quilts and mostly small wall projects that are simply stunning...every single one!  only sheer will kept me from pulling fabric for each and every one.  but now the big decision is which one to make first....i'll keep you posted!   **** and post script from yesterday's post about dora's quilt.  got an email from the book's author, janet finley, who was delightfully surprised to see my rendition and has some info from one of dora's relatives she'll be sharing with me.  so anxious to learn more about her....if only the quilt could be found and could talk!

channeling dora

some years ago, i saw a photo in an issue of "quilt life," the now-defunct magazine of alex anderson/ricky tims that came from this book by janet finley...

chock full of wonderful examples of quilters and their quilts. one caveat: there are many post-mortem photos, mostly babies and children, also included.  one of the photos in the magazine was this...

most likely a wedding photo of dora petty-wood, age 23 in 1904, displaying her wedding gifts.  it is not known if the quilt was one she received or one she herself made.  the last line of the article in the book was "i wonder what this quilt would look like in color."  well, wonder no more, ms. finley....

this is my interpretation of dora's quilt.  the pattern in the quilt intrigued me and got filed away as a possible reproduction project.  fast forward more than 100 years and it is now nearly done.  densely hand quilted and destined as a donation, it has been a nearly year's project.  for some time i had tried to find the magazine article so i could use the original picture and put it on my label.  thanks to my local library, it has been found.   you can read more about dora on find-a-grave.com....she lived to her 90s, had six children married to a man 29 years her senior.  the whereabouts of the quilt at the book's writing (2012) was unknown.  i hope dora would be flattered...

tuesday sewing

spent tuesday sewing more of the potholders by day and quilting on the donation quilt by night....the turkeys also got basted and now ready to quilt...thanksgiving only 6 weeks away???  unbelievable!

dear daughter spent the weekend and we had a girls pj party of sorts....she left with 2 quilted pillows, 1 runner and 2 wall quilts for her home.  in return she gave me this bag that i had been ogling for some time....

up early this morning to try out a new recipe and it is delish!  it's cheddar zucchini quick bread, yummy right out of the oven but toasted will be as good...something about autumn that sends my cooking muse into overdrive; must be the yankee gene of putting by, saving the harvest, preserving the summer bounty....when i was a child, our only winter green beans were those my family had canned in the summer, unlike today's market offerings.

and also made a batch of chocolate orange biscotti....for the same price as a supermarket package, got a large supply of these that are ideal for dipping in hot chocolate...

back to enjoying autumn!

ready to trot

my turkeys are done and time to get it basted so it can be finished for thanksgiving decorating...

the flash on the camera has brightened it up more than it actually is.  the border is a nice jo morton gold and the binding will be a dark teal/tan plaid.  this project has been waiting for years and glad to see it getting finished in time for the holiday.  aside from a ceramic cornucopia and a couple of pilgrims, had no other thanksgiving decorations until now.  thanksgiving is a mere 6 weeks from now, but first that all-important anniversary on november 1st....it's been a challenging year.  my former cardiologist (he left the practice) said it was a new normal and it truly is--more maintenance, more watchdog, more tweaks along the way but definitely worth it...otherwise, the turkeys might never have gotten finished....

a most generous friend

saturday was visited by long-time quilty friend who came bearing gifts...not just for me but for our senior center quilters as well.   a sturdy machine will be added to our collection....and then there was fabric and LOTS of it!

a large laundry basket was full of very nice fabrics, some large enough for backings...half is going to the senior center....i can think of a few people who will be uber-delighted with this stash.  of course i snipped off the selvedges before packing them up...LOL...for my ever-growing pile of potholders....

and this little pile stayed home!  these are most large pieces for backings--about

5-6 i'd say--and some smaller pieces...don't you love those masks???  my 2018 fabric acquisition just got ramped up by about 31 yards which sounds like a lot, but a few finishes will take a chunk out of that.  hoping the next 3 months will make some sort of dent....jo morton has a luscious collection out in january and not sure i can pass that up!   ***  fall has finally arrived in MD!  our october heat wave has left town, for good i hope, replaced with crisp, cool october air.  no frost on the pumpkin yet but won't be long....time for soups, chowders, fleece pants and flannel pjs!

edgy post

selvedge sewing in full swing....got these done just yesterday...

after sewing a while, was pleasantly surprised to see that the shoebox was now only half full...

thought i might have to rethink my goal of 40 potholders but, as luck would have it, there is a veritable goldmine of selvedges very close by....so onward to 40!   ***  recently at guild meeting, a quilty pal gifted me with this; it's a left-handed cutter by martelli...i have no collaboration with this company other than to say this is one nifty cutter for us lefties...i find that there is less strain on my shoulder with this than even my olfa ergonomic cutter.

it's something i wouldn't have bought for myself, but have expressed my thanks to the giver....**** enjoying the last hot weather of summer i think...have to keep telling myself it's almost mid-october.   with the winding down of farmer's market, retooling my veggie options for winter.  it's been a year of doctors, drugs and diet that has sometimes been overwhelming but always thankful for the huge treat received last halloween...

october scrap attack

just a week late in posting my scrap attack project for october.....it's this:

the goal is to make 40 potholders OR empty the selvedge shoebox, whichever comes first.  now that i've cleared the charity sewing deck, can focus on busting scraps....but this being fall, also have a list of household things that have been on the back burner like cleaning oven and refrigerator, cleaning out drawers, washing down cabinets, etc.  yesterday opened up the cedar chest to pull out some winter things and found this...

it's a doily inherited from my mother-in-law...i know she didn't make it but perhaps her mother did....it needed some repair and i know my daughter might just toss it, so did the repairs and will label it--then she can decide whether or not to keep when she's going thru things. **** my first sunday project was block 9 of the antebellum album sew along...

and there was more sewing on this pretty polka-dot piece.....

not sure how many more to make but it'll be larger than this.....also pulled fabrics for border and binding for the turkeys so i can get that top done and basted....fun day all around!