A Dark Week, In Color, Weather and Mood

This was another week of dark colors for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Many of us are trying to finish up year-long rainbow quilt projects and making blocks from our dark black, brown and gray scraps. Perfect color choice for November, right? Why not join us over at Angela’s blog for Scrappy Saturday.

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“Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall”. The saying is taken from a song recorded in 1944 by Ella Fitzgerald (when she was with The Ink Spots) which, in turn, was taken from a line in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem entitled “Rainy Day”. (Yes, I had to look it up).  The line has pretty much summed up the last month for Bruce and me. I’ve mentioned before about a dear friend Colleen who died suddenly in late October and possibly about Bruce’s lifelong BFF who suffered a major stroke but is, thankfully, home and recovering nicely. And now our friend and neighbor - and honestly, a local “hero” - Cal, died this week. He is the one for whom I made a What Cancer Cannot Do quilt a couple years ago. Cal fought valiantly for 7 years, but lost the battle this week on Tuesday, the same day that sewing legend Nancy Zieman died. He was only 52. The rain and clouds this week have matched our moods. Things can only get better, right?  We’re counting on it!

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Back to what you’re probably here for!  These are the only dark scraps I got sewn up this week; 26 bow-tie blocks that will finish at 4”. That brings me to 240 of 304 needed.

I got both the Autumn Sampler and my Rainbow Selvages quilts basted. I should have the selvages quilt finished by next week to show you. I also pieced the tulip quilt top for a friend Diane. This is the one that my friend Terri and I are collaborating on for a Christmas present for Diane. We split the making of the tulips. Here it is without the final white sashing on the top and bottom.

I accidentally cut the vertical sashing 2.5” wide instead of 2”, so the top grew in width by an additional 4”. When the top and bottom borders are added, it will measure 72” wide and 88” long. That’s bigger than I like to quilt on my machine, but it will be perfect for Diane, who is tall. Once it is quilted, Terri will finish up the binding. But one way or another we will get a finished picture to share.

This week I also put together a trial quilt block for a project I’ll be working on next year. I have a huge store of vintage linens, both from my family and from years of collecting (and occasionally selling online). But some were just “cutter” quality, meaning they were stained or had bad parts with holes, etc. I wanted to give them a new life. So, this project will combine sweet little cotton fabric prints with bits and bobs of embroidered and lacy linens.

It will be a jumble of pieces, sizes and orientations. I’d like to make the blocks in sizes of 6, 9 and 12” so that they will hopefully be easier to sew together later. But who knows if the scraps will let me stick to that plan! I would also like to try a combination of machine quilting (in the ditch between blocks) and hand quilting and/or embroidery on the blocks. This would bring an element of crazy quilting into this piece for me, which is something I admit to missing after having not done any for a couple years. 

And finally, to beef up the visual aids on this post, here are some pictures of my “Teddy Bears". Alfalfa and Darla have taken to napping on our bed.  Both of these pictures were taken the same day - one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Because cats are Superstar Nappers.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I’ll see you back here next week!

A Quilt Finish in Pink and Green

As you may remember, I am participating in the 2015 Finish Along, hosted by Adrienne of On the Windy Side .  About a month ago, I set out my goals for the 3rd quarter of the year. I am happy to report that the first of these is finished (and two more are very close - but those are posts for another time).

This quilt was intended as a baby quilt for my soon-to-be born granddaughter.  However, I remembered that all the rest have been backed with Minky, and the whole point of this quilt was to match the vintage cotton sheet I was using as the back (and some of the front patches).  I already have other plans for the grand baby quilt, with some awesome bumblebee fabrics.... more on that next month.

So, the new recipient of this quilt is Emma, the grown daughter of my uncle’s wife (of 30 years). Emma has Down Syndrome, and will love the soft and simple colors. I will be visiting Uncle Bela, Aunt Maria and cousin Emma for a couple days later this month prior to attending the Crazy Quilting International retreat in Kansas City.

The sheet that inspired it all is a floral print of pinks and lime green with bits of yellow. I think it looks very contemporary and was such a great fabric to build a color scheme around.  To quilt it, I did a free motion quilted (FMQ) stipple, the first time I ever tried this. Wow, was that ever fun!  It is now bound, washed and nicely puckered and soooooo soft!

So, this checks off Item #3 on my finish list.

Quilt Stats:
Size: 39 x 46”
Fabric: various
Backing: vintage sheet
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20
Quilted by: myself, FMQ stipple

And that is it for now!

Here is a link to my original list of 3rd quarter goals.

Hugs,

California Dreamin'

Last week, Susie Wolfe invited Gerry K and I to spend the week with her at her home in Southern California.  We had been planning this for awhile, and we all agreed that it was better than Christmas!! To add to my excitement, SoCal is where I was born and raised, so it was doubly delightful to see some of my old “haunts”.

As Gerry K related in her post we had ABSOLUTELY the best time. Susie was the most gracious hostess, providing us yummy soups for dinner, all the breakfast fixins, chauffeur service (LOL), and her lovely, generous self. Oh, and she had the cutest dog named Smoky, who kindly put up with us, too.

Susie and Smoky

Susie kept her pink Christmas tree up so that we could see it. She is making a pink, cream and mint green tree skirt (with silver accents) for her CQJournal Project for 2012, so the hunt for those colors were her Shopping Mission.

Gerry’s Shopping Mission was Anything Gold, and she was also on the lookout for velvet ribbons and any special treasure, of course.  :-)

Our first full day, Saturday, was spent in the Los Angeles Fabric District. In six hours, we barely scratched the surface of the shops and their offerings, yet were able to find fantastic deals on beautiful things. We spent some serious coin.  :-)

Susie and Gerry loved Berger Beads (as do many other people I know), but not being a major bead person myself, I found their dusty boxes and lackluster displays boring.  Blasphemy!  I know, I know. But I am the lace person. And fabrics. And linens. But I digress...

Gerry generously shared her pushcart with us, and we managed to fill it up every day with our purchases. (Imagine that!)

At the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday, Susie knew all THE places we would love, and guided us there. The first stop was the linens lady. The pile on the tarp in front of me was $1 per piece.  Other prices were more (and some less). It was a blast digging through it.

But by far my favorite place was the Lace Lady, where we were all so busy that we didn’t get a picture. It was delightful to meet Dawn, and I am thrilled to have a wonderful new contact and supplier. And I am sure she was thrilled to exchange her lace for all the green stuff ($$) I left behind, LOL.

It was 80 degrees that day, and we stopped for some liquid refreshment. Here is Susie with some lovely gardens in the background.

And here the red flowers in the background accent Gerry’s red outfit.  We were all smiles!

On Monday Susie took us to M&L Fabrics.  Gerry showed some pictures of the main room on her blog. There were rows and rows of “regular” fabrics. But I wanted to show you one of the nearly dozen walls (or aisles) of fancy fabrics. A Crazy Quilter’s dream!

And the trim shop nearby yielded both Susie and Gerry lots of gold. And silver, too.

Again, it was another bright, clear, warm and sunny day in Southern California. I had forgotten how much I love (and miss) palm trees.

Tuesday was our day for the San Fernando Flea Market.  Again, Susie knew all the right vendors. This fabulous fabric and trim booth was one of our very favorites.  Between this shop, M&L fabrics, and all my lace acquisitions, I had to mail two large boxes of goodies home (in addition to stuffing my suitcase and carry-on).  You will eventually be seeing some of these lovely fabrics in my Etsy shop.

This booth (below) was a highlight. We dug through tables full of appliques.  Gerry mentioned on her blog that they were $1 each, but that is incorrect.  They were 50c each (2/$1).  When I was done there, my arms were overflowing, and I paid $15.00.  Talk about gold in California . . .

Below, Susie is wearing a hat that she found at this fantastic booth at the Rose Bowl.  The owner of the booth made mostly girls dresses, with little hats, purses and headbands to coordinate. But she also had some delightful women’s hats, and while I was buying spring outfits for my granddaughters, Susie was being practical and bought this darling hat!

We spent Wednesday visiting Thrift shops and scoring some great deals on half-price silk garments, other fancy fabrics and trims.  Susie also found a cute cup and saucer to make a pincushion in.  Here we are, below, butting up and sharing our thrifting finds.

The most hilarious find was this belt buckle that Susie found and bestowed upon Gerry:

It was such a great week, and the three of us had a marvelous time.  It meant so much to spend such a perfect week with dear friends.  I love you, Susie and Gerry!!

Hugs,

Catching Up

Hi all.  I am almost done with the zipper tutorial; will probably post that tomorrow later in the day.  In the meantime, I have a few things to share. Sort of like Show & Tell, LOL.

Now that Bruce is officially retired, he is not only cleaning up his laBORatory, but also beginning some of the “honey-do” projects that we’ve had around for awhile.  One of them is putting up new house numbers by our mailbox to replace the almost 50-year-old tarnished ones that have been there from Day One.  These are hand painted Mexican ceramic tiles, set in a wrought iron frame.  The numbers are out of sequence, which I would rather show than when they are actually up and in the right sequence.  :-)

The above picture I saw on one of my favorite blogs, Empress of Dirt. Just had to pass it on so you could enjoy, too!

And finally, this is one of the cool things that I found at an estate sale this weekend.  It’s a finished needlepoint picture, in pristine condition.  I love the colors, the arrangement, everything.  It measures about 16x20”.  I would really like to do some sort of CQ-ed frame for it.  It would have to be simple, so as not to compete with the picture.  Right now it’s up on my design board so we can “talk” to each other. There are a few other projects that need doing first, so this one can percolate for awhile.   Oh, and I only paid $3.00 for it....

Tomorrow: The Zipper Flower Tutorial (if I have any energy after tending DGD London all day, LOL). I’ll be showing you three variations on making flowers with zippers - for your crazy quilting, collages, or to decorate headbands, handbags, etc.

Talk to you then!  Hugs,

One Year ETSY Anniversary and Sale!

Hello dear friends!  For the last 10 days or so I have been busy loading up my Etsy shop in preparation for the one year anniversary of Cathy’s Crazy by Design on Etsy.   As regular readers know, I don’t talk a lot about my Etsy Shop, which is probably good for you, the reader, but not so good from a serious marketing standpoint.  But since I’m seriously crazy, please indulge me this once!  And I have a reward for you at the end!  :-)

My favorite lace, now discontinued by wholesalers.  Not to worry - I have plenty!

The more lace I list, the more large orders I get to nearly clean me out, LOL!  No, I’m not complaining, but it forced me to work harder and smarter, and I think I’ve got a system down.  So, I would like to show you some of the goodies you will find in the way of laces....

4x4” picture frames sold individually or in pairs for greater savings

Lowered price on Fleurs de Lis

These sumptuous rayon Venice laces are dyed with potassium permanganate, a method introduced to us by the Australians (think Jenny Haskins, and Judith & Kathryn).  Not many of us use this method; potassium permanganate is a substance used in veterinary practices, water treatment plants, and swimming pools.  It can be pricey to obtain, comes in liquid or crystal form (I much prefer the crystals) and ‘particular' to handle, but WOW what wonderful results! 

I have also experimented with adding color washes to the golden laces. This picture is from a couple years ago. The coloration is a bit more subtle than this stark picture shows (my old camera - sorry!)  I will be adding some of these types of laces to my store in July.

So, here’s what I have for you, my dear blog readers.  From now through July 16, use the coupon code JULY11TENPERCENT (that’s July, then the number 11, then ten percent - all one word and in caps) when you check out and receive 10% off your order.  I wish I could just give you what your heart would desire, but we all know that’s not possible! And working this Etsy shop has become increasingly important to me as we are now transitioning into retirement this summer.

I will monitor the shop closely and restock daily. And next week watch for fancy fabric packs, more vintage laces and trims. After that I will concentrate on adding the vintage linens, patterns and other finds and treasures - all in time for you to use the coupon if you’d like.  :-)

Please remember that you MUST type in that coupon code at checkout to get the discount.  There is a place (highlighted in blue) where you’ll click and type it in.

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And a last note...  Bruce and I tended DGD London today.  She is really becoming a bit of a chatterbox. Her new favorite saying is “I DID IT!”  She is so proud of herself whenever she accomplishes something (it’s so cute!), and every syllable is enunciated so clearly!   She is such a good influence on us old folks.... :-)

Hugs,

Hankie Couture - and a Contest!!

I don`t know which I love more; Hankie Couture or having the chance to give you lovely friends and readers a chance to win something in a giveaway!  Luckily, I don’t have to choose!  Let me tell you about BOTH!


When I was in Connecticut during the first half of this month, Bruce and I stopped at a Barnes & Noble (long-time readers might remember that I used to work for B&N).  We love to have regular “coffee dates” there, whether we’re here at home or on the road.  Anyway, I wandered over to the Craft/Needle Arts section, and the most glorious, colorful book was on display and caught my eye IMMEDIATELY.  It was this delightful gem, and I bought it on the spot.

All my life I have collected and adored hankies.  All my life I have had and adored (and gave birth to a daughter who had and adored) fashion-sized (“Barbie”) dolls.  I sewed clothes for the dolls as a child, as a mother, and in between as a crafter before my daughter was born. 

But never had I seen or created anything so beautiful as Marsha Greenberg’s Hankie Couture!

I was smitten!   I read the book cover to cover, visited the Hankie Couture website, watched the video and visited her Ebay Boutique.  I ordered one of Marsha’s lovely dolls that she had custom made to her specifications, and it arrived so quickly I couldn’t believe it!!  The doll is of  high quality. And look at the beautiful face!  This is no cheap-looking doll; Marsha has created quality down to the roots of the doll’s lustrous hair!

My dear doll arrived naked, of course. For modesty’s sake (not that THAT is a big issue here) I have pictured her semi-clothed in a couple of the hankies that I will be giving away.  But I am getting ahead of myself. ..

 

So, I plan to make my doll a dress couture fashion using one of the patterns provided in Marsha’s Hankie Couture book. But as I began fondling drooling over carefully sorting my hankie collection for THE potential dress (which I have now narrowed it down to about four possibilities), I realized that my doll doesn’t have a name. The Rules state that Every Doll Needs A Name.  This is my blog, my world, and those are my rules.  So...... will you help me?!? I will clothe her if you will name her!


NAME THAT DOLL CONTEST!


To enter, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST with your suggestion(s) for a doll name.   That’s it!  Let`s limit it to 3 name suggestions per person.  Of course, while you’re at it, you can visit the links to Hankie Couture the website (or go directly to Amazon and buy the book, LOL!!) and let me know what you think about them!


Here is what I am offering to the commenter whose suggested name is chosen; eight vintage hankies from my collection, two of which have already been modeled for you by The Doll With No Name.

Let’s run this contest for a week, so please comment ON THIS POST by Friday, May 6, 2011.  The winner will be selected solely on the doll`s name I choose.  :-)   So you can tell your friends about it and it won’t affect your chances of winning, LOL!  


As far as names go, I would like something traditional or classic or old-fashioned, just not cutesy (like “Barbie” or “Tiffany”) .  


And here’s a heads-up.  Once this contest is over, there will be ANOTHER giveaway the following week. It will be a bit more involved than this one, but a SUPER prize awaits!   Marsha and I have struck up a friendship, and I have to tell you how delightful and sweet she is!  We have cooked up some fun for you! Stay tuned because you won’t want to miss it!  

Can You Say..... GOLD MINE??

Well, to me anyway, it felt like I’d struck gold last Saturday.  DH and I were going to go out and hit some yard sales, when I noticed an ad in the paper for an estate sale in our subdivision - about 3-4 blocks away.  We thought we’d swing by there first, not really expecting much.  And at first glance, we were right.

But then I noticed that it was being run by two elderly ladies who were very calmly and slowly bringing things out and fussing about where to put them.  In chatting with one of them, I learned that she was cleaning out her 90+ year-old mother’s things, and some of hers, too.  It was apparent they needed help, so I gently began asking questions and helping carry out things from the depths of the garage to the driveway and lawn.  

One of the ladies took a shine to Bruce (that happens alot; he’s such a sweetie) and they began talking about an old radio in the back of the garage with a bullet hole through it.    She said it was her mother’s pride and joy and was the first radio “back in the day” in Delta, Utah.  One of the men accidentally shot off a gun, it went through the window and into the radio.  Didn’t harm any of the internal workings, but she cried and cried about her lovely radio.  But they had the bullet hole reminder from then on to remind them that they were lucky it was ONLY the radio that was shot!

Then she showed us a couple old sewing machines she wanted to sell.  I took an immediate shine to this one.   It’s a very early electric portable machine.  “Portable” is a relative term, however, because it is heavy enough to pull your arm out of its socket!!  

All the attachments, the foot pedal and the manual were included “for one low price”, LOL.  Yes, it works.  The brand is a Eureka Good Housekeeper, and from the limited research I’ve been able to do, it is circa 1951-1953.  Look at the lovely workmanship on the arm, below.

When she found out I was interested in linens, she grabbed everything she had.  Together we went through them and she pulled a few things she wanted for sentimental reasons, which was fine.  The only thing I lusted for that she kept was her own sweet little baby shoes.  But who could blame her?  

The hot pink fabric in the upper right is a yard of bridal-weight satin, fresh and clean, circa the 1960’s.  The top left shows two vintage sheet sets I snatched.  They’re getting highly collectible because they coordinate so well with today’s bright prints.  I intend to begin cutting them up and selling fat quarters.  Stripes are especially coveted because they are a timeless accent for children’s clothing and crafts.

The crocheted potholders she gave to me as we were leaving.  I really didn’t want them, but thanked her profusely anyway.  After washing, they looked a bit better.  I took them apart and the flip side (that was the inside) of the rings are pristine, so I can hopefully use the crocheted rings for something.

The peacock cross-stitch dishtowel (above and below) charmed me.  I’ll eventually get it listed in either my Etsy or on Ebay.   I also loved the colors in the embroidered dishtowel, but you can barely see the center pink stitching of glasses.  I may just have to salvage the trim off this.... any ideas?? 

Stitched peacock (above) and the tin, which came from England (below)

I couldn’t resist picking up the old indoor clothes hanger.  It’ll come in handy for displaying linens as necessary, as well as drying clothes.  I don’t have an outdoor clothesline, although I covet one.  It’s on DH’s long list of honey-do’s!  But in the meantime, this will be a great place to hang hand-washed items, dyed laces, etc.    Or to show you some more treasures....

I’m no Martha when it comes to staging pictures, and the lovely tablecloths were particularly problematic.  Not to mention I should’ve ironed them first.  The striped one (underneath) is immaculate around the stripes, which were the part that hung down from the table.  The center part is stained.  The vintage strawberry print (what a beautiful, soft feel it has!) is torn and stained in too many places to fix.  I thought of cutting it up.... and the idea came to me that I should fussy-cut some of the motifs and applique them to the stains in the center of the other one.  That sounds like a fun winter project. 

A lovely hand-embroidered linen towel.  The linen is a pale yellow.

 More tea towel, hand towels and an embroidered doily.

I LOVE these bright, festive dishtowels because they remind me of the ones my Grandma Szakal (mom’s mom) used to have in her kitchen.   

 A lovely dresser scarf

An embroidered butterfly to salvage from a dishtowel

Senor Siesta here is in great shape (well, the towel is)

And then the hankies.  Several dozen of them.   This pink one is on its way to a friend.

The white one with green squares is silk.  Mmmm....  Several of these are coming with me to Colorado next month for our Crazy Quilting International Retreat.  One of our classes will be Making a Hankie Quilt, and I’m going to share with those ladies who haven’t been bitten by the HankieBug, or who can’t bear to cut up an old hankie.

When a hankie is beyond redemption because of holes or stains, often the edging is salvageable.  I also find that white hankies are great to layer behind other hankies, because they’re all so thin.  And the white edging is often a great counterpoint to a colored edging or busy hanky when piecing.

My personal favorite in the batch was the hankie on the left with the appliqued roses.  But that embroidered hankie with pansies and lilies-of-the-valley is beautiful too!

Well, that’s it for the pictures.  This morning as I loaded these pictures, I noticed that Blogger has upgraded their picture uploading process.  Wow.  All 17 of these pictures transferred from the clipboard to the blog at once.  NICE!!!!

By the way, if you are into Crazy Quilting, stop by the Crazy Quilting International blog (a couple links on my sidebar).  They’ll soon be announcing a CQ Giveaway contest!  Also, if you’d like to learn more about CQI, check out the post here.

Hugs,