BETA BLOGGER

OK, I moved over to BETA today (That's me moving over to BETA), so if you have me on your bloglines and it says there are 25-26 new entries for Patchalot More, that is why. I already noticed that some of the comments posted on my blog say "anonymous". I wonder if it has anything to do with beta vs. non beta??? I guess I will have to learn a few new tricks. I wonder about this "not secure" business. More later....

HOME SWEET HOME

Home Sweet Home is one of the books by Blackbird Designs that I bought when the authors, Alma Allen and Barb Adams, were here in Virginia Beach. Alma Allen is in the photo holding up a table runner that she designed and made of wool. I love it! That project is in the book. I decided to make a small piece of it. I think it turned out really cute! I plan to put a border around it to frame it and also a backing to add support.
















In the meantime, I have also been working on the project from the class that Barb and Alma taught. It is coming along. I haven't really done much applique in the past, but I have always enjoyed handwork, and I am enjoying this as well. This bird block is an adaptation from their new book, Birds of a Feather. Yep, I bought that one also. Take a look at that wonderful toile that is the block background. That is theirs also, from their new fabric line, Nell's Flower Shop. Really, I am not getting a sales commision on their stuff! They just really hooked me!


Judy, from Quilting with Ragdolls, is working on the Birds of a Feather project. She has almost completed hers and I can't wait to see it. I am doing a simplified version. My applique didn't get placed exactly right, but I don't mind taking a bit of artistic license. I just say---it's folk art, right? And I am learning each step of the way. Wouldn't life be boring if we didn't continue to learn?

BBD CAT ON ROOF

Blackbird Designs has quilts for all seasons! I wanted to share this quilt today while fresh on my mind. This quilt was made by Barb Adams (and her Mom!). This design comes in a special package of its own. Isn't it spectacular! If you can't find this pattern, you can call What's Your Stitch N Stuff here in Virginia Beach, VA (757-523-2711). That is where I took the Blackbird Designs workshop.

Blackbird Designs also has lots of cross stitching and embroidery projects. They are big on samplers, which I love! Check out their website and you will find a few little free sampler patterns that you can download. We all like free!

This advertisement is not paid for,

nor in any way encouraged by Blackbird Designs!

FIREMAN FABRIC #2

Just a note on the FIREMAN FABRIC from a previous post. I had a really hard time deciding who should receive the fabric. I wish I had more! Two ladies in particular really caught my attention and I couldn't decide so, I ended up flipping a coin. I didn't stop to think that this would be difficult! The fabric is going to Trudy in Iowa. Her husband has been a fireman for 30 years and now her son is. She says she recognizes what angels firemen truly are! Trudy is very involved in the community of firefighters and does lots of volunteer work, including cooking and quilting! She will put the fabric to good use. My uncle, Burt Winspear, was a fireman in Buffalo, NY years ago, and so I am very sentimental when it comes to firemen. I wonder if my grandmother bought the fabric? I don't know, but I am happy that it is finding a new home in a family of firemen. I hope Trudy will share her quilt with us when it is completed.

BLACKBIRD DESIGNS WORKSHOP

<-This is what I accomplished at the all day workshop given by Alma Allen and Barb Adams of Blackbird Designs! I have never been known as an over achiever! The workshop was fabulous and I learned a lot and had so much fun mingling with other quilters. We all really loved Barb and Alma. They are so talented, it just blows you away! But more than that, they were such a pleasure to be around. They are kind and generous and enjoyable. I will pay good money for friends like that any day! :0)


The project that we worked on is called Candy Canes and Holly. It is about 28" square. While this project is not in their new book, Birds of a Feather, parts of it are. They explained how easy it is to remove blocks from a large design to create something smaller. They have various pieces of the main quilt made up in wool applique, hooked rug, a stenciled bench, etc.
Barb especially like to use dye remover to fade her new fabrics, then she over dyes them with tan dye for a really old, faded look. Directions to do that are in this book. The toile background is from their new fabric line and is fabulous!
Remember the previous background they designed using samplers? They actually photo copied two samplers made by little girls in the 19th century, cut them up and combined them, and Moda ran them on fabric! It is wonderful! I 'm telling you, these ladies have so much talent. I think it is so neat that they can work together and enjoy each others company and combine their gifts and then share them with us. It is interesting how inspired I feel for having spent time with them. Today it is supposed to be stormy and guess who doesn't care? I have more applique prep to do! Then I can stitch in front of the TV tonight. The stitching is the easy part -- all that prep work is why I never get to the stitching part!

BROKEN DISHES MEDALLION

I have been working on my little broken dishes projects. I made two square ones for gifts and the little doll size is for ME! I hand quilted that one. The side borders on both are from the new Jo Morton fabric line. It is awesome fabric and really gives an old fashioned look. I feel good to have those two gifts done before Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving the time just flies. I have a few more gifts to make. Notice how I jump around between projects? Is there a quilter out there who doesn't have ADD?
Tonight I have a lecture to attend given by the gals from Blackbird Designs. Tomorrow is their all day class. I am excited. It is at our LQS, What's Your Stitch 'n Stuff. I will report back in a few days!

I LOVE THIS BLOCK

I was cruising blogs the other day and saw this darling block on Mereth's blog. I hope she doesn't mind that I am "borrowing" it. I don't know the name of it. I had been looking for a block to use with some of these cool 19th Century repros I have been collecting. (Doesn't it sound better to say that we "collect" fabric?) The block easily graphed up at 10 inches. What I like about this block is that you can incorporate several fabrics into it. The corners are large enough to use a medium scale fabric and really show it off. In the single block picture, all the fabrics, except the tan, are from the Harriet Beecher Stowe collection by Windham. They are perfect in this block! At least to my way of thinking. The other blocks contain reproduction fabrics from other favorite designers. You probably recognize some of them. I really enjoy digging through fabric from many sources to see what works in a block. Making scrap quilts in this manner always takes longer, but each block comes forth as a pretty little prize in the end. Someday I will have to work harder at being more spontanious. I think we all evolve in quilting as we go along. We gain confidence and take chances and develope our own style. I am still working on that. In the meantime, I get excited about each new project that I start and try to go like crazy on it before something else catches my eye and I get distracted. Follow through to completion! I have UFOs that are calling to me, but this new project grabbed my attention! More later.....

FIREMAN FABRIC

Take a look at this cute fireman fabric! It was with some of my mom's things. I think it is probably 1950's vintage. The firemen are about 1-1/2" tall on black cotton. Notice the little wings on the fireman by the ladder. I just love it, but it really needs to go to a special home. Please tell me if you have a fireman connection: husband, father, loved one. I would love to give it to someone who will love it and put it to good use. It is 38" wide and there are two yards. Be warned, I will want to see the end product! Anyone interested? Leave a comment and an e-mail address.

Thanks for your interest in this fireman fabric. I had a difficult time deciding who to give it to, but I have made a decision. I have e-mailed her and will report back later.

BROKEN DISHES

I am back in Blogland! My computer guy came over last night and cleaned up my computer! Yay!! Everything that I had messed up while trying to “fix” things, is put back in order. What would I do without him? Let’s not even think about it.

I have been playing with HSTs this past week. I love them, actually. I used up little scraps of triangles that I had trimmed off things over the years, added some new ones, and started making Broken Dishes blocks. I never have enough organizing space and found that I can put the lids to my plastic boxes to use. I set out my little HSTs on one and used a larger lid to arrange the finished blocks. The blocks are 3” finished. I got the blocks sewn together, borders and all, and decided to add a little focus block in the center like in the Dutch Doll Quilts. So I picked out the center and sewed the little appliquéd bird in. (Remember the bird from a previous post? When I find something I like I just keep making it!) This time it is wool sewn on a cotton background. I love it! I will make one to exchange and one to keep! Now, back to the sewing room! Have a great weekend!

THE COMPUTER FROM HELL

My computer has really been giving me problems. Or maybe I have been giving it problems, I'm not sure. I had trouble getting on line, then couldn't get on line at all for a few days. Verizon came out and put a new box on my house and now I am back on line. But I have really screwed up some other stuff in the meantime. Have you ever had a problem with your computer crashing after loading pictures onto your blog? I get that some times. I have wondered if Blogger distributes any problems, such as virus, worm, trojans, spyware??? I don't suspect them of doing it on purpose. But there are so many creeps out there who take pleasure in creating problems for others. My husband works for the government and was recently alerted that they are not to use any MP3's on office computers. Apparently McDonalds in Japan awarded MP3s as prizes and they contained a trojan horse. I doubt that McDonalds knew that, but the problem still remains. It stinks to be at the mercy of hackers.
OK, how about something pleasant!
I completed my Buggy Barn Geese quite a while ago (not quilted) but never got it posted. It is really a different style quilt. When you cut the pieces you stack layers of fabric together and cut the same shape from all layers. There is virtually no waste. Then you rearrange the pieces in the stack so each layer is different. Because you layer the lights and the darks together, you end up with half the blocks in dark background and half in light background. I couldn't quite get the whole quilt in the photo, but you can see that the blocks with the dark background are all in the center of the quilt, and the outer quilt has the reverse. I have never made anything quite like this before. It wasn't difficult. You trim up all the blocks to size, so everything fits. It did take lots of space due to the size and the diagonal set. It was fun to try something new. I think Buggy Barn does cool stuff!

I am playing with triangle pieces left from old projects, some from many years ago. I have been making them into Broken Dishes blocks that finish at three inches. I actually had to make more HSTs to add to the pile, so it is a nice mix of old and new. I am tying to get a jump on the season that must not be named in October. The LQS always has a party and gift exchange for employees and teachers. Everyone brings one gift and then a big fight breaks out to see who gets to keep the best one. It is actually a game that I find embarrassing, but of course I want my item to be awesome. We shall see.

I have over 200 blogline entries showing up, so obviously I haven't been keeping up! I will have to do some speed reading! Wishing you well!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please be patient until I get someone who knows computer code to set this up right! In the meantime, enjoy twice as many photos! (Now you've done it, Ollie).

WOOL INFO

Finn asked me questions about working with wool and I answered her to the best of my untrained ability. I decided to post the info here as well, in case anyone else was interested.
Finn also had an interesting comment about "gleaning" wool from bushes! Nancy actually knows someone who did that! It is a funny thing, but it seems to me that the older one becomes, the more recent the past becomes. Why is that? I think it is because when you find yourself at age 50 or 60, you realize that 100 years ago was not that long ago any more. Now about wool felt. I am sure some of you remember that years ago we could buy really good quality felt squares for crafts. I still have some! Then one day, overnight it seems, it was no longer nice felt, but cheesy synthetic stuff. Well, now wool felt and wool fabric is all the rage for crafts again. If only I had some of those old wool skirts back! They are overdying it for projects!
I don't know if I can answer Finn's questions adequately. I am new to this thing myself, and have never put my wool pieces through any process. I have been told that most of the books with wool projects will give you directions. The wool felt that you have is stiff. Am I right? You can use it that way, or you can "full" it. Fulling it produces a softer product. To full it, place it in hot-hot water. Soak it, press the water out, soak it in cold water, press the water out, then put it in the drier.The colors will probably bleed. Be careful not to swish it too much because they are not woven fibers, but compressed, and can fall apart. When it is dry it should be fuller-hence the word "full".
You can use the felt without this process, but it will remain stiff. You can also use this process on woven wool, and it will shrink up, as I am sure you know.
Directions vary with the applique, but the gal who taught me prefers using Heat 'n Bond fusible web. It helps keep the edges from fraying. I like that also.
My previous entry linked to a shop in Wisconson called Primitive Gatherings. It has kits and patterns, etc. (As do many others). Give it a try-it's lots of fun!

GATHERING WOOL

Did you know that in years past they (read: women) used to collect bunches of wool from the bushes where it had rubbed off the sheep? I read that somewhere. I love learning those little tidbits from the past. I feel drawn to the past in many ways, but truthfully, I wouldn't want to live there.
I took a class last Saturday where we made a little wool table runner. It is from Primitive Gatherings. The LQS does lots of primitive stuff, and I love it! This project came in a kit, and the red wool is a little on the dark side. It doesn't photograph well. There are two crows on a branch at each end and the word Simplify embroidered above them.
I couldn't stop playing with wool, so I decided to make a pincushion. Well, I actually made three! I will be needing a few gifts in the near future. It is so nice to have something to work on in the evenings now that it gets dark earlier and the temperatures have dropped. Jo Morton's book, Prairie Flowers, shows this as a pincushion in wool, and it was just what I was looking for!
I also taught a class this week. It is a cute little brown churn dash quilt that I call Table Scraps, because I was literally picking pieces of fabric off the cutting table and adding them to the quilt. It is scrappy and has some cute little mavericks in there. I love that little churn dash block!

SPOOLS QUILT

Remember when I posted a photo of a few spools I was sewing on in Minnesota? I finished about 3/4 of the blocks while at my daughter's house, then finished the rest when I came home. This week I got the top done! I love it! I made it for ME! The design is so simple and I do like simplicity. The blocks are 9-1/2" finished. Teri Christopherson, from Black Mt. Quilts, is the designer. It's in the book Sunflower Patch. I surrounded it with 3" cut squares and then a rust-red border. It measures 56" x 75". I was at the LQS on Monday and found the perfect backing fabric on the half-price shelf!
I spent today cleaning and organizing--still! But I have made real progress! The spare bedroom is once again useable. I removed all the boxes of fabric and stuff and got it all put away in my sewing room. I am loving my new cabinets! I can actually find things and put things away! What a concept! DD #1 is coming to visit tomorrow, so that was the incentive I need to get it done, I guess. :)

AMAZING STORY

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my little treasures and my quilts. It is nice to be able to share and have people appreciate the things we love and enjoy. I gain so much from all of you as I peruse your blogs and see your talents and feel your enthusiasm for "our craft" and for life in general. I am not posting a picture today, but instead, I want to share this story and video that my brother sent to me. It is heartwarming and beautiful! You will want to share it with your friends and family. Go to http://cjcphoto.com/can/

MOSTLY OLDER THAN ME

I guess those of us who like old quilts also like other old stuff! Finn was showing her lovely antique dishes, and it made me jump right up and take a picture of a few of my favorites. I really should do some close-ups for my family, because most of them are family treasures that I am lucky enough to own. Mainly because I am the one who is interested in them! But they need to be labeled. When my mom passed away I realized how little I knew about the things that she held dear. I need to learn from that!

The three dishes are Johnson Brothers. All have different pictures on them. They were my mother-in-laws. The little houses are not antiques (yet). They are by David Winter, and they were my mom's. On the lower shelf is an enamel tea set that belonged to my great grandmother, Libby Winspear. On the bottom it says "Germany", but no other clues. I would love to decorate my whole house in this manner, but I have a husband. 'Nuff said.

Another favorite display of mine holds a big platter that was a wedding gift to my great-grandparents (Lemon Chambers, yes, Lemon) in 1888. It is a treasure! The silver colored mug on the right might be pewter. I don't know enough about antiques, really. It is engraved, and says, "Won as 2nd Prize at Delaware Street Church Spelling School by John North, May 3, 1875". He was my great-grandfather. Two iron banks, one of my grandfather, Wally Winspear, and one from my husband's father. You probably can't see it, but around the neck of the little baby dress is a birth bracelet from when I was born. It says "Winspear Girl" in little bead letters. Anybody remember those? I guess that is an antique now too! Oh face it, I guess I am an antique now too!

FALL QUILTS

I just came from Melanie's blog and was wowed by her beautiful fall quilts. I have two for this time of year that I really like. One is called "Leaves in the Air", combining the scrappy leaves and the Birds in the Air blocks. I love scrappy, and it was great fun to see how many different colors and fabrics found a happy spot in this quilt. In my mind, the little diagonally set triangles feel like leaves fluttering to the ground.
The other is "Plaid Harvest", for "harvesting" fall colored plaids from my stash. I have yet to find a really good way to hang quilts for photos..I gotta find me some trees, like Melanie!

PIN CUSHIONS AND BINDINGS

I have seen some pretty cute pin cushions on blogs this week. It makes me want to make myself some cute ones! The first picture is kind of a joke, but I bet you all do it. That is my shirt stuck with pins! I also use a Gingerbread Man plate. He is kind of a catch all. The wooden chicken is a Cub Scout project that my brother made when he was a kid. He is now 57. My Mom used it for years. She glued a Dr. Scholl’s foot pad on his rump to stick the pins in. I keep it by my TV because it holds the thread and scissors as well. The stuffed apple is from when we lived in Washington, known for their apples! My aunt made the adorable chicken. It is filled with kitty litter. The last one, in the back, was a gift from my in-laws. They picked it up while on vacation. I was always touched that they would bring it back for me. It is hand made by a potter. The bottom is round pottery with a puffy top for the pins. It has a bent reed handle, so I can carry it around. I have had it for almost 30 years. Kind of fun, huh?


I am still working on cleaning my sewing room. As you know, we have a tendency to “discover” things as we clean. This week I happened upon a few 9-patch blocks that a teenage girl made when she stayed here a few years ago. I made a few more, set them with alternating blocks and finished up a baby quilt for donation. I had two other baby tops to donate that needed backs and binding, so I got that done also. Now I have four little tops, with backs and bindings ready to go. I like to prepare my bindings soon after finishing a quilt top, while the fabric is available. In the photo you can see one wall in my sewing room with a quilt rack on the wall. I have padded the rod and pinned a quilt in progress on it. (No dates allowed) On the right side I have bindings strung onto a safety pin and pinned to the rod. This is very helpful to me when the quilt comes back from the quilter. I don’t have to stop and make a binding—it is ready and waiting. I suppose there are those that could have 50-60 or even 94 bindings waiting for quilts to be quilted! I am not that prolific! (See Quilting Daze blog)

SEWING ROOM CABINETS

The unveiling! These are my new cabinets for my sewing room! They are my 60th birthday present from my husband. My birthday was in January, but these things take time. My husband wanted to give me jewelry or and expensive watch. The kind of things so many women enjoy. But I have been wanting shelves for, what seems like, my entire life! You may recall my sewing room clutter from previous pictures. I can’t promise it will never be cluttered again, but at least this gives me a fighting chance! I had it built to accommodate my plastic storage boxes, so I can put one large box, or two medium sized boxes on a shelf. I can pull them out to sort through them. I also am using the lids to stack fabric or projects on. I was explaining to my husband that I can now label my projects, so I know right where they are. (Since I have so many “in progress”). He suggested that I date them as well. Very funny. The center of the unit contains file drawers for my quilting needs. DH has a goal to get all my stuff out of the office and into my own room. My suggestion of knocking down the wall between the two rooms was not even considered. Go figure! For those of you who are sewing on your kitchen table, please know that I did that for many years also. Life has many stages. For a long time I experienced the stage where the kids always came first. As well they should! But now it is my turn, and I think that is OK too. My husband? Well, he is still waiting for his turn, bless him. His dream is of antique cars and big boats. Let’s see if he will settle for a good homemade dinner tonight.

SECOND SHOT OF QUILT

I decided to try and post a second photo of Lincoln's Platform because, for some reason, no close up comes when you click on the previous picture. I hope I didn't change a setting because I will never find it again! Some of you noticed the circles that appear in the design. That is because I added a few lighter squares in key places. It was quite by accident that the circles appeared, but I like them. I used red for all the corner squares and navy for the center posts in the sashing. As you can see, this photo has the quilt mounted on my design wall. Unfortunately, I cannot get a clear shot in that spot. I moved my sewing machine off the table, etc. I really need to find a good spot for photos! Libby's backyard?