Bear Over the Mountain Crib Quilt : WIP

Hand appliqued, with embroidery details---these are calico's from the early '80's---yes, fabric & quilt squares I have had for that long! and moved several times along with me....the pattern is called "Bear Over the Mountain" and I have no idea where it is from...

I plan to make these 9 squares (which I originally created in 1981) into a crib quilt for the new grandbaby who will arrive in late August. I have always wanted to finish this quilt--- and pleased I now will. I'm thinking it might be fun to embroider some snow caps on the mountains...before I sew the squares all together.

Of flowers and frogs

Lately I have been real busy with designing for my classes at the California School of Professional Fabric Design where I am "master" student---in my last class, and hopefully close to finishing.

Consequently, I haven't been doing much sewing or beading---only knitting--since it is easily transportable. At least that is what I have been telling myself---but when I got busy and really cleaned and organized my crafting studio space---suddenly I found myself sewing up a little project I had been wanting to try for months! So here is to organized studio space (!) and spring flowers....

a spring flower ! created from some ribbons, vintage button, beads....


and this flower using a vintage hanky and vintage button

these are a (surprise!) gift for one of the faithful attenders of my monthly Needlework Salon---she makes fabulous knit & felted hats---which these will trim nicely. She made the soon-to-be grandbaby these fun froggy felted booties--sized to fit a new born, aren't they fun?

The Elves are sewing !

The elves created this holiday ornament---yes, a small button wreath.










And I have been sewing and created few fun aprons for special gifts. I was much inspired by this book---which is a real treasure!


So here is a Holiday apron! with rickrack trim....



and here is a bib apron--with vintage hankies for the pockets....for this bib apron I just copied an old one I had that my dear departed mother-in-law made years ago......


I used a vintage button for trimming the neck strap---isn't this fun a retro fabric print? and brown is such a practical color for an apron...

and a brown vintage hankie for the pockets...

Quilts in Our Lives

I love vintage quilts, and have few of them around the house. So, here is a quick tour of some of the quilts in our house...the ones we are currently using. I have few my Great Grandmother made packed away.

This Tumbling Block quilt I bought at a garage sale (oh lucky day!) quite a few years ago--I love the combination of vintage fabrics and the quilting is all by hand. This quilt is large enough for a queen size bed. An old quilt like this makes me wonder about the women whose hands stitched it? (or was it a man?) what was she like? who did she make this quilt for? where did she learn to quilt?

Here is a close up--so you can see the quilting and the vintage fabrics.

This quilt I inherited from my Mother. The top was pieced by a relative on my father's side of the family and my Mother finished the quilt and quilted it--with some friends--by hand. The quilt top is also all vintage fabrics, the backing is not. Fits a queen size bed.




This is another surprising garage sale find--a cotton flannel quilt! the pink triangles were beige until I washed the quilt and the red flannel colors stained the beige pink. The backing of this quilt is flannel also....this quilt is so comfy and warm...we use it as a lap quilt when we watch TV or read. This quilt is large enough for a full bed size.

This is an old wool crazy quilt I bought last winter at the Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale---the back is wool also. The wool in this small lap quilt is very fine and scratchy---probably from old men's suits. The embroidery stitching is done in wool, also. This quilt is old and funky--some holes (which I intend to mend), but I just fell in love with it.
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TODAY'S QUOTE:

Every single one of us has a good work to do in life. This good work not only accomplishes something needed in the world, but completes something in us. When it is finished, a new work emerges that will help make green a desert place as well as scale another mountain inside ourselves.
— Elizabeth O'Connor quoted in Living the Truth