I finished The Gypsy Influence, made a little progress on other projects, and took more pics of the deer and flowers in our backyard.
Remember when I made these small quilts after I finished Gypsy Wife? Well, I finally sewed them together using Wendy's potholder method. I've so admired her quilts that I thought I'd give it a try.
Each mini-quilt is quilted and bound . . .
. . . then whip-stitched together. I love the result. Thanks, Wendy, for sharing your tips! Make sure you hop on over to her blog The Constant Quilter to see what she's been up to.
The label. Ta-da!
I recently published my 2014 blog book via Blog2Print. I'm working backwards so have now completed three.
I'm always pleased with the quality of the color printing.
This binding winder gadget definitely comes in handy! I'm getting closer and closer to that final step on my Flags quilt :)
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Here's what's blooming in our yard:
Feverfew reseeds itself every year so there's lots of it in and around the garden. It smells so good.
Tiger Lilies make a big splash of color at the end of the driveway :)
A late-blooming Rhododendron.
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The deer were back the other day. Mama started pawing at the ground when she saw me. The little fawn is getting big. So cute!
And the other day my son-in-law sent this picture of the snapping turtle in our yard at the cabin. Every year it returns to the exact same spot where she digs a nest and lays her eggs. Unfortunately, we've never seen any hatchlings. Maybe this will be the year!
Have a great week!
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Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer
Let's celebrate Flag Day!
Oh, so vintage! The flag that my maternal grandfather, Stan Bower, faithfully raised and lowered every day.
I made Dear Old Stars and Stripes a few years ago based on a song he wrote and published in 1909. You can read about it here.
This Centennial Quilt was documented by The Heritage Quilt Project of NJ. The twelve outer flags have 13 red and white stripes and 39 stars. There are four George Washington banners in the center along with two Flags of the Nations at the top and bottom. These represent the countries which participated in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.
My paternal grandfather, Ralph Davis, proudly displayed this flag at the lake where I used to fish and swim when I was growing up.
One of my all-time favorite books is All Flags Flying by Robert Bishop and Carter Houck. If you like patriotic quilts this is a great book to have in your library. I noticed there are still copies available on Amazon. This quilt was my inspiration when I decided to make a Quilt of Valor in 2013.
Here's my version using the flags from a panel I had purchased at the Great American Quilt Festival in NYC.
I know I've shown you this quilt before. It's called Coming Home.
My flag is flying today, is yours?
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Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer
In 2003 the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Study Group went on a field trip to Lititz, PA, for a special viewing of the quilts at the (now defunct) Pennsylvania Quilt & Textile Museum. Of course, Rachel and I went. I recently came across the photos I took that day and thought you'd like to see them.
Album Quilt with Birds from the Peto Collection.
Baltimore Album Quilt Heart in Hand also from the Peto Collection.
A beautifully appliqued quilt with a peacock:)
I'd like to make a Tumbling Blocks quilt some day :)
Lots of squares.
I was intrigued with this quilt mainly because I had been making Philadelphia Pavement blocks and was looking for ways to put them together. In fact, they are on my '17 in 2017' UFO list to work on this year!
Another great postage stamp layout. Check out two similar quilts on my Pinterest board here and here.
This one's made of triangles with a patriotic center. Here's another one.
Loved seeing these quilts up close and personal.
An interesting compass block.
And wonderful fabric :)
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On another note here's what's blooming in our garden:
Pink roses . . .
. . . ruffled iris called Edith Wolford . . .
. . . and Spiderwort :)
Have a great week!
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Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer
This past week I've really enjoyed watching the deer in our backyard. Here are some photos that I took from the family room.
I was spotted!
Just look at that little one. So sweet!
What I should have done was record a video . . .
. . . because every time I snapped a photo the fawn moved.
I was always scanning the yard to see where they were. Sometimes mama was close by and other times she was watching from afar but I haven't seen them since Sunday so maybe they've moved on.
What fun it's been to see them up close.
Hopefully, I'll have some quilting news next week!
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Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer
It's been an interesting week . . .
The other day I spotted this groundhog making its way toward the garden. It's been a long time since I've seen one in the backyard but it was a reminder that I need to do some serious weeding!
We have no idea how this deer got in the backyard as it is completely fenced in and the gates are always closed . . .
. . . and then we discovered her baby. So cute!
I added a star border to my scrappy blocks. I had lots of leftover stars from Barbara Brackman's Stars In A Time Warp quiltalong and decided they'd be perfect for this quilt. I still have a third border in mind . . .
The new Valley Forge Betsy Ross 13-Star Heritage Flag Kit I ordered from united.states.flag.com arrived in time for Memorial Day. I love the look of this new "aged" flag.
This Memorial Day let us not forget Lt. Harry I. Luth who died in a mid-air collision during a WWII training mission near Phenix City, AL. He was only 23 years old and is buried in Restland Memorial Park, E. Hanover, NJ.
Enjoy the holiday weekend!
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Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer
The scrappy blocks that I started making last week turned into a total of nine.
Here they are as the center of my new quilt. I had quite a stash of 1-1/2" x 3" bricks and 1-1/2" squares so it all went together quickly.
My evening project is quilting the Flags of the American Revolution quilt and it's moving right along. I've actually started quilting the outer border :) I'm hoping to have it done by the end of June so I can start quilting Morris hexies for next year's guild show.
On some of the flags I experimented with straight line quilting using Pearl cotton and a larger needle. I had big stitch quilting in mind but my stitches aren't quite big enough, lol. Even so, the quilting goes a lot faster and I can complete one flag in two nights.
Have you visited Ann Hermes' blog Notes From the Quilt Lab? You should! Check out her ingenious method for hanging little quilts. I just so happened to have two vintage wooden rulers and was anxious to give it a try. It's so e-a-s-y! The little quilt is sandwiched in between two rulers that are held together with binder clips which become the hangers. Ann has lots of examples so make sure you stop by! FYI, that was my first sewing machine. It was a gift from my parents for my 13th birthday :)
More wildflowers . . .
These Stars of Bethlehem are everywhere! So pretty to look at.
I spotted this Jack-in-the-Pulpit near the Mayapple patch.
Yesterday we ate lunch at the famous Summit Diner in downtown Summit, NJ. It was built in 1938 and is the oldest operating diner in NJ. My favorite diner food is a cheese omelet with homefries and rye toast :)
Hope you have a great week!
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Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer
