*News Flash!*

Remember these two quilts??

. . . My Inking Journey made while participating in Barbara Brackman's Antebellum BOM in 2018 . . . 

. . . and Chimney Sweep with Leaves my version of a favorite quilt in the book Remember Me by Linda Otto Lipsett?

Well, the *News Flash" is that both quilts are in Barbara's new book Divided Hearts: A Civil War Friendship Quilt by C&T Publishing. Thank you, Barbara, I am truly honored! 

My blocks with inked drawings and names of my gr-gr-grandparents appear throughout the book. Here is one.
 

And there are instructions for making a Chimney Sweep quilt like mine :) 

In addition, contributors Denniele Bohannon, Becky Brown, Mark Lauer, and Patricia Styring made some awesome quilts so when you have a minute go to Amazon and take a 'look inside' this beautiful book. Be inspired!   

Enjoy your week!



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Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

 

Antebellum #6 and Chimney Sweep

Just trying to catch up :)

I finished Antebellum #6 Madame's Star and followed the color placement as shown below in the NJ quilt on Barbara B's blog.

  
Thanks, Barbara, for letting me use your pic!

I found this cute inking on Pinterest . . . 

. . . but my spacing wasn't terrific when I wrote 'Robert Bower' so I may fill in with a little flourish--or something else. Robert is my 2nd gr-grandfather and Phebe's spouse. Remember her from last month?

Here are blocks 1-6. I'll be making at least one more with Prussian blue fabric to try and balance things out. 

 

 

Did you notice the leaves in this quilt in Linda Otto Lipsett's book, Remember Me? I've been wanting to make a Chimney Sweep quilt like this for a long time so in addition to appliqueing leaves I started making 9" blocks in brown prints. 

The leaves are along the edges . . . 

  
. . . and in the corners. Isn't that a great stripe? It's Georgetown by Judie Rothermel / Marcus.

I stopped after 5 blocks and made a small top instead of a large quilt :)  

I hope you are enjoying your summer!




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Copyright 2018, Barbara Schaffer

So Long, 2019!

It's always fun to look back and 2019 was really a productive year. The first six months included triangles, monthly minis with Wendy, The Constant Quilter, chimney sweep, scrappy strings, and a challenge with Sandy R.  

1. Triangles was the first to be finished in 2019. My inspiration came from an antique quilt but the block pattern came from Barbara Brackman's A Cloud of Quilt Patterns here.

2. January Little Quilt made use of extra tumblers from a still-unfinished project along with a fun border print.

3.  I finally did something with the little vintage 9-patches that I purchased from Mary Koval many years ago. This is my February Little Quilt. 

 4.  I was inspired to make March's little quilt after a birthday birding trip with my daughter.

5. Chimney Sweep with Leaves is a small version of one of my favorite quilts in the book Remember Me by Linda Otto Lipsett.

6. It was time to empty my scrap bins and what better way than to make a string quilt! It's twin size and I intend to use it at the cabin.

7. I saved the bed hanging fabric from a little shoe-box doll bed that my mother made in 1954 and re-purposed it for April's little quilt. It's hand quilted.

8. When Sandy R. invited me to participate in an Indigo Challenge I couldn't resist. She provided all the vintage indigo fabrics and this was the first piece I made after seeing a little quilt on Pinterest. 

9. The original block was one that Gay at Sentimental Stitches provided for her Cheddarback Quilt SAL. I thought it was perfect to showcase more indigo. This is #2.

10. May's little quilt is the third piece I made in the Indigo Challenge :)

11. Another block from Gay's Cheddarback SAL got me moving on June's little quilt. I just kept adding borders to this cute little basket :)

That's it for now but more to come. 

Here's to a fabulous 2020!

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

Common Threads Quilt Exhibit

This past Monday, friends and I went to Flemington NJ to see the Common Threads: Quilting Traditions of Hunterdon County, NJ exhibit curated by Judy Grow and sponsored by the Hunterdon County Tricentennial Committee. There were 48 quilts on loan from local museums, historical societies, and private collectors.

Here are photos of some the signatures quilts:

Chimney Sweep, Amy C. Hampton, 1845, 95" x 95." Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection. "There are 49 blocks. . . with signatures in all but one block."

 

 

Eliza Hager, Signature, 1843, 96" x 96," Judy Grow Collection. "This quilt of 25 pieced blocks with white sashing and blue corner blocks uses only two print fabrics with a fine plain white. . ."

 

  

Chimney Sweep with Dogtooth Border, 1849, 91" x 106." Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection. "The quilt is dated 1849 in many blocks. . . there are 30 blocks with 29 names and typical sentiments written on them. . . "

Flemington Baptist Church Mission Band, Fundraiser, 1883, 72" x 80", Hunterdon County Historical Society Collection. "The mission was organized in 1881 and was not musical. . . eight young teenage girls met to baste blocks to be sent to the Missionary Training Schools. . ."
 

Dilts/Holcombe Album, c. 1843, 96" x 108-1/2", Lambertville Historical Society Collection. "This early album, or sampler quilt includes 56 applique and pieced blocks. . . some of the blocks are personalized with small inked pictures. . . "

Somehow I missed taking a full photo of a c. 1842 Ohio Star Signature quilt which I absolutely loved but managed to take details of several blocks with wonderful blue fabrics and sashing: 

 

Ohio Star, On-Point Set, Signature, c. 1842, 91" x 93-1/2," Sandra Starley Collection. "These 61 "Ohio Star" blocks with accompanying half- and quarter-blocks are set on-point and are separated and bordered by "fussy-cut" striped sashing fabric. . . The quilt includes 71 signatures, some of them dated 1841 and 1842. . . "

I think I need to make a smaller version of this quilt :)

I'll try and post some of the star quilts next week. 

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Copyright 2014, Barbara Schaffer

Antebellum #7 and John Hankinson

This week I finished Antebellum #7 Chimney Sweep. Barbara B's instructions for vertical row piecing made this block easy to assemble.  

In keeping with adding the names of my 2nd gr-grandparents, this block is in memory of John Hankinson, an English immigrant. According to the 1841 & 1851 England censuses, John, a brick layer, his wife, Alice, and their children were living in Liverpool. They immigrated to the U.S. in 1851. For more than twenty years (1854-1876) John was listed in the NYC Directories as a mason with his business at 464 Greenwich St. and residence at 36 Renwick. Both are in the area of the Holland Tunnel in lower Manhattan.
 

I chose to copy this inking that Barbara had posted on her blog a while ago. 

Would you believe the first time around I didn't leave space for a seam allowance? What was I thinking?? This is version #2 :)

The Hankinson family plot is in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY. Interred there are John Hankinson (1821-1885), his wife Alice King (1819-1904), three  children (small white stones): Richard (1851-1860), William Henry (1854-1856) and Betsey (1839-1859); also, a grandson Walter (d. 1915) and my gr-grandfather, Frank Hankinson (1856-1911) though his name is not inscribed on the monument.

JOHN HANKINSON

BORN IN

POULTON LEFYLDE

LANCASHIRE ENGLAND

DIED AT NEW YORK CITY

MARCH 15, 1885

AGED 64 YRS 11 MOS 30 D'S

When John died the attending physician was Samuel S. Purple, a founding member and past president of the NY Academy of Medicine and for many years the editor of the NY Genealogical and Biographical Record. After all these years the Purple name continues to haunt me. My grandmother Maud Hankinson Davis states her mother was Mary Purple but I haven't yet been able to make that connection. 

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So back to Chimney Sweeps for a minute . . .

Here's a little piece I made in 2004 based on a doll quilt that was documented by HQPNJ.

In 2006 Barb V. and her friend, Mary, were co-chairs of GSQs Friendship Quilt. I had to provide the red fabric for my block so this is what I chose. 

A wonderful assortment of reds and one lucky winner :) 

Happy August!

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Copyright 2018, Barbara Schaffer

This 'n That

This week .  .  .  

 

. . . dozens of robins were eating holly berries . . .  

. . . and then we had two snow storms. Not a huge amount but enough to make it feel like winter :) 

A reader asked about how wide I cut selvages. Here's what works for me. From top to bottom: 1-1/2", 1-1/4", 1", 3/4" and 1/2". I need 1/4" overlap when sewing them onto the foundation. So depending on the width, there's either fabric showing or if the selvages are narrow there is no fabric in between.  

 
Then out of the blue I received a lovely surprise from my blogging friend, Wendy--an envelope full of selvages! Thank you so much!  

I got right down to business and started ironing them all. Then I made more blocks. Did you ever notice some selvages have fringe? See the strip with the leaves directly below 'Paula Barnes'? If you sew through the fringe it won't hold so I move my stitching to above the fringe line.

Oftentimes when I get to a corner (lower right) I fill in with just a piece of fabric and no selvage. That way I don't have to deal with extra bulk in that area. 

I've been busy quilting Chimney Sweep in the evening and making good progress :)

It's "handywoman-time" around the house so after I touched up the paint in the hallway I put this quilt on the bench to enjoy.

Have a wonderful week!




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Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer