All Over the Place

Do you ever flit from one project to another? Take the time to enjoy nature? Re-do a label so the info is more accurate? Well, that's been my last week or so.

After I finished the journal I made for my granddaughter, I am now totally absorbed in printing pics of all the quilts I've made and putting them in a little album and that is no small feat!

I have some photos in my quilt files . . . 

Others in a binder with detailed info about each quilt but mostly they are in the "Barb's Quilts" file on my computer.

Oh yes, there are also some in a journal/album that I started in 1997! I didn't get very far with this project at the time. I wanted to record some of my favorite snippets of fabrics that I had from when I was in high school sewing clothes for myself and even my mother. But this project went by the wayside, that is, until last week.

Now my pages have pics plus fabrics that were used in a particular quilt. That is, if I had scraps left after making it. 

I like seeing detailed shots along with a fabric or two on each page :) So, I will continue in this mode . . . 

This is one amazing sunset that we've had in the past couple weeks. 

Check out the reflections of the clouds in the river! The water was so still I had to go down to the dock to take some pics.

A cairn at the top of the mountain that Connie and I hiked to last weekend.

Tree fungi--so cool!

I made 'Ancestry' back in 1977 and wrote in the names of my ancestors--some of whom were incorrect. You can read about them here and here.

After all these years of wanting to set the record straight, I finally added a new label :)

More thrift shop fabrics. I need to stop going there, haha!

Enjoy your week!

 

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer

Little Journal

My granddaughter turned 19 last month and for her birthday I made this little journal of her gr-grandmother, Etta Bower Davis (my mother), with whom she shares her middle name. Like I mentioned last week I got hooked on a YouTube video of how to make a little 'junk journal' and this is what I came up with.

The cover with a closure of silk ribbon, buttons, and beads from the thrift shop. It's small--2-3/4" x 4". I'll show you some of the pages. 

I reduced the size of the photos and tucked a little something inside each envelope pocket . . 

. . . like this photo that was taken at Clason Point Amusement Park in the Bronx and . . . 

. . . on the back a copy of a page from her 1919 Arithmetic book. Can you believe I had that??

A copy of a card my mother gave to her mother who wrote the note at the bottom to me many years ago: "This from your dear mother when she was little."

The centerfold pockets hold photos of my mother's embroidered flowers.

About 12-14 yrs old on the left and in the pocket a cropped photo of her and her classmates at PS 166 in Manhattan. She was 9 years old and in the 4th grade (1919).

1929 high school photo with drawings she did for the yearbook. 

Her 1935 engagement portrait and tucked inside are photos of my granddaughter and me :)

All in all there are 6 pages with photos and pockets, the center fold with two pockets plus front and back covers. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and am anxious to start on another one!

 

This month's Farmhouse flowers. Aren't those lilies gorgeous?

Enjoy your week!

  

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer

July Mini and Journal

I still had small pieces left from last month's mini so here is the same color scheme for July: black, gray, and yellow.

The piece is quilted in white thread and I never gave much thought as to how it would look on the black squares. Maybe I should have done the quilting on the prints not the solids. Oh, well!

I needed a pure white and black print for the border and found this in Natalie's stash. It was perfect! 

Ta-da! Those are 1" squares, 1/2" inner border and 2" outer border. The finished piece is 16" x 16". 

The backing is an oldie but goodie :) Please remember to stop by Wendy's blog the last day of the month to see what she's made. And send her good wishes, too!

Now onto something new . . . 

And this is only a tease :)

I was watching this You Tube video on how to make a Junk Journal out of envelopes . . .

And then I found all these little envelopes at the thrift shop for 50-cents!

I loved the photos of my mother when she was little . . . 

And my granddaughter was named (middle name) after her great-grandmother. Do you know where this is going??

Here's the first page and I'll show you more next week :)

 

Copyright 2022 Barbara Schaffer

Auction Quilt #2

AS IS. That was the condition of the 2nd quilt I purchased at auction. The bad thing is that it had lots of holes and a cedar chest odor . . .

. . . the good thing is that Dawn had sewn a label on the back: "Snowball was filthy quilt with paisley backing whole cloth quilt inside. Bought 2004, Woodridge, NJ, Dawn Hayes, Montclair, NJ." I don't know what the whole cloth quilt looked like because what I bought was a shell--a hand-pieced top and backing with nothing in between. 

This is the wonderful paisley backing that was pieced lengthwise.

For whatever reason, the top had lots of snowballs that had been removed leaving holes everywhere. Repairs? Damage?

Some sections were still in tact but what to do with this well-worn piece?? After much contemplation I decided it was of no use to me in this condition so I cut it apart in sections eliminating the bad ones and keeping the good. And I knew I wasn't going to piece them back together again.

Yep! I decided to wash the good pieces. The fabrics were a mixture of cottons, cretonnes, and lots of blends--some even looked like silk--so I knew I was taking a gamble. The quilt was really dirty and so was the water! 

For the most part all turned out well. Here is one section washed and dried.

And here are the others drying out on the deck. There are sections that are 2 blocks x 2 blocks, rectangles that are 1 block x 2 blocks, single blocks, 3 x 3's and 2 x 4's and I can't wait to bring new life to these pieces :) Stay tuned . . .

 

The deer have eaten all of my hostas and lilies but I have two hanging baskets of petunias that make me happy.

Last Wednesday was another banner day at the thrift shop. I got 8 yds of fabric for $8--and most were prints from the New England Quilt Museum :) I wish I knew who was donating all this fabric! She has great taste!

Well, that's all for now. 

Enjoy the week!

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer 

Auction Quilt #1

Two weeks ago I attended Dana Auctions and followed along with the quilts that were being auctioned from Dawn's collection. Rachel and I connected for nearly the entire auction and chatted for 4 hours--what fun!

I purchased a "lot" of 3 antique quilts/tops including this Log Cabin. I'll tell you about the other two another time.

This turn-of-the-century top . . .

. . . is completely hand pieced to a muslin foundation. 

There are some wonderful shirting fabrics along with madders, dark greens, pinks, browns and a little red. 

This is the entire piece. Not sure if I will finish this top or not but notice the two extra blocks on the upper left . . . 

. . . I've removed them and will make a monthly mini at some point :)

On another note . . . 

Connie and I went for a hike where she works and were amazed at the size of these large green-leaf plants. They were huge! So had to find out what they were and ended up ordering some seeds on Etsy. 

This month's Farmhouse flowers. Love those lilies!

We had grilled watermelon steaks as part of our July 4th cookout. Yum! 

See you again, soon!

 

 

Copyright 2022 Barbara Schaffer