Binding Bits and Thrift

 In my last post I showed you a photo of a quilt I started working on a year ago. I don't remember where or when I discovered the book Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison but it looked like a good one with with simple patterns using loads of scraps. I chose to make their quilt called Up, Up, and Away.  

Through the years, I had saved the triangle cuttings when piecing binding strips along with white/off-white scraps and that was all I needed to dig in and make these 2-1/2" blocks. 

Starting in the upper right corner I began sewing diagonal rows until I reached the center point. Look what's still up on my wall--the Ella Maria Deacon quilt. Some day I'll get that top assembled.

Binding Bits is 42.5" x 45.5". Dawn D. longarm quilted it and I am so pleased with the result! 

I really like the swirls on top of the triangles :)

________

Onto something different . . . 

One of my favorite things to do is go to the thrift shop. There are two in the area and I found myself being a frequent visitor to either one or both.

On one trip, I was looking through a drawer of fabrics and came across a beautifully-worked crewel bell-pull that was unfinished. I knew I wasn't going to complete the embroidery, so used a portion of it for the center of a small quilt. 

Here's a detail. A small unfinished portion is at the top where the embroidery lines are still visible. I slow-stitched the center and machine quilted the borders.

The label :)

Another unfinished piece I found was done in cross stitch with a poem in the center which was never completed. I cut out a floral circle from a damaged vintage hand towel and appliqued it on top to cover the words. 

I did minimal hand and machine quilting to finish it off. Voila!

The last of the series, if you want to call it that, is this small hand-stenciled piece that my DIL gave me along with a bagful of vintage pillow cases, curtains, and Swedish fabrics.  

I cut out a circle from an embroidered linen napkin and appliqued it in the center. Then went crazy with quilted circles throughout. 

The back with another piece of vintage embroidery for the label. 

Well, that's it for now.

It's a beautiful warm sunny day here in the Adirondacks. I'm preparing a strip along the driveway to plant wildflower seeds. Always wanted to do that :)

 

Copyright Barbara Schaffer 2025  
 

Catching Up #3 Fabric Book 2

Last fall (yes! Oct '24) I made another fabric book. You can read about the first one here. 

I'll take you through the pages . . . 

Bits and pieces from Natalie's little baggie of her favorite fabrics. Each page is slow-stitched. 

The back of the cover on the left and my favorite blues on the right. I added buttons from my large collection. 

The back of the prior page on the left and Snow Ball block with label written by Dawn H. "Snow Ball was filthy quilt with paisley backing with whole cloth quilt inside. Bought 2004 Woodbridge NJ. Dawn Hayes Montclair NJ". 

On the left--a combo of Dawn's Snow Ball blocks and Natalie's black and shirting fabrics. On the right--a focus on yellows with a bird cut and fused. More buttons and a selvage strip stitched to twill tape for the binding edge. 

More yellow on the left and Natalie's scraps on the right. Note the fun floral vase button in the middle. 

Oak leaf stripe on the left and more unfinished Snow Balls on the right. I left them just they way they were. 

Neutral Snow Balls on the left and an assortment of greens on the right.  I added that large flower which I've had since the 60s. 

On the left--the back of the previous page. On the right--an assortment of turkey reds. 

 

Ta-da! The back and a finish! There's a total of 8 pages held together with little binding clips :)

 

 

At about this same time I started making 2" blocks with triangle scraps. More coming soon  . . . 

 

Hope you're staying C-O-O-L! 

 

 

 

Copyright Barbara Schaffer 2025 

 

Catching Up #2 / International Y2K Quilt Finished in April

I had purchased a box of 61 envelopes each containing 25 3-inch squares on Dana Auctions in 2023. You can read about it here and here.

I made this quilt for my daughter and her husband. I sewed a total of 61 blocks and used 56 for the top set 8 down x 7 across.    

It was machine quilted by Dawn D. and this is what it looked like spread out on the dining room table. It's pretty big--89" x 102". I chose Quilters Dream Supreme for the batting. It's heavy--and warm!  

 Had to put it on my bed for a photo shoot :)

There were 2-1/2" squares in some of the envelopes so I sewed them into blocks and made a strip to go across the back. I also made a block comprised of repro conversation prints along with my name, NJ location and 2000 date. My contribution 25 years later :)

This is what the strip looks like on the back. The neutral fabric is Henry Glass Paisley Paradise. Oops! I forgot to take a photo of the label. Must do that! 

My daughter and I are going to make two pillow shams using the same paisley fabric and I'm really looking forward to doing that with her! 

And talking about Dana Auctions, there is one scheduled for tomorrow 7/26 so take a look to see what goodies will be on the auction block: Textile Inspirations: Antique & Vintage Quilts & Textiles! 

I've had lots of fun participating online and will do a post of some of the unusual things I've purchased :)

Until next time . . . 

 

 

Copyright 2025 Barbara Schaffer 

 

It's Been More Than A Year!

     Update

Hello Friends, since my last post more than a year ago, I became my husband's primary caregiver along with a team of wonderful people who helped along the way--first and foremost my family. The Essex County NY Office for the Aging provided nursing care, physical therapy, and meals; SUNY Plattsburgh provided respite care so I could have some time to myself, an aide provided personal care, made breakfast and did laundry, and our local EMTs assisted more times than I can count. It was a long and arduous journey that ended on Christmas Eve. We almost made it to our 63rd anniversary.   

During the year I made a few small pieces and was obsessed with buying quilt tops and Yo-Yo quilts on Ebay and Etsy. I also enjoyed participating in Dana's Auctions  I realized how much I missed blogging as it helped me keep track of what I had accomplished so this is more or less a partial "catching up post." Besides, I feel the need to reconnect with the quilting world and my blogging friends :-)

Call Me Crazy

I finally finished Call Me Crazy. It was longarm quilted by Dawn D. of Cabin Creek Stitchery in Upper Jay, NY. 

                                      Oh, That Green!  

 

Leftover star blocks alternating with my remaining poison green fabrics. Inspiration came from an antique.

Windmills and Such 

Just a whole lotta scraps and hsts. 

Pink & Green Baby Quilt

Made for my daughter's co-worker's baby. Bright 60s fabrics with white and pink paw print border. 

On A Whim

A quick mini. 

That's it for now. I plan on being back again in 2-3 weeks with another update and projects to share.  

 Have a wonderful 4th!

 

 Copyright 2025 Barbara Schaffer