This 'n That, "Russell Crow" and Bronze-style Print Stars

We were in the Adirondacks for a long Labor Day Weekend. The weather was absolutely gorgeous.

An early morning view from our deck. I must have hundreds of photos taken from this same spot. I never tire of the view.

My garden is flourishing but I don't ever remember white phlox being there!

We had a visitor! Russell Crow stopped by. He's an escapee from the neighboring Wildlife Rehab Center. He actually has the run of the place but this time he wandered a little too far :)

 

For more than seven years I've been taking gravestone photos and posting them on FindAGrave.com. So on our way home we stopped at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, NY. I love this historic cemetery with its beautiful monuments. 

Here are my Bronze-style Print Stars from last week. 

I thought this was the best interpretation of that color.

Then there's this one with blue and white floral sprays. 

 

This looks more gray than brown.  

 

And a dark brown with pink and olive green? Maybe.  

Don't miss the Double Irish Chain quilt that Barbara B. posted on her Civil War Quilts blog. It's one of HQPNJ's favorite quilts and is on p. 78 in our book, New Jersey Quilts. 




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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer   

Later Turkey Red Stars and Other Projects

Here are my Later Turkey Red Stars from last week:

Sort of leaned toward red, black, white, and gray. 

Every so often I'll order repro fat quarters on sale from Hancock's. They really come in handy.

Maybe this could pass for a Turkey Red Robe print?

I'm participating in Barb V.'s Civil War Bowtie block swap. I need to make 82 and mail them to her by the end of October. They are so much fun! After Barb does her "magic" she'll send 82 different ones back to me and I get to make a wonderful little quilt :) What could be better?

And talking about Bowties. . . In 2002 I made two baby quilts for my grandchildren-to-be. We knew they were going to be twins . . .

My inspiration came from the Baby Bows quilt in the Spring 2001 issue of McCall's Quilting Vintage Quilts. 

  
It just so happens (Grandma's intuition?) I was thinking a girl and a boy.  And that's what we got :) This is Isabella's quilt. 

And this is Max's quilt. I pieced all those little Bowties by hand unlike the ones I'm making now.

  

A big thank you to Cynthia at wabi-sabi quilts for sharing her "Plan for Stars." I decided to go with an alternate set using the stars with pre-1850 repro fabrics--or thereabouts. I've been making 4/wk so it was easy enough to choose 72. Wow, it's really an eye-opener when they're all up on the wall. I am forever shuffling blocks around and now I see there are more that need to be moved. I'm always looking for some kind of balance :)

Happy sewing!



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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer

Faded Synthetic Dyes Stars and Memory Lane

Here are my interpretations of Faded Synthetic Dyes Stars. These were a bit of a challenge as I don't have a huge assortment of solid fabrics, especially taupes and khakis which are what I could have used to make the stars. So I pulled the solids that once belonged to my mother. We're talking vintage--50 years ago!

 

I went with the look of faded green and red. You'll have to use your imagination :)

Bright red with a faded bright green. What do you think?

Same red with a another green fading toward gray-blue.  Yes? No?

Gray-blue again--once a bright green?  

How about a bright red fading to peach like the example on Barbara B's blog?

Down Memory Lane

Monday we spent the day with a friend at his cabin on Lake Owassa in northern NJ. What made it so special was that he lives next door to the house where my grandparents once lived so in a way it was like "going home."

My grandparents (Ralph and Maud Davis) bought this little house on the lake about 1954. Oh, how I loved that screened-in porch!  

The house as it looks today. Not much has changed except the porch was enclosed to enlarge the living / dining area.

A c. 1964 photo I took from the back yard. The house was sold in 1967 when my grandparents moved to Florida to live with their daughter, a huge change for them, I'm sure. My dad always regretted not being able to buy the house and keep it in the family. 

A view from the main road. My grandfather had a 1940s Ford Wood Panel Station Wagon which he kept in that garage. It was his baby. He only took it out when they made the trip to the store every two weeks or so.   

The house is currently for sale and although it was always a dream of mine to one day own it--reality set in. At least I know we can visit next door :)





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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer

Summer Scraps and Toile Stars

Summer Scraps top is done! So are Toile Stars :)

I hardly had any light / neutral scraps left to keep on going so decided to finish up Summer Scraps. It's 46" x 46".

I just about emptied one drawer of scraps.  

I tried several fabrics for the edge triangles but these swirly fabrics in brown and pink seemed to work the best.

Here are my Toile Stars from last week--they're all in shades of pink and red :)

The last of Natalie's George Washington Toile. 

I couldn't resist sneaking in this "toile de noel" by Alexander Henry, 1997. Love it!

More scraps. The pieces are 2" and fit so nicely together. I'm using the Easy Dresden ruler which I purchased on Bonnie Hunter's website.    

Happy Sewing!




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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer

Floral Trails Stars and Plainfield 4

Here are last week's Floral Trails Stars.

I had four chintzes in my stash and one I used twice. 

Once for the star . . . 

 . . . again for the points. 

A large floral in lighter colors. . .

. . .  and nearly the same as the one above only smaller in scale. It was perfect for the background. 

This is the NJ Sampler block I'm reproducing. It has three different leaves.

I mentioned in a previous post that I keep a file of pressed leaves which I use frequently for patterns / templates. I found the leaves I needed: small maple on the left, sassafras in the middle, and oak on the right.  

I copied the pages, cut out the leaves which I enlarged /reduced as necessary, then drafted the block on graph paper. 

Here's the layout. I struggled with that center circle. First, I thought a solid yellow was the right choice. After all, that's what the original looked like to me. Why is it so hard to work in solids? But after I cut this chrome yellow print I knew I had the look I wanted. Now all I have to do is start basting and sewing :)




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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer

HannahBella and Lapis Blue Stars

It's another small finish :)

 
I made this little piece last year thinking I'd practice my machine quilting but ended up hand quilting it instead :)

Simple cable in the border and straight line quilting in the blocks.

The fabric on the back is . . . 

. . . Hannah Bella by Robyn Pandolph for SSI. There was no doubt I had to name my quilt HannahBella because those are the names of my granddaughters. How perfect is that??

My Lapis Blue stars from last week.

A favorite. Material Pleasures by Terry Clothier Thompson / Barbara Brackman :)

I already used these two fabrics for the Blotch-Ground Chintz Stars.

By Karen Jarrar for Marcus Brothers. 

I'm making good progress with my scraps. The game I'm playing is that I'll keep going until I run out of lights / neutrals which may be sooner than I think or when I don't have any more fabric for the alternate blocks, whichever comes first!

Good news! The book Red and White Quilts: Infinite Variety is due out in September. I just pre-ordered my copy on Amazon :) 

Have a great day!




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Copyright 2015, Barbara Schaffer