Antebellum Top Done and Sew Rm Clean!

Antebellum top is finished and my sewing room is clean! Yay!

I am thrilled to have this top done. It's really big 88" x 94." 

This is how it came to be . . . 

It started with this quilt on the cover of HQPNJ's book NJ Quilts. (HQPNJ photo)

This is the back of that quilt and my inspiration. I always liked the way the blocks were set in strips and was hoping to find a large floral stripe that I could use but that just wasn't meant to be. (HQPNJ photo)

But I did have 2-1/2 yds of this French General bird stripe so I started with that.

I was determined to find a brown stripe for the sashing similar to that in the original quilt. 

Marcus Fabrics Bathwick by Karen Styles had just what I wanted and more. The leaf stripe was from the same collection. 

 

All in all I'm pleased with the way it turned out. To hand quilt or have it machine quilted remains the big question :)

It took me a whole week to de-clutter and clean my sewing room but well worth the effort :)


I hope you're having a great week!




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Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer

 

It's A Finish! and DD blocks

The first finish for 2019 is Triangles.

I started this small piece back in August. You can read about it here. It's 32" x 32". 

For lack of a better title I named it Triangles :) The color is a little off in this pic.

 

I quilted straight lines in the large triangles, in the ditch with little triangles in the centers of the small ones, and cross-hatch in the border.  

The back and label :) Had to do the label twice. I totally missed 2018 and wrote 2017. What was I thinking ???

 

I continue to make Dear Daughter blocks offered by Gaye at Sentimental Stitches. The original of this one was made by Prudence A. Blackford, Piscataway, NJ, 1852. I must say appliqueing those small pieces was a bit of a challenge! The finished blocks will be 8". 
 

 

The original of this one was signed by 4 Dunn ladies in Piscataway, NJ, 1852. I added the red dot. I'm using a small collection of green fabrics with touches of solid red. I have three more blocks to applique for a total of 16. 

Enjoy your week!



 
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Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer

 

2018 Cont'd and Antebellum #12

From July to December I made mostly little quilts but evenings were spent hand quilting a large one.

For July's mini I tried to reproduce vintage 9-patch blocks and combined them with 70s brown fabrics but it's not my favorite finish.   

I had a small baggie of leftover blue squares from a previous project. August mini was quick and easy.

 

That led me to make another r/w/b little quilt . . .

. . . and yet another. The ideas just kept coming until I finally finished up that little bag of squares :)

 

Large floral strips and leftover triangles were combined for September's mini.

 

Me, modern?? I made the Spiral Log Cabin block for our guild's BOM but never went to the meeting. So I added a little pooch and checkerboard border for October's little quilt.

 

November's little quilt needed a little bed :)

 

It took 4 months to quilt Scrappy Squares. It was finished in November.

 

I get so much done when I'm in my sewing room at 4:30 a.m. I have a whole hour to sew to my heart's content before tackling the day. December's little quilt was the perfect way to end the year :)
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Double Life is the last block in Barbara B's Antebellum Album Quilt series.

 

I found this original inking on Sandra Starley's blog Textile Time Travels.

 

My version.  

 

I must admit I really enjoyed my inking journey this past year :)

As always thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and for leaving a comment. You make my day! 

Here's to a fantastic 2019!

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Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer

 

So Long, 2018!

Another year gone by and for me it's always fun to see what I accomplished. Here's the first six months:

1.  Abe's Stars was the first quilt to be finished in 2018. The stars were extras that I made during Barbara B's 2015 Stars In A Time Warp SAL. It's machine quilted. 

2. The first monthly mini in Wendy's 'no rule' challenge was off to a good start. This was an orphan block from my 2017 Gypsy Wife quilt. 

  
3.  Five Hexies had a much more 'tailored' look than what I would normally consider my style. These were orphan blocks from Barbara B's 2016 Morris Hexathon. It's hand-quilted.

 
 4. Use 'em up! February's mini was made with leftover hsts from several projects.

5. March mini is my favorite. It's a reproduction and hand-quilted. 

6. Patch Basket was #1 on my 2018 UFO list. I discovered I'm not fond of mitered corners, lol! 

 7. I started laying out April's mini when we had no power for 4 days during a nor'easter. The art print was a gift from Rachel and some of the conversation prints were from Natalie's collection. 

8.  Playmates Revisited was my oldest UFO to be crossed off the list. It's a Peto reproduction that was started by Natalie in 1996 and finished by me in April '18. 

 9. May's mini was a Cheri Payne design. So easy!

 9. Leaves and Stars was a fun piece to make. I found a lot of inspiration in Ann Hermes' book Pennsylvania Patchwork Pillowcases and Other Small Treasures (Schiffer Publishing, 2014).

10.  June's mini was accomplished by finally adding selvage borders to these UFO tumblers. Yay!

That's it for now. To be continued . . . 




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Copyright 2018, Barbara Schaffer
 

 

December Little Quilt and Poinsettias

I know I'm a little early posting my December Little Quilt but the next two weeks will be rather busy :)

Early one morning (very early!) I started making this little quilt. Lo and behold! After it was done I noticed the red strip on the right was a good 1/4" narrower than the others. How did this happen?? I have no idea, lol!

In any case, I've always loved this St. Nicholas toile.

The back. Even my label looks skewed :)

Thanks, Wendy! I've really enjoyed this monthly little quilt journey and hope to continue in the new year. Maybe you'll consider joining in on the fun, too? It's a great way to try a new technique or to dig into your scrap bins and be creative.

Want to see some glorious colors???

My husband and I went to see all the poinsettias in the greenhouses located in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, NJ. There were so many different varieties . . .

. . . each one more beautiful than the next . . .

 . . . in rows and rows of breathtaking displays!

We bought one with speckles of white. It's so pretty!

Wishing you all a beautiful holiday season. See you next year unless I pop in between now and then :)




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Copyright 2018, Barbara Schaffer

 

Antebellum #11, Beach House, and Pillow

This post has a house theme :) 

Antebellum #11 Ever Widening Circle was made with our house in mind. 

Here's the original inking. 

Our house was built c. 1730 but is referred to as the Phebe Beach House. Phebe Burnet (1767-1852) was the spouse of Aaron Beach (1765-1826) who was a grandson of a landholder in Livingston. He enlisted in the NJ Militia in 1793 and was chosen an Overseer of the Highway that same year. He was also a signer of the 1811 petition to establish the Township of Livingston. 

Aaron and Phebe had 7 children between 1788 and 1807. Their son Marcus was an escort of the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 when they retraced George Washington's route through parts of NJ. Aaron Beach died in 1826 and Phebe continued to live in the house until her death in 1852.

This picture was taken in the 1940s. It's the front of the house. See the porch?

Years ago we enclosed that porch by knocking down a wall and adding lots of windows. It's a wonderful room for plants :)

A couple months ago Rachel gave me this cute kit which she picked up on the freebie table at another guild she belongs to. Thanks, Rachel! After I finished the embroidery I wasn't sure if I wanted to make a pillow or a little quilt.

But the decision was made for me when this freebie pillow from a veteran's organization came in the mail yesterday. It was just the right size!

And now my pillow is done :)

Have a great week!




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Copyright 2018, Barbara Schaffer