Framed Tumblers and Rolodex

 I'm still working on the binding of my new scrap quilt, but I'll show you a few close-ups for now. Thought you'd like to see some more Rolodex cards, too.

On a whim I started this scrap quilt on November 22nd after I re-discovered those large tumblers and squares. 

By the end of December I had gotten this far. I just kept adding rounds of strips alternating lights and darks.

I had quite a supply that I'd been cutting on a regular basis which made it easy to add each round. They varied in widths from 1-1/2" to 3-1/2."

I cropped the photo I showed you last time to give you a better idea of the overall top and its size. I'll take more detail shots of the stars and backing for next time. 

I got to thinking about my grandchildren who were no longer required to write cursive-style in school and decided to focus on handwriting for my next set of cards. I had quite a few examples to choose from because I am the keeper of my family's ephemera. These are all copies that I felt free to cut and paste. 

Left column top to bottom: 1908 letter to my great Aunt Leila from her grandfather, Robert Bower (my 2nd great); my mother's 1950s baked apple slices recipe; 1970 letter from my grandfather to his son (my Dad) executor of his will. 

Right column: 1984 letter to us from great Uncle George; 1862 letter from my 2nd gr-grandmother, Margaret Edwards Davis, to her siblings; and, my 2nd gr-grandfather, Robert Bower's 1898 Civil War pension application.  

When you flip these cards in the Rolodex file the backs look like this. I found those numbered strips at the thrift shop and cut and pasted the signatures of each person in those spaces. 

I just love these pics of Aunt Leila and Uncle George--married in 1918 after he came back from the war. For my files, Leila had recorded the years and positions she held with the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, an organization she was involved with for many years. 

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to a 50-degree day--today!

Copyright 2023, Barbara Schaffer

This 'n That

I'm kind of all over the place with projects--quilt blocks, twin-size quilt, and Rolodex cards! 

The first four blocks of Call Me Crazy are done. They were all paper foundation-pieced and will finish at 6". The individual pieces are really small but there's always extra fabric allowance when cutting each one. I'm totally into re-organizing my scraps--again!

I made this top in a little over a month beginning the end of November. I'll show you details in another post. It's already been quilted and I'm sewing the binding on now.

I'm currently obsessed with Rolodex Art though my cards aren't "artsy" like so many of the ones I've seen on various sites. I tend to focus more on memories and have a list of categories to focus on: birds, childhood memories, autographs, flowers, etc. Look no further--I even had a vintage card file! 

I loved Little Golden Books when I was little and have really enjoyed looking at those boards on Pinterest. When I came across Ukelele and Her New Doll it jogged my memory! I not only had that book but my uncle had given me a little Hawaiian doll with a grass skirt. I had her up until a few years ago when we moved. Thankfully, I took photos of my little treasures! 

It's no surprise that I still have my high school autograph book. I copied Aunt Midgie's Valentine's Day message for the front of one card and on the back I added a photograph of her when she was a majorette in high school and another of me wearing her uniform on Halloween. 

This is just a sampling. I've made over 30 so far. My favorites are hand-writing samples. I'll take some close-ups of those for my next post. 

We finally got a picture of a deer on my trail cam! 

We are preparing for the Arctic Blast to come through tonight and tomorrow. It's currently -6 but could possibly hit -30 tonight. How will it ever be 40 degrees on Sunday?? That's what the forecast is . . . 

Stay warm!

 

Copyright 2023, Barbara Schaffer

Envelope Wildflower Journal ++

I made Connie a little envelope wildflower journal for Christmas. It has photos of the wildflowers we've seen on our many hikes together. This is my second attempt at making a little journal using 2-1/2" x 4" colored envelopes. The first one was for my granddaughter's 19th birthday here.

The cover of this one is also fastened with silk ribbon, buttons and beads. This time I slipped some extra photos under the ribbon. 

The pages contain stickers and floral papers but tucked inside each envelope . . . 

 . . . is a photo of a wildflower--this a Painted Trillium--with the date written on the back. 

 

I alternated green and yellow envelopes. Tucked in this one is a photo of White Hepatica. 

At the beginning I tried inserting two pics in each envelope but the journal was way too thick and stressing the binding. But I managed to tuck in 2 here and there.

In one of the centerfold pockets I inserted a photo and seed packet of Giant Butterbur--a plant we saw at one of the gardens in Lake Placid. We were always in awe of the size of these gigantic leaves and I found some seeds online.  

Page 6 Trout Lily . . . 

Page 7 Red Trillium and that's it. I forgot to take photos of page 8 and the back--go figure!

On another note . . . 

The World University Games are being held in the North Country including Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington and, of course, Lake Placid.

There are signs all over--How Wilmington Does Winter, How New York Does Winter, etc.

The cauldron in Lake Placid. We've been watching the games on ESPN+ :)

For my December birthday and starting January 3rd, Little Farmhouse Flowers will be delivering a bouquet of tulips every Tuesday for 6-weeks. And at the same time they will pick up our food scraps for composting. I love that idea! 

That's all for now :)

Enjoy your week! 

 

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer

So Long, 2022! Part II

When Carol Y. sent me a box of scraps in January '22, I couldn't wait to see what goodies were in it. What fun! I spent hours sorting, organizing, and setting aside pieces that spoke to me. Thank you, Carol!

First up, I cut and sewed strips of all sizes and widths into longer strips to make Scraps of Friendship. The border fabric came from the thrift shop :)

I immediately saw these fabrics come together for a possible February mini. I didn't intend for the piece to be heart-shaped but that's the fun of trying something new. Oh, and I finished it pillowcase-style.

There were several fairly large pieces with Apples and Pears that I cut into squares and paired them with solids from my stash. The border, too.  

Strings sewed onto 4-1/2" muslin foundations were so easy! I thought that green/pink border carried its weight with all the other intense colors throughout. 

Bits and Pieces was the culmination of delving into Carol's scraps. I was so into this piece making 10" blocks by cutting and slashing and chain piecing little bits together I learned so much. Namely, how hard it is to make improv blocks!

But there are still more scraps to play with and many will find their way into my new New Year's project making Call Me Crazy that is being offered by Gay Bomers at Sentimental Stitches. If you missed signing up you can still send her an email if you are interested. These blocks are 6" finished. I'm ready! 

Next week I'll show you the little wildflower journal that I made Connie for Christmas :)

 

Copyright 2023 Barbara Schaffer

So Long, 2022! Part I

By now you all know I like to do an annual review of what I accomplished the previous year. In 2022 my main goal was to finish some UFOs, continue making monthly minis, and immerse myself in creativity after receiving a box of scraps from Carol Y :)

But let's start with the UFOs.

1. Philadelphia Pavement was the oldest UFO--started in 2003, top finished in 2017, and DONE in Feb. 2022. My original intention was to make a bed-size quilt. Can you imagine??

 2. Next up--I started Tumbler in 2015 but ironing the crosswise seams open created a stumbling block and I lost interest. Then 7 years later, I gave myself a pep talk and said "you can do this." I bit the bullet, re-ironed those seams and added a striped border. It is now a favorite.

3. Four Patch Strippy did not turn out how I expected it would. I used all large scale prints and leftover strips from prior quilts and all-in-all it sounded good. But by the time I put them all together it was a jumbled mess. Couldn't think of anything to make it better so that ended that! 

4. Morris Geese was started in 2021 when Barbara B. sent me some cutaways from her new William Morris fabric line. I made four Wild Goose Chase blocks using the paper foundation pieced pattern from the Deacon quilt. The setting was similar to the Tide Pools Quilt I saw on Pinterest but I would have been happier with a different  border print than what I ultimately chose. Just sayin'. 

 5. Also from 2021 was the Elizabeth Green Album Quilt. I purchased the templates at the thrift shop for 50-cents and didn't waste any time making blocks. I had just enough leftover border fabric to pull it all together. One of my favorites.

 6. Barb's Scraps hit a roadblock the end of 2021 and so it sat. Sound familiar? the answer came after I draped the unfinished center over the upstairs railing so I could look at it from below. A-ha! Strips were the answer and I had plenty!   

So finishing six UFOs was pretty good and I'm satisfied with that effort. I will have more quilts to show you next week--ones that were started and finished in 2022.  

Last Friday this little Chickadee flew into our door and ended up head down in the snow on our deck. I immediately ran out, picked it up and gently placed it on the table. Within 10 minutes it flew away! Now that's a happy ending :)

See you next week.

Copyright 2023, Barbara Schaffer

December Mini

This month's mini is another Snowball re-make from Dawn's auction quilt. 

When I took the original apart I saved only the blocks that were in good condition and stitched together.  

It still fascinates me that many of the snowballs have seams. 

I don't know what type of fabric the dark green print is but it's not cotton. It feels like a rayon and even made it through a washing without falling apart.  

This is actually my 4th little snowball quilt and they are all quilted the same: 1/4" inside each snowball, around the little hourglasses, and straight line quilting along the inner and outer borders. Nothing fancy. This piece is 15-1/2" x 26." 

Be sure and visit Wendy's blog to see the 2022 monthly mini finale! Thank you Wendy for keeping us going for another year!  

Two weeks before Christmas Connie took us for a drive to see the Snow Geese on Lake Champlain. We were nearly in Canada! And just yesterday she posted this video of wildlife captured on trail cams at various properties owned by the Adirondack Land Trust. Very cool, don't you think? Love the moose! Guess what? She gave me a trail cam for Christmas and I can't wait to see what we'll discover in our yard :)  

One week later we got 20+" of heavy wet snow and lost power for a day. But this is nothing compared to what Buffalo NY is experiencing in the western part of the state. Our grandson goes to college there but safely made it home for the holidays :)  

See you next week with my year in review :)

 

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer

Old World Santas

 Uh-oh! I was at the library holiday sale last week and came home with . . .

THIS QUILT!! Can you believe it?? The redwork is what really caught my eye. It is beautifully done. Not to mention the 3" stars and the machine cable quilting.

As soon as I got home I googled "old Santas" which eventually led me to the source--Old World Santas in Redwork by Marge Wooters, Indygo Junction, Inc., no date.

I was really curious to read the instructions for transferring the pattern onto fabric but all it said was to trace the design. 

The person who did the embroidery was an accomplished embroiderer. Perfection in every block.

Each Santa is outline quilted which you can see on the back.

There are 9 blocks total . . .

 

. . . set with 3" sashing and star cornerstones. 

I'll end with this one and wish you all the merriest of holidays this season!

See you on the 28th with my December mini.

 

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer