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

 

June Mini & Misc

Early one morning it took only a few minutes to jump in and start this month's mini.

The two dark grey strips in the center came from Carol's scraps and the 5" squares were a thrift shop purchase last year.

After playing around I thought these squiggle strips added some pizzazz.

Ants?? Why not?? We have lots of them around here!

 I rarely use grays but here they are. 

The finished piece is 21" x 21". Wendy will post her mini on Thursday so hop on over to her blog to see what everyone has been up to this month!

I have a huge garden in the backyard filled with Flag Irises. 

And these marigolds are in our plot at the Community Garden. 

Two weeks ago Connie and I did the 5K Whiskey Run in town. She could have done it on her own but said it was more fun doing it together! I came in 3rd in the 70+ category :) And, boy! was it cold--and windy! Would you believe a high of 44 deg on June 18th?

Happy 4th, everyone! 

 

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer

Three Days Late . . . (long)

I had set a goal of June 14th to finish putting together my parents' memory album, after all, that was the date they were married in 1936. I've been assembling albums like this for years and one thing is certain--even though they are really time consuming to make--the end result is very satisfying. Here is a sampling of the pages in my latest album:

Pictures of my dad, Franklin R. Davis (1909-1992), when he was young. Also a certificate for a speaking contest he won at age 9, his grammar school diploma and the program for the commencement exercises in 1923.

The page from his 1927 high school yearbook. He played basketball for 4 years and he was the tallest one on the team. His coach, Roy Nickerson, was still a teacher when I was in high school!

Photos of his buddies who enjoyed the outdoors--hunting, fishing, swimming, skiing and driving my dad's Model T on a frozen lake. 

He was also quite adventurous. After high school he took a steamship from NJ to CA and ended up as a swimming instructor at a date ranch in Palm Springs. It was after he came home that he and my mom started dating.

Pictures of my mother, Etta Florence Bower (1910-1964), when she was young.

My parents went to the same high school and graduated two years apart. My mother was an art editor for the yearbook.

Here are two of her drawings.

My mom on her 21st birthday . . . 

. . . and a poem written by her dad.

Jump ahead to my brother and me. He is 6 years older and whenever I have any family questions he always seems to know the answers. 

A treasured photo of my mother with her grandson born 1963. She made a baby quilt and applique pictures with him in mind. She died one year later at the age of 54.

My dad often traveled south to do some serious fishing. 

In 1990 he came to live with us and we so enjoyed his company. Never one to interfere, he kept his distance.

Now that I have fulfilled my goal, I have mixed emotions about completing this album. It has 85 pages and is so final! 

But I also feel that with my brother's help, we pulled together the story of our parents' lives for future generations to enjoy. This is what happens when you are the "older generation" and no one else knows these things :)

Appliqued picture "Etta Florence Bower / Franklin Ralph Davis / Eng. 10/35 Mar. 6/14/36"

See you next week!

 

 

Copyright 2022, Barbara Schaffer

 

Dawn's Antique Quilts and More Flowers

Last week (via Zoom) Rachel and I attended a meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Study Group to preview some of Dawn's antique quilts that are being auctioned off at Dana Auctions on the 26th. I took a few pics on my computer but now I see the catalog has been posted so make sure you take a look.

For all the years that we had known Dawn and the times we spent together at Garden State Quilters' meetings and attending quilt shows we never knew the extent of her antique quilt collection--until last week. Dawn had worked as a textile specialist for a woman who conducted estate sales in North Jersey, thereby, giving her the opportunity to amass a very nice collection of NJ quilts--50 of which will be auctioned including this beautiful c. 1830 Broderie Perse. 

And this c. 1850s Carolina Lily . . . 

. . . and this c. 1850-60 Mariner's Compass . . .

. . . and this c. 1840 Scrappy Bars. There are lots of items being auctioned at Dana's sale and you can even begin with a $10 bid on many of them :)

On another note . .

Last week's wildflowers were amazing!

Pink Lady Slipper close-up . . .  

A double . . . 

. . . and a white one. 

Starflower . . . 

. . . the last of the Marsh Marigolds . . . 

. . . and a Painted Trillium that I forgot to show you last time :)

Remember my ambitious cross stitch project?? Well, it fizzled real fast!

I spent hours working on the deer and by the time I got this far . . . 

. . . the blue lines faded so badly that I returned everything!  

These are the Farmhouse flowers for June--Peonies, Alliums and Tulips--aren't they beautiful?

The entrance to the farm was lined with purple Alliums--what a sight! 

Enjoy your week!

 

Copyright 2022 Barbara Schaffer