Box #5 - A Clear Box

While I was hunting in my closet, I ran across this Clear Box full of lace.

Some of the lace is cheap and ugly

(see the sea-green lace in the lower left-hand corner).  

Some of the lace is 6 inches wide polyester 

that was used to drape pews at someone's wedding.

Some of the lace, however, is hand made.  

Some of it is tatted:

Some of it is crocheted:

Some of it I remember having in my Mom's stash when I was in Junior High School in the 1970's.  This butterfly lace I used to embellish a cami (we called them undershirts).  I sliced down the front, sewed lace on both sides and laced it up with a ribbon - the way you would lace your shoes.

And a remnant bag of rick rack.

I had a turquoise floor length dress/smock with a full front yoke.
Nehru collar.
Pouffy sleeves.
1970-74.
On the yoke, we sewed a rainbow of rickrack.

Yes, this box is full of memories.
CathyH

Box of Surprises - Box #4

In a continuing series of posts - I want to show you what I found in the box at the BOTTOM of my closet.  The colors and fabrics, by themselves, will date this project.

Earth Tones.
Especially Rust.
Polyester batting.
Quilt as you go log cabin.

Excessive calicos in rusts, browns and mustard.

This is a UFO that my daughter inherited from Quilt Chat in the 1990's.  I am confident it was started in the 1980's.

It actually has 20 blocks sewn together into rows. It is close to done.
And would be nearly a vintage quilt by the time it is finished!!

The most shocking and surprising (and pleasing) find in this box is this:


An original copy of the directions for the Fancy Box - and a good supply of the materials needed to make a Fancy Box.

My friend in the Quilt Chat had translated the directions from Japanese and created this lovely document.  (This is what tutorials used to look like)

There were even newspaper strips cut for the next box.  Notice the date on the newspaper:

Pre-cut foam board for the Fancy Box

The Fray Check was - well - past the expiration date...

Sigh. 

I have other boxes. 

I wonder what is in THEM!?

CathyH

Setting Squares for the Red and White

While I work on hand stitching the back of my Red and White Quilt as I go, I thought I would show how I made the Quarter Square triangle squares I used in the quilt.

I have used this method before, on a smaller scale, to make parts of Ohio Star blocks.  I thought it would work well to make the 12 inch squares to go between my pieced blocks.

Step 1.  I added 2 inches to the size block I need finished, at the end.  Since I wanted the blocks to be 12 inches when finished, I cut out 14 inch blocks.  Here you see one red and one white.  I drew a diagonal line across the squares, put them right sides together, and sewed 1/4 inch from BOTH SIDES of the line.

Step 1

Step 2. Cut on the diagonal.

Step 2

Step 3. You now have 2 squares that are made of two triangles - one red and one white.  Iron the seam allowances towards the red.

Step 3

4. Draw the diagonal on the wrong side of one of the blocks.  This should be the diagonal that crosses both colors. 

(GEOMETRY TEACHER ALERT!  Since a square is a rhombus, this diagonal will be perpendicular to the other diagonal - the seam you have already sewn.  Since a square is also a rectangle, the diagonals will be the same length.)

Step 4

Step 5.  (You can just barely see the line I drew in this picture on the white fabric)  Line up the squares with right sides together and opposite colors facing each other.  The red will touch the white.  You can FEEL that the seams line up since the seam allowances are ironed toward the red.

Step 5

Step 6.  Sew 1/4 inch from the diagonal you drew on each side of the diagonal.

Step 6

Step 7.  Cut through the diagonal.

Step 7

Step 8. TA DA!!!  You have two 13+ inch squares that are made of quarter square triangles!!  These are easily trimmed to the correct size.

Step 8

Since I used these in a Quilt-as-I-go method, I actually left them BIG and will cut them down later.  It gives me some fudge room as a quilt.  You might also be able to see that I used two different reds in this square.  After Step 3, I switched some of my squares around so different reds would be next to each other.

Here is a picture of the quilt when it was on my design wall.  (Yes, I know there is one setting square in the wrong position)  I have, since, pieced them all together and added a border.  I am currently hand finishing the seams on the back squares and should be done soon.  Then I will add a little more quilting in the borders, add the binding and be DONE....

...Done with my July project!!  And Done with Red.  I have used up most of my red stash in this project.  YEAH!!!

Stay tuned, however, because I hope to catch up and also finish my August project in August!!

Oh.. I am seeing red.

And white.

CathyH

Some July Progress

My UFO goal for July involved my Red and White Blocks that I received for Christmas from the lovely ladies in Seams Like Sisters Quilting Bee.

I decided I would Try Something New - and put these blocks together in a Quilt-as-You-Go method.  After designing a quilt, a Bee Friend had sewn tags onto those blocks to remind her the order of her rows and columns.  I tried the same thing with the backs of my blocks.



The setting blocks of quarter-square triangles and the fabric for the back of the quilt all came out of my stash.

I am really liking the red and white.

I love the way the triangles are making patterns with the patched blocks.

Stars.  

On-Point Squares.

And I have an interesting plan for the edges.

On another note - I went to an estate sale in my neighborhood and purchased these two flour sacks for a couple dollars each.  

One of them has this intriguing note on it:

 

I'm not sure, now, if I will ever wash them!!  I don't want the printing to be removed!
Has anybody had any experience with items like this?

I'm linking up with Lily's Quilt's Small Blog Meet

And with Patchwork Times' UFO Challenge.

Check out all the wonderful summer quilting going on!!
Cathy H

July UFO - Not yet

What is the opposite of PROGRESS?  

Opposite of progress: having to use your seam ripper so much that it BREAKS.

Sigh.

CathyH

Aprons - S'More

Two more aprons have found homes.

These were so fun to make!!

May the new owners always remember these Psalms - close in their hearts 

and near to their heart (on their apron!)

CathyH

Oldest Fabric - Box #3

Today I had hoped to link up with Behind the Seams - Fabric Party at Fabric Engineer.

The Party is was a challenge to talk about your oldest fabric.  I am late in getting this post done, but thought you might be interested anyhow.

My Maternal Grandmother was a seamstress.  Born in 1906 she lived 80 years in Pennsylvania.  My Mom used to tell that Grandma's brother (she had something like 11 siblings) raised ducks when my Mom was young (in the 1940's) and they used the duck feed sacks for clothing and table linens.

I think I have inherited a number of these sacks . . . along with other vintage fabric.

In the past I have opened a box from my closet and shown what was in the box.  I will call this Box #3. You can see other posts where I opened boxes in my room:

Box #1

Box #2a and Box #2b

Box #3 is where I keep all the fabrics that I THINK are vintage from my Grandmother.  I have two pieces, same size, of number of these fabrics.

Here are pictures:

I think I've seen this fabric reproduced recently...
Or at least one VERY MUCH like it.

I had another piece of this flowered fabric and used it in a tree skirt for my Mom

as a Christmas gift one year.  

This piece with the houses, children, balloons, etc. is probably NOT a feed sack.  

But I am pretty sure it is OLD - maybe a piece my Grandmother had when Mom was a child.

I don't know about this orange, either.  The print looks more like the 1960's than some of the others.  

It has the same, course texture that the other fabrics have.

I have more boxes in my sewing room...  It's always an adventure to open one up!

CathyH