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What Becomes of a Quilter's Stash?

 Blue Jay Block by Holly

Not quite finished.  Ths was part of a larger project with multiple blocks.  Most of them still need the applique stitched down.    This one is more the way I remember her quilting ...

I know I saw this pattern somewhere in her sewing room.

I know I was waiting for her to finish this one a few years ago, wanting to see the finished product.

 

Here's another one that still needs the stitching.

What happens to a quilter's stash after they die?    

Slow but steady progress sorting and clearing out things in my mom's sewing room.  She's been gone over a year now ...  Because of the pandemic, I haven't been back to see my dad much, but now that we're both fully vaccinated, I don't have that worry.

Holly Fabrics

Of the fabric, there is far more there than I can use in my own lifetime, so I have to be selective about what I take back home with me.  The Holly fabrics.  She often bought fabric with holly in the design-- Her name was Holly, and she was born on Christmas Day, so I'm keeping those ...  And the batiks: I will keep the batiks because I am more likely to use them. 

So far, I put labels on the drawers to remind me of what's in it: Scissors, rulers, thread ...

I brought back a stack of bins with fabric to give away--It's only the beginning.  I'd like to invite her quilting buddies in to take what they want, but I have to figure out the logistics of that, as Dad doesn't want anyone in the house.   

There are some unfinished projects ---  embroidery blocks mostly, though not as many projects as I would have expected.  I think she may have been better about starting and finishing projects than me.   Even when she was working, she had dedicated time every week in classes to quilt.   I know she gave away many quilts, though I'm not sure she photographed her quilts?  So I may showcase some of her stuff in coming months ...

I did find this quilt top.  I remember her working on it, and getting tired of it, so she abandoned it -- Smokey River (?) with Stonehenge Fabrics.  I will finish this one, but I am not feeling obligated to finish all her WIPs.  I am perfectly ok leaving them to someone else who will finish them.

There's a stack of the finished wall hangings.  Some things, I want Dad to keep, as I expect to see them at certain times of the year when I visit.  Things NOT to give away.

A few reference books for quilting and sewing, we'll keep.  The Quiltmaker's Gift storybook stays.  Embroidery in 6 easy lessons ... 

Certain things are notably missing, though.  Like her Brother Dream embroidery machine.  Did she take it in for repairs before her health went downhill, and never got back to pick it up?  (No record of that.)  Did she loan it to someone?  The foot pedal is still there -- along with the manual and the hoops, feet and other accessories.  If she sold it off, that stuff would have gone with it, right?  

Does anyone know what happened to this sewing machine?

I did finally find her thumb drives that had all her embroidery designs, so I might be able to finish that Feathered Star quilt-- if I can locate the Brother Dream Machine. ????  Perhaps I'll have to put together the blocks she did get done.  It would be fitting to leave the not-done blocks as blank squares.

Donations to

• The Oshkosh Quilt Guild - Lynn Mozingo heads that department.  She found her calling in retirement.  She and her helpers will use the fabric to make charity quilts for people in ICUs, nursing homes, Project Linus (quilts for kids), receiving blankets for new babies, hats for cancer patients ...    It makes me feel good that the fabric will get used.  I'm happy some of them will go to hospital patients, since she was a nurse. 
  

• Sr Francis of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother 
• Marla's charity quilt group
  

Diamonds and Pearls on The Morningstar Quilt

                                                        The Morningstar Quilt, pin-basted

This quilt has been on hold for the past 2 years.  Sometimes on a colossal project like this, you need to set it aside and take a break until the joy comes back.  Today was blessedly cool enough that I could be upstairs in my sewing studio doing the free-motion quilting on it again ...  Also I'm between projects, so it's a good time to pick this one back up again.

Today I stitched the red ribbons in the background of all the applique blocks.  The side triangles were already about half done, so I finished those today with a little more stitching -- mostly black pearls in the background -- very stealth.     The object was to make the applique POP!  The background stitching is subtle, and very hard to photograph.  It looks much better in person.  Here the threads look washed out when in reality, the thread is red, purple and blue to match the applique.    You can't really see it, but I used black thread to stitch pearls / bubbles around the red ribbon--again I wanted the black to stand down so that the red ribbon would stand out more.

I'm still not quite sure what to do with the corner blocks.  Perhaps some echo stitching around the flowers?  I don't think it needs to be as dense as the side triangles.  I am not fond of sleeping under a quilt that is so densely quilted that it might be mistaken for a carpet.

Large corner applique block, with ribbons. The space needed something to showcase the applique, without taking away from it.

While I think about how to finish those corner applique blocks, I worked on the first "row" of the border.  I used the diamond motif in the fabric.  The small square in the middle pops out once it's all said and done.    You can't really see it in the photograph, so here it is from the back:

Memory Butterflies

 

I made another batch of fabric butterflies -- this time for memories and grief.

 

 

I'll be sending them out to friends who suffered losses this past year. 

 

Over the weekend, I was sorting through things in my mom's sewing room.  I picked out some fabric scraps for the combinations to make these butterflies. 

Strawberry Butterfly

We can't be strong all the time, but we can carry friends when they need some help. 
 

 Some of them will carry us when we need it too.  

 

Did you know that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope or a flutter?

[Sorry-- I tried to embed the Goodbye Butterfly video, but Blogger kept showing The Wayfarer Sling Backpack video instead.  That must have been the last video I embedded on the blog a few weeks ago.   I don't know what' going on with that ... So you 'll just have to use the link below.]

Goodbye Butterfly by Cris Plata.

I heard Plata sing this song live at The Blackhawk Music Festival not long after  my friend Vicki lost her husband to cancer.  I swear: We had not seen butterflies at all that weekend, until he started singing this song!  And we were all attuned to butterfly sightings!  It made us think that this was a sign from Lee -- that the dead send messages through butterflies ... 

Farmer's Wife Quilt Top Assembled

I am amazed and pleasantly surprised at how well all these disparate blocks came together!

I may still add some borders ... We'll see!

The next step is to layer it into a quilt sandwich and prepare it for quilting, binding and finishing.  That may take a few more years ...  Sigh!

Thanks to HandMade Karma for the tutorials and lesson plans of the last 10 months.  It was their use of batiks and an other-than- depression brown color scheme that made me want to embark on this pandemic project.

Handmade Karma - Farmer's Wife Quilt Assemble; Blocks On Point with Sashing 

Handmade Karma Quilt Along Block Index

Farmer's Wife Quilt: Next Steps

Farmer's Wife Blocks (with sashing and cornerstones) on the Design Wall

I still have a number of blocks left over that I need to fit in ... 1 more row on the vertical and the horizontal.  Trouble is, it's sort of the "dog" blocks that are left.  I hate to put them all in a row.  Better to hide them here and there throughout the quilt ---  Or leave them out altogether.  That would not be the end of the world!

I've been working the last couple of weekends to add the sashing and cornerstones.  And now corner triangles to off-set the blocks being set en point. I picked a lovely teal-ish Stonehenge for those edges.

It seems like I've been putting in multiple hours, but not making any visible progress -- as in, I can't start sewing the blocks together yet to make the quilt top whole ---  Soon, I'll be able to start that stage ...  It's been so hot, that I can't work for long in my sewing room.  Just having the iron on to press seams is too much.  This is never a problem in the winter time. 

 

As mentioned earlier, there were a number of blocks that needed some additional work because they came out too small--for whatever reason.  So today, I added some borders to make up the difference for those "dog" blocks.  And worked them into the design wall.  I like them better now that they are the proper size.  And they don't look so out of place in the overall quilt.  

I love how this one turned out with the extra borders.

I removed the labels on the back of each block as I was adding the sashing and cornerstones, so I'm not exactly sure which blocks these are now ...  And I didn't want to take the time to look it up.

 

 

I tried to match the colors and general spirit of the block, so that it didn't feel too different from the originals.

 

This star will anchor on of the corners.

 

I was never a big fan of this one, and even considered re-doing it.  It felt like it came out too dark, not enough contrast.  But the lighter border helps.

I think now I can finally start sewing the blocks together in rows. 

Then it will feel like I'm making progress!

Origami Butterflies in Fabric

 

I came across this tutorial for Fanciful Fabric Butterflies, and wanted to try them out.  

I think I'll be making more of these ...  ;-)

I gave these two to my dear friend Karla who had us over for dinner last night--first time since the pandemic struck!    She made omelettes for us--made to order, as long as you want them one way.  ;-)  And I got to take my rightful place in her kitchen next to the old cook stove: One of my happy places!  And yes, we are all vaccinated. Breathe ...

Starlight Quilt II ( aka Winter Blues Take 2)

Bright Winter Blues II / Starlight Quilt Top

When I finished a similar quilt in January, and mailed it off to it's new home, I missed it.  So I made another one -- nearly the same.    This quilt top is now done.   It will get a wool batt--one I can sew through, rather than tying it. And I re-ordered the backing snowflake fabric too.  So my friend and I will have nearly identical twin Starlight Quilts.

I was short on the silver birch tree fabric for the borders, so I got something  reminiscent and filled in the top and bottom borders.   See how it shines?