Christmas Past

I always have the best intentions but never seem to find enough time to make enough Christmas gifts for friends and family. I usually get a few done but never as many as I planned. Maybe it's because I start too late, LOL? And then I get really busy. They often carry over unfinished and then at least I have a head start on gifts for next year . . . .

Only a few days left and I was thinking about what kind of last minute, quick gifts to make for Christmas. A couple of  years ago I made a few of these Civil War "huswife" needle cases for friends -

They stitch up pretty quickly, and are even great for non-quilters. My sister uses hers as a gift card or credit card case since the pockets are just the right size. The pattern is in my book Remembering Adelia, which I know many of you have. So, if you're looking for a quick handmade gift for a friend, there's still time to whip one up!

During the Civil War, Christmas celebrations were  very subdued and often somber. Many families were without a father (remember the fictional March family in Little Women). Church attendance followed by a large family dinner was the custom in most homes. By 1861 most homes also had a Christmas tree as well as stockings hung in anticipation of St. Nicholas' arrival.  Christmas trees were decorated with popcorn balls, ribbons, colored paper and sometimes edible treats.  Popular gifts of the time included needle books (!), pin cushions, paint boxes, jewelry, tops, pen wipers etc. But the best gift of all may have been the arrival of a loved one returning home from the war.

Sallie Brock Putnam of Richmond VA wrote that Christmas 1861 had been spent making and preparing warm items for the soldiers - caps, stockings and colorful scarves. The soldiers were foremost in people's minds and what food they could afford was sent to the camps to cheer and comfort those who would not be making the trip home for Christmas. The absence of loved ones was keenly felt around most dinner tables and vacant chairs were set as reminders.

As I was sorting through and organizing papers recently I came across pages of the diary entries that were in my Remembering Adelia book. Adelia was 19 and lived in northern Illinois in 1861, the year the Civil War began.  I thought some of you might enjoy reading a simple, firsthand account of what Christmas was like for many families that year:

December 4, 1861

Lydia and I went to Mrs Shaver's in the afternoon. Marg and Frank went with us to Vosburgh's in the evening. Marg has just been to Chicago and she showed us all the new things. Sam Shoemaker brought home the body of his brother Jerome who died in the hospital in Mo., a member of Co F, 15 Reg.,  Illinois Volunteers.

Dec 5, 1861

Mother and Clara went with Mr Goodwin's folks to Crystal Lake to Jerome Shoemaker's funeral. I wrote a letter to Lester. Received one from Em.

Dec 6, 1861

A man recruiting for Mulligan's Brigade in Chicago lectured at the schoolhouse and staid here all night. Wesley Shepard and George Gill signed the muster roll.

Dec 7

The recruiting officer took the boys to Chicago today. Were all here for dinner. Elias went to the station and brought me a letter from Lester and one from Jim at St Louis and a host of papers. Made Clara an apron today.

Dec 18

Mrs Goodwin came here early in the morning to have me do some sewing for her on the machine and she put the facing on the girls' dresses for me.

In the afternoon I went over to see how Jule was and to help Mrs Vosburgh if she needed me. I swept, made some cookies and did her ironing. [Jule was a neighbor friend who had enlisted in the war, became very ill and had now returned home].

Dec 19, 1861

Mother made the stuff all ready for mince pies, chopped apples and all that sort of thing getting ready for Christmas.

Dec 20, 1861

Mother made nineteen mince pies today which took about all of her time. I made a housewife for Lester and Elias is going to Woodstock to carry it to be sent to Washington [where Lester, her "young man" was stationed].

Dec 21, 1861

Worked the forenoon if I ever did. Dressed the chickens, washed the pantry floor, the kitchen floor, made up beds, swept the chambers and almost a little of everything. Mr Bennett and sister came between three and four o'clock. Anderson came in the evening and we went to William's to sing. Had a fire in the fireplace and we couldn’t keep warm. Jule Harback worse and they sent for Father to go and watch.

Dec 22

Got up this morning and the ground was white with snow. It continued to snow all day and it was about eight inches at night. Mr Bennett was here and he was in a stew to know how he was going to get home. Anderson had to go home in the storm and break his own path. I think I never saw so much snow fall at one time.

Dec 23

Father carried Miss B— to the cars [train cars] and Mr Bennett went home with the buggy. Picked and dressed the turkey for Christmas and did the washing. Julius Harback died today. He has been sick more than two months and is nothing but a skeleton.

Dec 24
How unfortunate! When we have got so much work to do. I have been real sick most all day. Got breakfast and washed the dishes and did nothing till three o'clock. Elias went to Crystal Lake after Jule's coffin.

Dec 25

Got up early and got the work done and the turkey in the oven and then went to Jule's funeral. Had a miserable sermon but a full house. He was buried in the Patterson place beside his mother. Found McComber's folks here when we got back. Got dinner as quick as we could. Edwin's folks,  Uncle Johnson, Lydia, Jo, Em and all hands were here.

Dec 26

All hands started home as soon as possible in the morning for the snow was melting so fast. They were afraid of losing the sleighing. It turned cold about noon and froze everything solid. I was left alone with lots of dishes to wash and the house to put in order. Mother was called out in the night to Mrs Stroop and did not get back until afternoon [Mrs Stroop's son was captured and imprisoned].

Last night received a photograph of four soldiers—Lester's and John Southworth and two strangers, no names attached.

(Photo of two soldiers, courtesy of The Library of Congress)

*   *   *

Life was not easy for those who lived 150 years ago and I feel blessed that we do not have to endure some of what they did. It really gives one pause to think of how so many families survived the hardships of this terrible time and yet still managed to celebrate Christmas together in whatever way they could, reaching out and helping each other through the difficulties. I hope all of you are lucky enough to have family around you this time of year and if you know someome who does not, think about inviting them to share your celebration. 

As if the above was not depressing enough, LOL, it looks like there will be no snow here in Chicago for Christmas this year - so, if you're like me and love the stuff,  try to have yourself

A very Merry Christmas anyway!

 

My Sentimental Christmas Tree

I love Christmas trees and I admire all of the nicely decorated ones in magazines. Wouldn't it be fun to have a blue-themed tree one year and a silver and gold the next? Glass ornaments and silver ribbons would NEVER have worked in my house, with my kids and dogs. I love decorating our non-fancy sentimental Christmas tree and every year when we unwrap the ornaments and pull them out of the boxes it's a little like getting a pre-Christmas gift. We have a multitude of cute ornaments and throughout the rest of the year I forget some of them and then am always surprised and happy to see them again. You can almost read our little family history here -

Ornaments made by friends bring back special memories. The other one was from my son's first year at preschool. The teacher helped the kids write whatever they wanted on an ornament - "I love my Mom" - Awwww.

An English cottage to remember the time I went to England.

Of course a few Barbie ornaments to remind me of all of those special "Barbie" Christmases growing up.

Another one made by a friend. And of course a doggy dish.

My daughter's penchant for shoes . . .  (Shhhh - don't tell - there's actually a real pair of red ones under the tree as we speak . . . )

Remembering the years my son and daughter played sports . . .

The year my son was into dinosaurs . . .

The Christmas after Sept 11 . . . Also the year we got one of our pups after losing one.

A little log cabin for the year Prairie Children & Their Quilts was published . . . (Thanks, Ingrid!)

My husband made this snowflake ornament himself from paper using a technique known as "quilling."

Quilling was a popular art form a few years ago that involved rolling tiny strips of paper into filigree shapes. It was a hobby of his mother's (and his father too) and here's a not-very-well-known fact for you. In the 1970s my mother-in-law Doris Tracy and her business partner started a craft business selling Christmas tree ornaments and kits to make them and then in 1974 went on to publish a book about quilling - Quilling: Paper Art for Everyone. I still see it online and on some paper quilling sites. This was waaay before I met him and we both find it amusing that his mother authored a book on QUILLING and the woman he eventually married went on to author 4 books on QUILTING. Doris passed away 3 years ago but her legacy resides on our tree every year, along with a whole lot of other special Christimas memories. Every ornament tells a story.

Peppermints and Pinwheels

A favorite treat I only indulge in at the holidays is peppermint bark candy. I'm sure there are places you can buy it all year long but, trust me, it's a good thing  that I don't see it much at other times of the year. I recently bought some Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark and when it was finished decided maybe I'd look into a recipe to make my own. How hard could it be? There are all sorts of recipes if you do a search, and you can certainly take your pick, but basically it's layers of dark chocolate, white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy cut into squares. Very simple.

First, melt some dark chocolate chips (or use better quality chocolate if you care to) in the microwave in a glass bowl. Stir after about 30-40 seconds and again if needed. If you have a moderately powerful microwave, don't let it go for too long or the chocolate will burn and you'll have to trash that batch and start over. Ask me how I know. When it's all  melted, pour into a small square baking dish lined with wax paper up the sides. Smooth the chocolate with a spatula. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. Crush the peppermints or candy canes. Then, melt the white chocolate and smooth it over the hardened layer of dark chocolate. Top the soft chocolate with the crushed candy, pressing it into the layer a bit. Place in freezer for another 10 minutes. When it hardens, lift the wax paper out of the dish and break into pieces or let it soften a little and then cut with a knife into squares. Yum!

Don't ask why the plate is not full  : )  If you've ever had peppermint bark, you already know. Besides, someone had to eat the pieces that were all broken up. Clearly I'll have to make more before Santa gets here.

This got me started on a peppermint kick so yesterday, after I finished making the candy, I took out some red and light prints and made a few pinwheels. I know you all are still going crazy over red and white quilts after seeing and hearing about that exhibit in NYC. I don't have very many red and white quilts myself and it was time to do something about that. I didn't know where I was going with it but then sat down at the computer with EQ and designed a little quilt around the blocks I'd made. Turned out very "sweet"   if I say so myself.

And - it's for YOU!  Here's the free pattern you can download as a .pdf file. There's not a lot of time before the holidays get here I know but it's very simple so you can still probably get it done before Christmas if you have a little time and you're so inclined. Me? I'm also going to try to make it but I'm still trying to finish the  little runner I began last year . . .  .

Most of you probably have your own favorite method for making half-square triangles for the Pinwheel blocks, but if you're new to quilting and find that sewing triangles makes your blocks a little wonky, here's how I make mine.

I layer my two squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line across the back of the lighter square. I use this nifty Quick Quarter ruler I found years ago that makes the sewing lines visible because I'm just not that good at eyeballing it.

Chain piece your layered squares and you can whip them out pretty fast.

This is a tip I recently picked up for making your half-square triangle units even better.  After you sew 1/4 inch away from the diagonal line on each side of the layered squares, PRESS the units open before you cut.  The fabric does not stretch as much and your half-square triangles will not turn out wonky but perfect because the bias edges are stabilized.

Flip and press the other side, then cut on the drawn line. Works like magic.

It's still early and, since most of the pieces are cut and the triangles sewn, maybe I WILL finish it before Christmas . . .

Sentimental About Dolls

In my recent old age, I started feeling sentimental about dolls I had as a child and so began a collection of  vintage Barbie dolls from the sixties. One of my favorite TV shows - Mad Men - may have had something to do with this, all of that '60s nostalgia you know. (Mad Men, where ARE you?? It's been way too long.)

These are not mine - Mattel created a line of Mad Men Barbies . . . .

You can laugh if you like but I was definitely a Barbie girl in 1960 and the doll played a huge role in my childhood. Antique dolls did not.

This beauty came to me last year when I was in the hospital and served as an excellent perk-me-up at the time. For some reason I was able to obtain her at a ridiculous price. Timing, I guess. Or maybe her hair - her hair was totally disheveled but I was able to get it back to looking good with a little elbow grease and conditioning shampoo. I will sometimes browse eBay or flea markets for a few collectible outfits to add to her wardrobe.

In my occasional, neverending quest for the affordable, collectible Barbie from 1960 - 1965, I found a new doll store. This may surprise some of you  but I don't really collect "antique" dolls despite my love of antique quilts and 19th century reproduction fabric. I do love some reproduction antique dolls though, like the ones featured on this site. But they don't tug at my heartstrings or bring back a flood of memories the way Barbie does.

How cool is she?? 

This store  in Chicago is a doll collector's dream, where you can find almost any doll that was ever made. Mostly popular 20th century dolls, not real antique dolls from the 19th century. It's such a fun place to browse through. Not only can you admire the excellent craftsmanship of some of the newer dolls, but you can easily recapture your childhood too. My own childhood was FILLED with dolls. Who knows where they all went? I shudder to think . . . . At Gigi's I found dolls I had forgotten I once had.

I grew up watching old Shirley Temple movies instead of cartoons on Saturday mornings and of course had the doll made by Ideal in 1959, as well as a Chatty Cathy doll when it came out. I was able to hang onto that one -  I think Chatty must have been hiding under the bed the day my mom sent the rest to the "doll farm."

Not everyone delights in dolls, however, and I understand that only too well. My son was afraid of dolls when he was a child. Not good if you have a sister. I think it had to do with one of the creepy after-school TV shows he saw a few times where a doll came alive and killed a kid or something. He insisted on watching because all the other kids at school watched it and read those Goosebumps books and they called him a baby if he didn't too. Of course, we banned the show and books after he started having trouble sleeping at night and we finally figured it out. I think he was relieved.

A memorable moment in my son's Cub Scout career came after he won the Pinewood Derby and we had to leave the meeting early because the after-program featured a ventriloquist and his dummy doll, LOL. He freaked. Granted, he was only six or seven so I didn't blame him - those dolls are creepy to me, too.  He's 23 now and has pretty much overcome his fears, I think  (I hope. We don't actually ever talk about it but I'm sure he wouldn't mind my sharing it here with all of you . . . ).

The cure occurred one summer when he was 12 and his uncle took him camping in northern Minnesota. My sister-in-law grew up there and her family still lived in the area. After camping a few days in the wilderness, the "boys" decided they needed a shower and a night in a nice warm bed. They drove into town where one of the relatives was nice enough to put them up for the night. Only problem was, this very nice grandmotherly lady was a doll collector and she put my son in her guest bedroom that housed her huge collection of dolls. Dolls everywhere. He faced his fears that night. Thank goodness, no dolls came alive.

He has since gone on to be doll-phobic-free. They haven't ever gone camping there again, though. And I think it was probably a good thing he wasn't with me when I visited this shop. I kept chuckling to myself as I browsed, thinking that, while it might be a dream come true for many women my age (Ooooh, look at this one!), this was a place that could easily be chock full of nightmares for someone else.

P. S.: More about my adventures with Barbie here. And, if you're ever cleaning out your basements, I'd be more than happy to take all of those old Barbie outfits from the early sixties off your hands LOL . . .

My Kind of Black Friday

Going out shopping on Black Friday does not appeal to me. I have never gotten up at 2 or 3 a.m. to head over to the mall for early Christmas deals. Don't know what's wrong with me! As much as I love bargains . . . I just can't stand the crowds. Since we typically have Thanksgiving dinner at our house, I'm usually pooped the day after from cooking and cleaning and entertaining and almost always choose to stay home or mosey around my town a bit rather than brave the long lines at a mall.

This year I was invited to attend a unique craft show on Friday at a friend's home. Karen and her husband Bill make primitive wood crafts as well as various quilted and wool items. Karen sews up a storm to prepare for the show every year. Oh, I was in heaven - they had such wonderful things!

Every inch of Karen's adorable home (built in 1927) was decorated with craft items for sale.

Right up my alley - tons of black painted primitive things for the home. Karen's husband is the one who made the doll beds you may remember from awhile back.

Cute little ornaments for the tree.

Here are a few things I came home with -

I've been looking for a wooden tray like this for a long time to keep on my sewing table. . .

My kitchen has quite a few black accents so the shelf and drawer thingy will be perfect in there.

Oops! Don't want to forget the cute framed sampler. Always have room for that, especially since I have been lax about making my own cross-stitched samplers. But that may be about to change soon since I recently became inspired to do a little more stitching by a new book I bought. I'm hoping to get a start on something from the book and maybe I'll have something to show soon. All in all, not a bad "Black" Friday for me, huh?

What Are You Thankful For?

You know that the Sentimental Quilter LOVES Thanksgiving. It's a great opportunity to show my sentimental side and reflect on all of the things I have to be grateful for this year. In many ways it hasn't been a great year for me and I could very easily focus on those things that have disrupted life and made it a little more difficult. Yet, once I sat down to write this, I was able to remind myself of all of the abundance surrounding me. Here's what I'm grateful for today (and so much more, of course):

A good night's sleep . . .

Waking up on a cold morning and feeling warmed not only by the blankets and quilt but by a little black puppy licking my toes and then remembering that my daughter was finally home and asleep in the next room . . .

That we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with extended family again this year and that my brother-in-law is cooking the turkey (!) and bringing it over. All I have to make is sides!

That my husband still has a job in this uncertain time of high unemployment and that my son was able to find one . . .

That I get to make quilts for a living (or try to anyway) . . .

That I have good friends and a loving family who support me and love me . . . even when I'm cranky and needy . . .

Two amazing children . . .

A sweet husband  . . .

Sisters . . .

A sense of humor . . .

More fabric than I will ever need . . .

A really good cup of coffee  . . .

Lots of  good books to read . . .

The fact that you can buy just one song from an album on iTunes instead of the whole thing (I love that . . . )

Health and the body's ability to heal . . .

Feeling pretty good . . .

Lemon Lift tea . . .

Being able to say "Oh well" and find ways to stay above all of the stuff that can sometimes get you down . . .

Quilters from long ago and their marvelous quilts . . .

A good parking spot at the grocery 2 days in a row . . .

I could go on and on and on. What about YOU? Anything you're grateful for today?? Take a minute to share it with me - you won't believe how good it feels to write it down.