Quilt Show

You have to admit, quilt shows are so much fun. Last weekend I attended the Piecemakers Quilt Guild Show in Galesburg, Illinois where they set me up with a booth. I  had a great time and Carl Sandburg College was the perfect, spacious setting for all of the lovely quilts. Thanks for inviting me, Kae!

 "Inspired Baskets" made by  Niki Conklin (inspired by a class she took with Gwen Marston, can you tell?).

"Bright Coins" quilt by  Deborah Grohs. Coincidentally, we are doing a small Coins quilt this month, remember? How's that coming along??

I loved the colors in this quilt - "Moody Blues" made by Jean Near from a design by Tara Lynn Darr.

Simple and lovely by Debbie Spencer.

"Tequila Sunrise" by Jean Lohmar. 

Sandy Schweitzer was there, appraising vintage and antique quilts.

Here's a picture of my booth -

Hey, like my new glasses??

These ladies were all over the place -

My lady must have gotten her hand stuck scratching her shoulder . . .

I was so happy that some of you stopped by to see me and buy books and get your books signed. Julie from Me and My Stitches (you may know her from her comments on my blog) also came over to say hello. She drove there from Iowa.

Look closely at what she's wearing around her neck. When I saw her quilty necklace I wanted one too! I found out that Julie makes quilted jewelry and so I made her run back out to her car and bring in her samples to show me.

I bought a couple of pendants and of course now am kicking myself that I didn't buy more. They were all so beautiful and I could not decide. I do have a birthday coming up though, hint, hint. I wish the pictures had turned out better to do them justice but I had to take these with my cell phone because I forgot my camera that day, wouldn't you know it?

Tiny baskets!

This is one of the pendants I bought. Isn't it wonderful? Look at how Julie fussy cut the little flower in the center. I've always wanted to make a small pineapple quilt, just not this small LOL. Thanks, Julie - I'll think of you every time I wear it.

Take a look at her website and raise your hand if you would love for her to have a booth at the International Quilt Fest in Chicago next year . . . (Sorry, Julie - I couldn't resist nagging you, LOL.)

Quilt Fest Returns to Chicago

This is for my friends in Chicago and other places nearby - I just heard that the International Quilt Festival will be returning to Chicago next year, in June. Yippee!

That's exciting news for those of us living in this wonderful urban area who have been without a major quilt show for 2 years. See details here .

Amazing quilts on display and . . .  vendors galore.  Mark your calendars for June 21 - 23, 2013. And, start saving your pennies.

Thank you Quilts, Inc.! We've missed you.

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Also, don't forget, I will be at the Galesburg IL Quilt Show this weekend, Aug 11- 12, Sat and Sunday. Stop by and say hello if you are in the area.

Victorian Charm Strings

Here's something that some of you may find interesting about charm quilts, since that is what we're making this month -  a small charm coins quilt. Pat Nickols said "It is generally accepted that the idea of making Charm Quilts grew out of the Victorian fad of charm strings, one-of-a-kind button collections that were strung together on string, sometimes also called friendship strings. One myth behind these collections was that if a young woman could collect 999 different buttons, the 1000th would be brought to her by her one true love." 

I wish I had some Victorian buttons to share with you. I would love to begin a collection of antique buttons someday but all I have now are a few new buttons that resemble old ones. All of you may begin collecting old buttons after you read this.

I also found a great article written by Diana Epstein and Millicent Safro in which they describe this once popular pastime of charm strings in Victorian America.

 

 

"In Stories of Mother Goose, little Tommy Tucker says, 'You know what a charm string is. Just ever so many pretty buttons strung together and worn around your neck.' Nineteenth century folk wisdom had it that a girl should acquire 999 buttons on a string. When she added the thousandth, she would meet her Prince Charming."

Button strings were also sometimes called "memory strings," popular in the 1860s until around 1900.  Apparently, there were rules and requirements for collecting the buttons. Only the prettiest, one-of-a-kind and most brilliant should be used in a collection. The buttons were not supposed to be bought, but gifts from friends, suitors or family members or traded with another button stringer. Charm strings were kept out in plain view to encourage visitors to contribute buttons and so that others might ask about the stories related to them as they were collected. "This button was given by Aunt Abigail from the gown she wore to the Inaugural Ball," or "this button was from Grandfather's Civil War uniform."

Epstein and Safro continue -

"Young girls would begin their string by tying a large button, called a touch button, onto a long string. Original charm strings of the late 19^th century had a large quantity of very small and dainty glass buttons, including early paperweight buttons, as well as small Victorian metals of the period. Some charm strings also included meaningful amulets and tiny objects with family or school-day associations, such as charms, coins, baskets made from nut or fruit pits, miniature dolls' arms and legs, or religious medals.

"Charm strings with a thousand buttons are seldom found today. In fact, most were never finished. That is they contained far fewer than the legendary 999 or 1000 buttons. Many strings had difficulty surviving storage or were divided by families wanting to share mementos. Or they were cut by collectors who couldn't resist picking up some of the rare and valuable buttons on them, which they then grouped with other buttons of the same materials and type.

"But should you be lucky enough to happen upon a charm string - perhaps with the needle still attached - the primary guideline for determining if it is original and authentically intact is to consider the age and condition of the string or wire and to determine if all the buttons were made during the proper period. Whether enjoyed for its visual abundance or as a consulting library of 19^th century buttons, the charm string is an American folk art and is, to put it simply, charming."

(From Bead and Button, Feb 1995. Diana Epstein and Millicent Safro are the authors of Buttons (Abrams, 1991)).

Another source I found said that during the latter part of the nineteenth century young women would use their collection of buttons as an excuse to approach a certain young man and ask for a button which would then set the stage for the young man perhaps becoming a suitor. I wonder what single young women nowadays would think of this tactic?? I'll suggest it to my daughter and her friends . . . . I've got some buttons.

Here's a blog that has photos of an antique string of buttons and stories to go with it.

Small Quilt for August

You know I love scrap quilts and a largish charm quilt is on my list of quilts to make someday. Lord knows I have enough charms . . .

But first, there are too many small quilts to be made. I have so many favorite  quilts to choose from for this month's challenge (from my book Remembering Adelia), and I thought that this time you would enjoy making the small Charming Coins quilt (on page 49).

I wasn't thinking clearly when I first made this quilt. I should have made it into a charm quilt without using 2 of the same fabrics for the rectangles. But I hadn't named it yet and, when I did, decided to call it a "sort of" charm quilt or a "charming" quilt.  I used a few pieces more than once. While it was a bit late for me to rip it out and start over with so many other quilts to make for the book, I let it be. No reason all of you couldn't easily turn it into a charm quilt of your own.

Historically, the charm quilt is distinguished by its one-patch design and the fact that no two pieces are cut from the same fabric. Sometimes they contain hundreds or thousands of pieces that are all different. However, many quilts we casually call charm quilts today do have pieces that are used more than once and the name often includes quilts that simply are made with many different fabrics, whether it's accurate or not.

 

I know I have enough scraps to make several large charm quilts without repeating a single fabric. Don't you?? But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's make this small one first. Maybe next year we can all make a large charm quilt together. Good idea?

Stencil Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the free Stencil Company stencils -

• Cityquilter Grace from Maine
• Susannah from Finger Lakes, NY
• Rosa from Spain
• Maribeth Schmit from Cedarburg, WI

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. Winners, please e-mail me your addresses so we can know where to send your free little stencils.

Again, I wish all of you could have won the free stencil. Those of you who did not win,  remember that you can order this stencil and quite a few more if you go to  the Stencil Company's website. We'll do another stencil giveaway next month.

I will announce the quilt for August sometime tomorrow. Remember, it's from my book Remembering Adelia.

Another Stencil Giveaway

It was a lot of fun showing you a hand quilting demo and a stencil last month and then giving away free stencils. The Stencil Company is letting me do it again this month and next. This time there will be FOUR winners.

Look what I whipped up yesterday to give you an idea of how to use this month's cute little stencil.

I often talk about using mostly small blocks in my small quilts but who's to say you can't also use larger ones to make a small quilt? Large blocks can often easily be turned into perfect small quilts by adding a few borders. I was trying to decide what to make to showcase this little flower design on a quilt and when I went through my stack of orphan blocks, BIG ones, there she was - a 12-inch Crow's Foot block. The stencil fits perfectly in the center squares. Sure saved me a lot of time. It had been sitting there in the drawer for quite awhile in anticipation of being used in a quilt someday. It had no idea it was in fact going to BE the quilt, LOL.

Here's the stencil we're giving away this time -

Just place the stencil on your block and trace the design with your favorite marking pen or pencil. Then stitch on the lines. I decided to go with a dark red thread for contrast (made by YLI, my favorite quilting thread).

Very sweet.

The borders? The fabric is from a line called Cynthia's Scrap Bag by Carrie Quinn of Blue Hill Fabrics (Carrie owns the  Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop in Illinois, right near where my "historical friend" Adelia lived when she wrote her diary in 1861. Yes, that would be Adelia from the book. I think I will be choosing a quilt from that book - Remembering Adelia - in a few days for our Small Quilt a Month Challenge for August).

Contact Carrie at the Pieceful Gathering Quilt shop (above) to see if she has more of this fabric available.

So leave me a comment again and early next week I will choose 4 stencil winners. Also, please remember to leave me an e-mail address or blog link where I can reach you if you win. Good luck.

I'll have to quilt a little something in the other blocks too. This is really such an interesting block, isn't it? I love the contrast.

You can find more lovely stencils for quilting your small quilts here. Have a good weekend.

Make a Sweet Doll Pillow

The quilt for this month has a matching pillow and I always get asked about the pattern when I show it with the quilt during trunk shows. No, sorry to say, it is not in the book we're using this month. I just made it up to go along with that quilt after the book was published. All doll quilts need a pillow but especially this one.

I used ticking fabric for the actual pillow and some extra border fabric for the pillowcase. 

First, cut a 6"  x   9"  rectangle from ticking or striped fabric for the pillow.

I couldn't find any more of the ticking I used in the original pillow so I substituted this pretty Jo Morton stripe. Fold the rectangle in half, right sides together, and stitch a 1/4 inch seam along the 3 raw edges, leaving a 2" opening for turning. Turn the pillow right side out and fold and press the opening 1/4 inch under, which I think makes it easier to stitch it closed later. Stuff with polyfil and close the opening with a simple slip stitch like this.

Or, you can use a pin like I did to make it easier to slip stitch the pieces together.

Next, cut a 7"  x  10" rectangle from your pillowcase fabric.

Fold one long edge under 1/4 inch and press, then fold 1/4 inch under again so there is no raw edge. Stitch along the folded edge to make a hem. Try to do a better job than I did, LOL. I rushed a little.

Before you sew the pillow case together you can stitch a little line of decorative stitches in a darker or contrasting thread about an inch or more away from the hemmed edge. Sew a length of matching ribbon for decoration as well if you wish.

Then, fold this piece in half, right sides together, and stitch 1/4 away from the edge along 2 sides. Do NOT get carried away and sew the hemmed opening shut. Turn right side out and your pillow case is finished. The case should be slightly larger than the pillow so you can easily slip it inside.

Add a bow if you like.

This is a very cute little project isn't it?  And so easy to adjust the size to match either a larger or smaller quilt. There is a similar pincushion project in The Civil War Sewing Circle based on this little pillow, with an eyelet or lace edge. This one is made a little differently, pillow and case all in one piece, and the directions are in the book.

 I KNOW! These are just the cutest little things.

So now you have something else to try this week as you also finish up putting the borders on your little blue and white quilt. Don't you love making quick little projects? Early Christmas gifts perhaps??

We're closing in on the end of another month and, on Friday, I hope to have another Stencil GIVEAWAY on the blog. (Yay! you all say.) But first I have to make something I can use the stencil on to demonstrate to you how cute the one we're giving away is. There will be FOUR lucky stencil winners this time.

x  -  x  -  x  -  x  -  x

A heads up for all of you quilters in or near Illinois - I will have a small booth at the Galesburg Quilt Show on August 11-12, put on by the Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Galesburg, IL.  I will be signing books and showing some of my quilts.

Quilt show hrs - Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 PM

  Over 250 quilts on display. National Quilting Association judging and Viewer's Choice Awards. Featured Author/Quilter: Kathleen Tracy

Carl Sandburg College, 2232 S. Lake Storey Road, Bldg D, Galesburg IL

      http://sites.google.com/site/piecemakersquiltingguild

Maybe I will see some of you there??

Pretty in Pictures

"In all forms of collecting the hunt for bargains adds zest to the game."

~ Edward James Nankivell,

19th century English journalist

It's been a bit of a blue and white month for me. I get this way in  the summer, tending toward blue to cool me off I guess. Lately, everywhere I turn, I seem to find and fall in love with something blue and white. Yesterday, for instance, I was driving home from the library and saw a sign that said "VINTAGE SALE." What?? I thought it was just a new, fancy name for "Garage Sale" and tried to keep going straight but my turn signal suddenly started flashing right and the car went to auto pilot and there I was, turning in front of an old house with actual old stuff for sale.

My kids and I used to love to rummage through garage sales and come up with neat toys and games, sports equipment, etc.  I gave up on garage sales quite a few years ago when we no longer needed toys. And, anyway, all everyone seemed to be selling was baby stuff or junk and do I really need any more junk? No THANK you, I have enough of my own that I need to get rid of. Once, I found a lovely silk Ralph Lauren scarf for $1.00. I still wear it and I still get compliments, LOL. No one knows.

The Vintage Sale house (and stuff inside) belonged to a lady who seemed to love blue. Linens, dishes and other household things for sale, all blue and white. A teal blue area rug. A beautiful white iron bed lined with blue and white pillows. A blue lamp. Oh my. I wish I had brought my camera. Most of it was furnishings and other things I did not need so I only bought a few small items because as it turned out, all I had was $10 cash on me, LOL. (Imagine, if I hadn't just paid my $2.50 library fine I would have had a whole $12.50 to splurge.  . . . )

I ended up choosing a small blue and white pitcher and a china serving platter, also in blue and white. They don't match anything I own, I just had to have them, you know?

 

Seriously, how could I NOT buy this plate?? Sentimentalist that I am, I almost tear up just looking at it, it's so delicate and beautiful.

I also bought the sweetest little doll chair (I do love my doll chairs), not in blue and white, but perfect to set on a shelf or even on a blue and white doll quilt. Maybe I'll make a small blue and white pillow for it.

You'll be pleased to know I got change back from my $10.00 too. My husband just shook his head when he came home and looked at my finds. What, I said? WHAT's wrong with loving blue?? Tell me.  

Even if I end up not actually using any of it, you have to admit, it sure looks pretty in pictures . . .  

July Challenge - Blue & White Quilt

Still working on your little blue and white quilt for July? Two weeks left until the end of the month if you're intent on making one quilt a month with us. Plenty of time to start and finish before we move on to the quilt for August. Although I've already made 2 of these quilts, I put some more blocks together yesterday, just to show you how simple it is. Break it up -  spend an hour or two this week and your blocks will be done. Then you can sew the borders on next week. You need six of these blocks to make the quilt  (each block contains 4 hourglass units, for a total of 24. Check out the pattern in American Doll Quilts for instructions).

In the original quilt, I used a variety of indigoes and shirtings for a sort of mild scrappy look. You may want to make it in 2 prints if you don't have a lot of these particular colors in your scrap collection.

I also sewed some of these tiny tiny buttons in the center of each block. Looks like I used up all my blue ones already. You may want to pick up some 1/8 inch dark blue ribbon if you wish to make the little bows in the corners of the borders and on the pillow.

Next week I'll show you how to make the little doll pillow. We'll also have our next Stencil Giveaway at the end of this month. This time there will be 4 winners.

Thanks for all of your positive e-mails in light of the recent drama in the Yahoo small quilt group. I am sorry to say that I just do not have time to answer all of them personally but know that I do appreciate all of the kind sentiments. I'm still on a break from that as I try to figure out the direction I'd like to take it but I will suggest a quilt for the next month's challenge the first week in August.

It's so darn HOT. The garden is not doing very well. I have to admit I just cannot stand to be out there in the heat for longer than a few minutes at a time so I haven't been as attentive as I had planned. My idea that this was the year I could turn it around sort of fell flat. Oh well, maybe next year.

What flowers looked like last week.

How the flowers feel this week, LOL. Guess I'd better get out there and water despite the sprinkling ban in town. Hope the rain that's predicted comes tomorrow.

A Little Time for Me

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."

- Sydney J. Harris

I've made a little more progress on this piece. I'm not the fastest cross stitcher in the world . . . .

(Cross stitch patterns by Blackbird Designs from - A Schoolgirl's Work, Samplers from the Spencer Museum of Art)

This one may be next. Gotta make them all . . .

(Cross stitch patterns by Blackbird Designs from  - A Schoolgirl's Work, Samplers from the Spencer Museum of Art)

"Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal people's souls." - Melody Beattie