A Wonky Star goes to College

It has been too hot in recent days to be dragging quilts and cameras around and staging photographs.  But last week, Jim and I had cabin fever and decided a “ride-about” was in order.  It seemed a good idea to throw in a small quilt, just in case.

We ended up on the campus of my college alma mater and decided to snap a couple of photos.  This Wonky Blue Star quilt posed on the banister of an antebellum home that’s now part of the administrative buildings for Georgia College.  When I was enrolled there; oh, my, 50 years ago, this house was used as a dormitory.

I lived in this house for a couple of years. At one time my bedroom was the corner room you see here behind the rocking chairs.  

The view from that window, across the street, was the old governor’s mansion, seen here with the blue quilt posed on that fence.  This building was used as the president’s residence some years, and the site of several festive events for students.  My mother was especially entranced by those beautifully decorated rooms.

As I peeped through the fence to the immaculate lawn, I remembered how pleased she was to attend an outdoor reception there one spring day in my freshman year. Mama would love this campus even more now.

It was hot, as expected, so our time out of the car was brief.  But the sidewalks were busy with students on the way to class – or somewhere.  Enrollment has doubled since I was a student there and there are some changes to the campus.  But all of them are good.  Historic buildings are preserved and the classic beauty of the place is intact.  The energy of people going about the business of learning is always exciting.

The Wonky Star quilt is one I’ve made several times in several sizes.  I’ve taught it as a quick technique to create a block or a whole quilt, as in this case.  You need thirteen squares of fabric the same size and some simple cutting and sewing directions to make a quick quilt.

Here, I chose a big print that I was reluctant to cut into tiny pieces and a contrasting background fabric.  A simple wavy line of machine quilting meant that this was a really quick project.  This one measures 33” square finished and works perfectly as a table topper.

In the next post, I’ll share other Wonky Star quilts and the instructions.

Military Memories

I’ve recently been exploring stitch with paper and cloth again. The photo above is an early effort.

Yes, the label says really early – 15 years ago.

 This scrapbook quilt, Military Memories, seemed the prefect way to store and display some of Jim’s paraphernalia from his days in uniform. 

I chose some patriotic fabric as the background, pieced a border inducing some military motifs from a novelty fabric or two, and added ribbons, pins, buttons, and patches.

The black and white photograph is printed on paper and sewn on, while the map is printed on fabric. I used a wiggly stitch of some sort to secure it to paper

The back is camo fabric, but the paper envelope holding the label is easy to see. The quilt measures 11″ x 16″.

Yes, this is an early effort of mine, and the sparsely spaced quilting reveals that I’ve changed my ways – now I usually quilt things until they are bulletproof. But it’s interesting to me that I continue to find some of my earliest quilts were exploring techniques I still embrace. Fabric and paper stitched together – it never gets old.

Swatch Journal

I recently had to buy a new one of these.  If you sew, you recognize this as a seam ripper.  We all use them to rip out mistakes, but I’ve lately been using one a lot – to deconstruct some garments.

I came into possession of some old sewing paraphernalia and vintage clothing in our family.  I sorted and washed and cut apart and added the bits to my stash.  Most deconstruction is done with scissors and a rotary cutter, but button removal is most easily done with a seam ripper.  There were lots of buttons. There was some delicate lace edging to remove with a seam ripper, too.

The seamstress wasn’t a quilter, but she had some unfinished projects.  The yellow at the top of this photo is a little girl’s dress – almost finished – only the lace to add down the front.  Maybe buttonholes were needed.  Maybe the little girl decided she didn’t like yellow, maybe she outgrew the size of the pattern.

There was yardage of the navy fabric on the right in the photo above. From the shapes of the fabric that wasn’t used, I knew an apron had been made from that fabric.

In the bundles, there was fabric that was wool, rayon, cotton, silk; of course I am anxious to dip some of these in the dye pot.  In the interest of research and because I like to do such things, I wanted a record of what fabrics were made of which fiber.

Also on my “want-to-explore” list is making books with fabric.  I’ve done some of that, but for this one, I started with a paper booklet and stitched the fabric swatches on the paper, leaving room to add written notes.

There were also some patterns and what looks to be a template cut from a 1956 newspaper.  Some of these treasures will end up in art projects of mine.  For now, bits of all of them are in this project, the booklet.

I left room to add swatches of the fabrics once they are dipped in the indigo bath, and as I continue to dig through the treasure chest, more embellishments can fill some spaces.

Museum in the Country

It was Saturday, the day for adventure.  Our “ride-about” for the day took us to some antique stores; old favorites and a new one, a reliable lunch spot for a bite to eat, and then…

part of a huge hooked rug designed by Steffen Thomas

Then we found ourselves visiting an art museum in an unusual location.  Our car’s navigation system complained, “this destination includes roads with incomplete information”. 

This art museum has an address with Nature’s inspiration all around.

A quilting friend had told me about an exhibit here showing art quilts interpreting some of the work of Steffen Thomas.  The art quilts were nice, for sure.  But the discovery of Steffen Thomas’ artwork, the man himself, the museum, and the docent, Ashley, were all pleasant surprises to add to our day and to our bank of memories.

Steffen Thomas was a German-born artist who spent much of his career working from his home near Atlanta.  His work includes massive bronze sculptures, mosaic tile work, welded iron pieces, and paintings using oil, acrylic, and mixed media. 

I was entranced and inspired by all of his work, some pieces mesmerizing me more than others.  The museum set up allowed me to examine details of his techniques up close.

I wasn’t disappointed in the quilters’ interpretations of Thomas’ work, either.  Interesting textile techniques, materials, and stitching were represented.  I even recognized the names of some of the fiber artists whose work was there.

The month-long exhibit has included lectures and demonstrations on not only fiber arts, but floral arranging and edible flowers, too. 

An informative brochure provided to accompany this exhibit states that “Steffen Thomas was joyful person.”  It shows in his work and in the museum dedicated to his art.  

What a fabulous discovery we made.  Thanks, Kaye, for insisting that I travel to see this exhibit.  

This Arts in Bloom exhibit will be at the museum through May 25, so you still have time to see it.

The website for the Stefffen Thomas Museum is here.

For those who expect to see one of my quilts in a post, here it is.  We did take a couple of small quilts along.  This old brick building and tree beckoned, so I posed Granny Zee’s Baskets on a chair.  The story of this quilt is shared in detail here.

Dipping in the Indigo

I recently gave a talk to a guild about using indigo fabrics in quilts.  I shared old quilts and new ones I had made.  I included purchased indigo fabrics from Africa (again, both old and new ones), commercial reproductions of indigo fabrics, and fabric I had dipped in the indigo dye bath myself.

Once home, I rearranged quilt displays so I could visit with these pieces more.

And, with warmer temperatures outside, I knew it was time to resurrect the dye pot and get busy.

So for the past couple of days, I’ve been dipping. Yes, even a lampshade.

This is a tablecloth my mother crocheted for me in 1985.  It was beige.  I would see examples of this in antique stores and think how beautiful these objects would be if they were blue.  

So I bought one to test my theory.  I dyed this one on Tuesday and I liked it so well that I dared to dye Mama’s handwork on Wednesday.

I dipped a lot of other fabrics each day, too.

Napkins are always a favorite.  The group pinned together is 9 matching linen napkins that had never been used.  All the same size, I think they will be great backgrounds for appliqué.


A printed black on white linen skirt takes the dye beautifully.  And, one of the most delightful pieces I dipped is a piece of Moda’s new line of barkcloth.  It’s 100% cotton, but beefier than quilting cotton, and dipped and washed and dried, it is soft and buttery and ravels beautifully.  Raveling well is important to me.

I’ve joined a new online group with Jude Hill, her latest adventure in soulful stitching.  Ragmates in this journey with me can expect to see some of this dye lot in future explorations.  I’ve written about Jude before in many posts, but she is the one who convinced me that I could explore indigo dying.  Thanks, Jude.

Folk Life Festival

Sheep, goats, old buildings, a quilt show, and MEN IN OVERALLS. What else could a country girl want on a Saturday?

The place was swarming with men in overalls, and suspenders, and straw hats. 

These sheep were waiting to help with the demonstration of shearing. (by men wearing overalls and suspenders, of course.)

Oh, and there was a train, too! This country girl was thrilled.  There was a tractor parade, as well, but that wasn’t as exciting somehow. One man sitting near me said, “I’ve seen all the tractors I want – when I was a boy, I saw the fields from the seat of one every day.”

There was even a quilt show on the grounds! The members of the Wiregrass Quilt Guild hosted their annual show and one of their members had a one-man show in another gallery.

The camera recorded images for upcoming art quilts.  Old buildings, animals, people.  Don’t you just know this guy wants to be on one of my Men in Overalls series?

And, one of the men in overalls came home with me. See, we had a goal in mind when we left home. We anticipated the dress for the day!

Yes, I have a pair somewhere, but the idea is MEN in overalls.

This was at the Folk Life Festival in Tifton.  The grounds are now part of ABAC and make up what is now called the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village, but we who have known of it since its beginnings still refer to the place as the Agrirama, its original name.  More information about the place is here.

I’ve been in love with men in overalls my entire life.  in recent years, I’ve had fun with images of such men on art quilts.  As I wrote this, I did a search of my blog and realized there are several I’ve never posted.  Here is one of them:

This photo of an unknown child was printed on vintage linen, quilted, and mounted on a burlap canvas.

Details of some I have posted before are below:

The story of this piece is here.

And this one is detailed here.

I’m itching to play with the images of some of these guys I saw yesterday. Stay tuned for the results!

Portable Magic

In my most recent post, I had a photo of this quilt and promised details about it soon.  The project I called Portable Magic was a sample I made after agreeing to teach the paper foundation piecing technique at a local quilt shop.

I feel like Ginger Rogers when I’m paper foundation piecing.  You know, she did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.

The technique of paper foundation piecing in quilting is like that.  You truly are working with fabric that is upside down and backwards to normal piecing procedures. The technique is a go-to method when you need really sharp points or have awkward angles that would be tricky to piece traditionally. 

I had been asked to teach the technique years ago, but was reluctant to do so.  Most traditional patterns that use this method involve curved piecing, too, which would be a whole different lesson.  A three-hour class was not long enough to get folks comfortable with both techniques.

When I saw the pattern called Book Nerd by Angela Pingel, I offered to finally teach the class. (pattern available here) This book block had enough pieces to teach the technique, but not so many that it wasn’t doable in a few hours.  And, curved piecing could be saved for another day.


This quilt, Portable Magic, was the result.  I didn’t make 24 book blocks, as the pattern depicted.  I made five blocks and pieced them in a rather improvisational manner to make a child-sized lap quilt.  I inked the word “read” in the corner, rather than appliquéing those tiny letters.

My finished quilt measures 42” x 50”.  That’s a nice size for a class sample because you can sometimes use just one width of fabric for the backing.  

Speaking of the backing – this fabric was a fun bit of yardage I bought probably 15 years ago.  I loved it.  But it was one of those pieces I just couldn’t cut up.  So I hung on to it until the right project came along.  This one seemed perfect to me.  I pieced the back just because I like pieced backs.

Dewey Godwin (jdquilts.com) did a great job quilting it for me.

My spin on the paper piecing technique involves a lot of holding the paper and pieces up to the light to get the positioning just right before stitching.  I precut the pieces, oversizing them a bit – that helps get the angles right, making positioning easier, too.

The title came from a quote from Stephen King, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”  I used a vintage doily for the label. 

As I mentioned when describing Miss Nellie’s Country Garden, I used a wider binding than usual on this quilt.  This finished at 1/2″ wide and I used one of my favorite fabrics for binding:  a stripe cut on the bias.

I used the paper foundation piecing method to stitch the flying geese in an oval in Endless Migration.  I now realize I haven’t shared the story of this challenge quilt before, so I will.

Unexpected Pleasures

When you are retired and don’t have a rigid schedule, the most innocent errand can become an adventure.  One day this week we headed out to sign some papers (it’s tax season, you know, ugh).  A couple of quilts and cameras were tossed in the car, and off we went. 

A stop at a park yielded a few shots of quilts. In the photo here, Granny Zee’s Baskets posed in front of an old church steeple.


My latest teaching sample, Portable Magic, posed on an outdoor window.


We have this thing about photographing cabooses, so Remember Me posed on this one.

The Drugstore Deli was our choice for a delicious lunch.  This veggie quiche and salad were beautiful – and they tasted as wonderful as they look.  The blue cheese dressing was homemade with chunks of cheese.  Oh, my!  You’ve gotta try that!

The lunch was even better when we realized old friends were sitting nearby and we had a chance to visit and catch up.

Within sight of the restaurant was a quaint old building I’d never noticed before.  It’s been there, we’ve been there, but just never noticed it.  

It is an old jailhouse now housing the historical society.  The bars were perfect for posing quilts, as was an old theater bench outside. 

I think Kaffe Fassett would love these brick walls!

I’ve written about the Drugstore Deli before, in this post.

The story of Granny Zee’s Baskets is here.

And details about Remember Me are here.

The book quilt, Portable Magic,  is a sample I made for a class I recently taught.  Details of that quilt will be in an upcoming post.


Loving Blues

My latest quilt project is finished and has been on an outing already.  Loving Blues rode with us to 7th Street Salvage today.  Coincidentally, perhaps, everything we liked was either blue or white.

Catherine graciously permitted me to pose my quilt in several spots, and oh, what fun we had!  Blues posed on a mantel,

on a group of bathtubs (love the blue oars, too),

on a dry sink (I’m really in love with that pump!),

and outside on a precious little structure.  Those blue tin tiles are fabulous everywhere, aren’t they?

Once home, Blues posed with the treasures we brought home.  The blue sphere is a duckpin bowling ball.  The pins and balls on display reminded Jim of playing this game at Indian Springs State Park during his childhood.  The coloring on this ball meant that it was coming home with us! (and yes, those are blue metal tiles you see in the corner.)

The sun was out for a few minutes, so we let Blues swing in the breeze. 

Yes, the vest I am wearing had scraps that found their way into this quilt, too.

Quilt details:  It measures 40” x 60” finished.

This has memories stitched together, some fabrics held my memories, some held memories of other hands, other lives. All fabrics were either vintage linens I had purchased, many of them overdyed in indigo, or bits of clothing from my closet and Jim’s.

There are fabrics from several of Jim’s shirts, some from shirts of mine. The V is made from a homespun cotton fabric I bought at Elco Antique Market in the 1980’s, my mother made a jumper for me and I wore it for years. Now some of that precious find lives in this quilt.

I changed the name.  That earlier post was called Loving Hearts, and I thought that would be the finished title.  But, no, the quilt said it was about Loving Blues.  Ok.  The label is a big heart cut from an overdyed linen tablecloth remnant with beads added.

Like memories that vary; some bring smiles, some bring tears; these fabrics differed, too.  Some light weight linen from my breezy summer shirts was soft and stretchy.  Others, like the ticking used to make the letter “E” and the handwoven toweling used for the “L”, were thick, made to be durable for centuries.  That made quilting interesting.  I chose a meandering vine with hearts.

And the pins and silicon tips I mentioned in this earlier post –  they are great!  I feared that they might make maneuvering the quilt under the sewing machine a bit trickier, but, no problem!  And the pinching motion necessary with safety pins, which is hard on arthritic hands, is gone.

Paul’s Hearts

I have a friend Paul who has a way with words.  He peppers daily conversation with phrases that keep you on your toes.  When I get an email from him, I savor it because I can revisit the conversation with him without strugglng to remember exactly how he “put it”.

Paul gave me permission to share a recent email message.  You can see what I mean.

Sandy,

For reasons I don’t fully remember, I’ve refused to buy Jean a Valentine gift. I’ve insisted on making something and have persisted doing so for several decades. These gifts are often something which might make a grade schooler’s mom roll her eyes. Roll them enough to hurt. Carved pennies, personalized mini-street signs, repainted toy horses and many efforts I can no longer recall. It can be surprising difficult to get inspiration and that solution often comes at the last moment.

Several weeks ago, a valentine’s themed dishtowel at Ingle’s found its way into my cart. I had no thought of how to use it.

On Valentine’s eve, when I should have been working, I noticed  A Beekeeper’s Daughter among my favorites. Loving Hearts quickly made this year’s solution clear. A trip to the local Walmart provided the needed supplies. It also created several “deer in the head lights” experiences as small children rounded corners at top speed, stomped past the thread display far too close to my recently operated on foot and disappeared around the next aisle before I could think of something mean to yell at them. They knew what they were doing. I froze in terror with no clue which way to run.

At the end of the next work day I hand stitched my version of a Loving Heart. Jean seemed satisfied.

Thank you for the last minute inspiration.

Paul

Here are photos of some of Paul’s heart projects. 

Paul: I made three stepping stones and a big mess on the shop floor. 
 Paul: Because Jean often comments about pinto/paint ponies each time one trots across our television on an old western, the repainted horse is the effort which pleases me most.
Sandy’: When I saw this, I did a music search and enjoyed listening to some Italian arias!

And, if you are wondering, yes, my Loving Hearts quilt is finished. Once I attach the label, a blog with photos will be posted.