While I Was Sleeping

 This week seems to have disappeared while I was sleeping and working night shift. I enjoy the work but it does cut into my quilting time. On the other hand it does pay for a lot of the donation quilts and I've been ordering more books to enjoy.
 Luckily while I was sleeping other lovely quilters have stepped up and have been very busy sewing and knitting for the needy. The first large parcel came from Kerry Shelberg (NSW) and she was also the very generous quilter who sent the mystery box a week ago. Kerry has been very busy and sent more fabric, many pieces of which were sewn into long strips for Chinese Coins quilts, as well as more large pieces for a top and backing. They will make more lovely quilts so a very big thank you for your help, Kerry.
 Ruth Crocombe from New Guinea has also been very busy with more knitting for the needy. She sent a lovely knitted vest for a child as well as two more knitted beanies. I can imagine how hot it must be up in New Guinea so I really appreciate all your lovely knitting for the needy too Ruth.
 I have also finished taking apart the embroidered 1930s quilt so I can make some repairs and then re-quilt it using a new backing, which will prolong its life. The top of the quilt was quite ragged and I will be replacing the borders as most of the fabric is too worn to be used again. I'll be checking the blocks too to make sure they are all in good repair.
  The last few days have been busy with family commitments so i hope to get some more stitching done very soon before I have more paid work.
Hugs, Jan Mac

A Retreating Weekend

 I had a lovely couple of days retreating with my local quilting group. I have recently re-joined and received a lovely welcome so attending the retreat allowed me to renew old friendships and get to know new members. It was beautiful sunny weather and the tables and lighting were ideal for sewing. We went to a lovely camp amidst farming country, just 30 mins from home which made it very convenient.
  I took far too many things to work on but was happy to have a variety so I could change from machine quilting when I needed a break. I have almost finished quilting the 1940s vintage star quilt and have finished deconstructing the 1930s /40s Sawtooth Star quilt blocks.
  I also started taking apart another vintage quilt I'd bought some years ago from the US. It is also from the 1930s or40s and the top has worn away with the fabric being shredded from use. The batting is also quite patchy in places and the backing is very thin. It was quilted in Baptist Fans and it was OK but not that close together that it would be a shame to remove it. There is also a large burn mark on the top. I'm taking it apart and will repair the blocks where a few seams have frayed, and I'll remove the outer border which is quite worn and use the better pieces to replace the fabric with the burn mark. Then I'll make a new border using reproduction fabric from that time but I will probably choose a print as it will be hard to match a plain blue as the fabric has faded. The embroidery is in very good condition and repairing it will help to prolong its life, so although it's a slow and somewhat tedious job, it will be worth it.
 I enjoy doing some hand work so it is a nice project to have when I need a break from the sewing machine.
  I had a lovely time and it was great to spend time with such a friendly group. I'm working night shifts again for a few nights so I hope to get back with more progress soon.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Still Deconstructing and Secret Donation

 The mail man brought another lovely parcel of fabric for backing as well as more beautifully pressed and sorted strip pieces for more QAYG blocks. I can't thank the sender as there was no note or return address so I hope you are keeping an eye on the blog so that you know it arrived safely. These will be used up quickly as I want to get more quilts delivered/donated for Christmas.
 I've had a busy couple of days with family commitments but I have also managed to almost finish taking apart the Sawtooth Stars quilt. You can see the amount of thread I've removed and this is the second container of thread from this quilt. I also found a shredded piece of fabric in the centre with the petticoat and this is probably a used sheet. It has just fallen apart as I've removed it so this piece will go into the rubbish.
 Now I'm off to my local quilting group's weekend retreat. I'm still trying to decide what to work on and I should be appliqueing the borders for my Baltimore but I'm also tempted to remake the Sawtooth Star blocks now that I have almost pulled them all apart. I'll probably take a mix of projects to work on so I don't get bored and in case the lighting or seating isn't comfortable enough for using my sewing machine.
 The weather is lovely and sunny and I'm looking forward to some more stitching and chatting time.
Hope you all get some time to stitch too.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Unexpected Discovery

 I've continued with de-constructing this vintage quilt and almost have all the star blocks removed. As you can see they are in a state of disrepair with frayed seams and worn blocks. The quilting thread had mostly disappeared as well and there was a stain which looks like coffee on some of the quilt.
    Within the quilt I was very surprised to find a petticoat with some pale blue embroidery on the bodice. There were two layers of calico or a mixture of pale fabric and one of them was the petticoat. The batting had disappeared as well and it seems that the cotton batting may have been sandwiched between the two layers of calico or pale fabric. I'm guessing the cotton batting was uncarded as the quilting was quite close together but only a very few remnants of batting remain and must have disappeared with heavy use.
    This was a utility quilt and as you can see by the new blocks I've made, there is a hidden gem under all that mess of frayed seams.  I'm really enjoying rescuing the fabric and making it pretty again so keep an eye on my progress.
   For now I'm back to washing and re-cutting the fabric into its new pieces.
 Hugs, Jan Mac
 PS I did finish taking apart the suffolk puff piece and will use the fabric to repair other quilts from that era.

New Beginnings and Finishes

 Yesterday and today have been spent in sewing more blocks for Joseph's Coat as well as sewing on more buttons and it's nearing completion until I make the half square triangles for the border.
  I've also been deconstructing more bits and pieces that I've bought over the years. The first pink quilt was in poor repair and it looks better in the photos than up close. This is the one which I've been taking apart  and then re-making the Sawtooth Stars for a new/old quilt. The backing has some tears and the batting has disintegrated but I'm going to use some of the backing to make new star blocks to match the others. Some will be too worn to re-use and I'll use up the better parts to construct new blocks.
  I also found some suffolk puffs joined together in a small piece and as it was poorly made I'm taking them apart so I can use the fabric to repair quilts from that era.

 The last blocks are from 1880 and they were originally from a tied quilt as some of the ties were still intact. I'm washing the blocks prior to using them to make a new/old quilt. The hand stitching on these blocks is very well done and I'll have to be careful when I'm joining them and quilting the top as the fabric is not as robust as modern fabric. One block need repair but the rest are in good condition apart from some age marks. I've also washed a 1930s quilt top and plan to quilt that one next but as it's still drying that photo will have to wait until tomorrow.
 I love to make old quilts come to life again and I still have some tops and blocks from the Civil War era to finish off as quilts which I'll share with photos soon. I bought them all from the US over the years and as they are not historically significant, quilting them will help to prolong their life.
 More to come tomorrow.
Hugs, Jan Mac

Happily Regressing

 Lately it feels like I have regressed in my quilting journey as I am now back to using templates for hand piecing, pinning quilts for quilting on my sewing machine instead of loading it on my short arm machine, and planning my next projects around lots of precision hand piecing. I guess after quilting for so many years the need to make lots of quilts quickly is not as pressing. Don't get me wrong, I still love to make lots of quilts to donate as well as making quicker ones to give as gifts where people love the fabric but don;t necessarily appreciate how much time has gone into the project.
  Now I'm spending time working on my long-term UFOs which consist of vintage quilt tops and blocks that I've bought with the intention of finishing them off into quilts. Some of them need to be recut and sewn as they have seams which have come undone or there were problems with the piecing. I love to re-make these and make them something lovely I can enjoy so today I pinned my 1940s vintage star quilt top and I've started the quilting. It was funny to be pinning a quilt again as I used to pin up to 6 in a day and haven't done that for probably 6 years since I bought the quilting machine. I'm enjoying that stage of quilting again as well as it gives me time to enjoy the vintage fabrics in each block.
  The mail also brought some lovely books for me- more blasts from the past, with two older books by Edie McGinnis from the Kansas City Star book publishers, and one by Susan Jenkins and Linda Seward. All three contain lots of lovely patterns for antique quilts to make using templates and hand piecing for accuracy.
I'm planning a big weekend of stitching and  hope to have at least one quilt finished by Monday, after being called in for work with my paid job yesterday.
  Have a great weekend of stitching everyone and  check back to see my progress when you have time.
 Hugs, Jan Mac
 

Just a Little Brag

 These stars are fiddly as they will be 5 " when finished and the frayed edges have meant that I've had to use smaller seam allowances but overall I'm pleased with the progress. I have almost finished deconstructing the old blocks and made 6 stars last night. I've had to substitute new fabric for the white pieces between the half square triangles as that fabric was too small to be used. I'm using the original fabric for the white corner squares, where possible, so there will be a variation in the whites but I think it will add to its charm and authenticity. I'm not worried about being true to the original as it was of no significant historical value and will last many more years when it's finished. I took it apart a few years ago and had forgotten that it was originally quilted but the quilting stitches were not finely done and many had disappeared over the years. The original star blocks were about 6 " square but the pieces were cut a bit irregularly and I needed to make my blocks a bit smaller so I could avoid some of the frayed seam allowances.
  I'm very happy with how the new blocks are looking. My other little brag is the dress I made for our beautiful youngest DD's ballroom dancing awards night. The dress is fully lined and the bodice is boned. She wanted it to be well-fitted and I only had 3 days to make it. Even better- she won her category on the night so we are very proud and happy for her. I'm happy to be a dressmaker as well but making quilts which don't have to be fitted to the body but will fit anyone is much easier.
 Hugs, Jan Mac