Daily Blog

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Laura at SewVeryEasy has a two fabric table runner that you can put together in no time. It lets you play with the fancy stitches on your sewing machine and opens up the possiblities of all different kinds of thread.

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This year Alden Lane Nursery and Alex Anderson welcome Eleanor Burns & the work of Leni Weiner. Here is a wonderful reminder of what this event is all about. We will bring you more next week with pictures of the quilts and the grounds, but right now we are working the booth.

Alex, Ricky and Susan Collins learn more about Quilting in the Garden

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Alex thinks that Here Comes the Sun by Jamie Wallen shows how Jamie has come through his hard times and hopes to inspire others who have gone through loss.

Watch Jamie Wallen in Show 2306: The Building Blocks of Quilt Design.

Original Photo: Mary Kay Davis

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Shown here in the Enchantment colorway, Crosses and Losses is the twentieth block for the Legacy Quilt Club. The Legacy Quilt features twenty blocks. A new block pattern is available for FREE each month.

Participants always SAVE 15% -

Use Coupon Code:

CROSSLOSS15

Good for all products at Ricky Tims Online Store.
Expires October 15, 2018

Click here to find previous blocks in the Legacy Quilt Club.

Crosses and Losses 

A big thank you to Connie Ryle Newmann for her dedication over 20 months of providing the wonderful Laura Ingalls Wilder information.

In the early days of settling their homestead in De Smet, South Dakota, the Ingalls' first corn crop was scavenged by black birds. Laura tried to chase them away and Pa resorted to shooting the pests, but there were too many.  The crop was devastated. Gathering as many ears of corn as they could, Pa encouraged Ma to make meals of the birds.  Ma answered, "There's no great loss without some small gain." The Ingalls enjoyed blackbird pie fit for a king that evening, just as in the nursery rhyme! 

 ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little Town on the Prairie, Ch. 9 "Blackbirds"   

 

Wilder referenced many proverbs and adages throughout her "Little House" books.  "Thair was never a grit loss without som small vantag." Old Scottish Proverb, 1641 D. Ferguson, #1408 Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs.

 

 

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He writes, "Life events often spark moments of creativity. Where quilting is concerned I have to be in my studio for that creativity to happen. The months following the Spring wildfire found me gone far more than I have been home. In early September I had a quilt retreat and on the fourth day I sketched out the pattern for this quilt and got a few pieces joined. I realized that my drawing required far more partial seaming than normal, but I figured I could tackle the challenge. Firestorm: Rage is the first of what I suspect will be several quilts expressing what I felt and saw during the horrific fire.

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A lot happens in Rebecca Ringquist's studio. On one side of the studio she runs her business, Dropcloth Samplers, and on the other, she draws, sews, and embroiders her artwork. Here she gives a tour to WeAllSew.com.

Click here to take a look.

Below is one of Rebecca's samplers.

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Update: The "Cool" kit led for the first 5 days but as of 9-25 the

"Warm" Kit is slightly ahead. Don't miss the first shipment in November. Reserve your kit now.

Becky Goldsmith has created a stunning Exclusive Block of the Month for TQS.

Pre-order your favorite kit now. We have limited quantities that will be in your hands in November. We are starting early so we can reorder before the fabrics are gone or discontinued. This happened with Edyta's Blue kit last year and we are working to get ahead of the curve. Order your quilt kit now and get FREE SHIPPING in the USA when they come in, and if you add an accessory kit to your quilt kit order, that will ship for free too! International will be by weight. We can only guarantee delivery of the first 175 orders for each kit.

Well... make that 174 because Barbara Black just got in ahead of you.

SIZZLE -Warm

SIZZLE - Cool

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Sewing Machines and Southern Quilts

By Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D.,
Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Museum of Texas Tech University

The sewing machine was perfected for home use in the late 1850s. For some time I had thought that the more prosperous industrial north had sewing machines long before the rural agrarian southern homes. However quilt historian Barbara Brackman in her reading of many diaries of Southern women noted that they were using sewing machines before the Civil War in order to help them clothe the many people on their plantations.

Sewing machines were used throughout the South prior to the Civil War because the woman of the household was responsible for the clothing for all those living on the plantation. The earliest machines produced a chain stitch. The lock stitch that we are more familiar with, and regularly use, was invented somewhat later. Seamstresses liked the chain stitch because they could create muslin mockups of the garment and easily remove the stitches for alterations or pattern making. However you had to be careful if you used it for clothing construction as one snip and the whole seam could unravel.

Watch this rather humorous take on how the sewing machine became to be an indespensible home item.

The Rose and Oak Leaf appliqued quilt in the Clothing and Textile Collection of the Museum of Texas Tech University is machine appliqued and bears a date of April 24, 1861 and the initials JEG which were embroidered with white thread along the lower edge. This is a nice example of an early use of the sewing machine in quilting. The quilt was made near Murray, Kentucky by Jane Eliza Gardner, born Nov. 23, 1841 and died April 1919. At the age of 20, Jane married James M. Williams on December 5, 1861. The family tradition says that the hearts in the quilting design indicates it was made as a wedding quilt. Following are detail images of the quilt and the machine applique work.

Rose and Oak Leaf quilt detail of TTUH 1986-045 made by Jane Eliza Gardner donated by her grandson James C. Holland, showing machine chain stitching around applique edges and the initials JEG and the date April 24, 1861.  Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Rose and Oak Leaf quilt detail of TTUH 1986-045 made by Jane Eliza Gardner donated by her grandson James C. Holland, showing machine chain stitching around applique edges and the initials JEG and the date April 24, 1861. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Texas Tech University.

The date that Jane Eliza Gardner embroidered on her quilt was a huge help in documenting it (Note we have changed the image for the purpose of making the embroidery more easily visible). At first glance the smaller blocks and machine stitching led me to think it was an 1870s piece, but thanks to the embroidered date and further information from the family the 1861 date stands. 

After seeing the quilt on exhibit in 2016 a family member contacted the museum to add that Jane Eliza was “raised to sit on a pillow and sew a pretty stitch.” Meaning that she was raised in a wealthy household where she was expected to learn the skills necessary to manage another wealthy household as the lady of the house. With the coming of the Civil War to their area, Eliza and her husband James quickly found that they had to do hard work without the assistance of slaves. They rose to the occasion and survived the hard times building their new life on their own. What a great story is seen through this fine quilt!

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Can you "Sizzle" and still be "Cool?" Now you can. Becky Goldsmith's BOM 2019 for TQS is called Sizzle and comes in 2 kit colorways - "Warm" and "Cool". This is the "Cool" version (size 70" x 70"). Watch for our email starting the pre-sales. We have a limited number of each kit arriving in about a month but we need to know how many more to order so they can arrive before January 1 (and before they stop making these fabrics).

Don't forget you can use your own stash to make your Sizzle quilt. Star members get the patterns for FREE.

Then just watch the videos from Becky and follow along with Barbara Black as her group of quilters make the quilt and give you tips.  

The "Cool" version (70" x 70") can go anywhere. It will look great in the bedroom or on a wall. The colors will mix with almost any decor. Need a little more spice in your life? If you missed it, check out the "Warm" version by clicking here.

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I don't know about you, but it seems Fall has definitely arrived and I have to admit...I am not quite ready for it even though it is my favorite time of year. It may have been the unending days of smoke that pervaded our world during the summer, but I am still longing for a few more days that are clear and warm. The deal is...Mother Nature does not listen to her children, LOL. Thus, Fall is upon us with a variety of crisp, and sometimes wet, days which lend themselves to stitching! I guess mom knows what's best, and we do need to get working on the holiday projects!

With the sweet memories of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show slowly fading, The Stitchin' Post in Sisters Oregon is working hard to keep the quilt show excitement alive and well inside the shop with their Twigs Gallery Exhibit. The Gallery exhibit is a wonderful opportunity to feature quilt artist who may or may not want to sell their creations. This month's artist is Judith Beaver, and I know you will find her work creative and engaging! And...the pieces are for sale :) by contacting the shop! I hope you enjoy the slide show :)

Click here for Anna's YouTube Channel.

Click here for Anna's blog.