Patalier

Wedding napkins into a Wedding Napkin Quilt

2012-02-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

I can't make excuses about such a lull in my blogging EXCEPT I have been too busy enjoying winter. I can't believe those are my thoughts, but to have sunshine and no snow has been such a reprieve from our recent bouts of harsh winters.

I am excited to say, the napkins for my daughter's October wedding are boxed and ready! A selection of thirty yards of different cotton prints from Fabric.com landed on my doorstep last month for the cutting, hem pressing and sewing. My daughter has selected so many different, sentimental, lacy, graphic and modern items to coordinate with these napkins that I am excited thinking about this very special occasion!

There was only one problem with making the napkins; the pile of6" x 18" remnants remaining.

It is fortuitous (isn't that a lovely word!) the April issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine came in the mailbox this past week. In this issue is a quilt, Sticks & Bricks, which requires 5" x 7 1/2" and 1 1/2" x 7 1/2" rectangles! (The link is to a variation of the pattern called City Lights.)

I have more than enough napkin "scraps" to make the quilt.

Here are the "bricks and sticks" up on my wall so I can plan their placement.

I'll be able to keep moving them around while I'm sewing on other projects until I think I've got the right balance. I added a red and a butterscotch solid cotton to break up the prints.

Again, another fortuitous event..... a valentine came in the mail!! :) and on the return envelope was the script for the wedding envelopes..... How much fun to secretly embroider their names, date, etc into the quilt border with a floss that blushes. This way it will be in the quilt, but not glaring and overpowering.

I had given myself a deadline of February 8th to finish the napkins, so I'm giving myself a deadline of May to have the quilt finished. The deadline is more than enough time, but I'm allowing for cabin fever and other responsibilities. Cabin fever could last anywhere from a 24 hour period to several weeks, so I'm allocating the later.

Now to tell you about my valentine that I found in my mailbox the other day...

I am a kid at heart. How much fun to open the mailbox and find something as sweet as this inside! Thanks Sweetpea. You made my day!

An Even Simpler Child's Apron

2012-01-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

You read that correctly....an even simpler apron. After making the child's apron, I was able to improve on the pattern. Barbara from Oodles and Oodles and I had gotten together for coffee the other day. We had fun sharing projects we were working on and then Barbara shared with me a sweet Singer booklet she had received as a child. Inside its gently worn pages was an apron design with an easy to sew waistband and ties. This booklet made me realize it would be fun to revise my pattern especially if working with double fold bias tape as your waistband and ties is too difficult for your little one to manage sewing.

Here is An Even Simper Child's Apron:

Here is how I changed the apron pattern for the additional waistband and ties:

For the waistband, cut one piece of fabric 6" x 16".

For the ties, cut two pieces of fabric 6" x 36".

Follow the directions for the Child's Apron using steps 1 -5. There is no change to the apron body and ruffle.

6. Press under 1/2" on three sides of the waistband (6" x 16" piece).

7. Run two rows of basting stitches across the top of the apron. One row at 1/2" and the second row at 1/4". Then gather the apron top to fit the waistband piece.


Sewing the two rows of basting stitches.


8. Pin the gathered apron top to the waistband. Sew a 1/2" seam.


9. Press the seam towards the waistband and then stitch the waistband down to the apron.


Sewing the waistband down. Leave the sides open. This will be where the ties are inserted.

10. For each tie: Fold the 6" x 36" piece of fabric in half right sides together and sew one small end and the entire length of the tie. Trim seam allowance to 1/4" and turn the tie through the open end. Press. Insert the open end of the tie into the waistband. Sew the tie into place.

Repeat sewing the remaining tie and sewing into the waistband.

This apron has two features that is an improvement over the other apron:

1) sewing the 1/2" seam is easier for a very young child rather than the 1/4" seam; and

2) the big ties makes a pretty bow for the little one who enjoys dressing up.

The big ties are sometimes preferred by little ones.

Thank you Barbara for sharing your treasured Singer booklet!

Directions for a simple Child's Apron

2012-01-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

I tried searching for a simple pattern to teach sewing to a young girl. When I didn't find what I was looking for, I came up with the following apron design that uses minimal cutting and sewing, yet doesn't look like a potato sack. I used two coordinating prints for this apron, but if you choose to only use one fabric, it will only take a half yard of fabric that is 44" wide.

What you'll need:
1/2 yard of 44 inch wide fabric or 14" of one print and 3" of coordinating print
thread
rick rack - optional
double fold bias tape for the waistband and ties

Here are the dimensions cutting your pattern. 1 square = 1 inch The straight edge of the apron body pattern will be placed on the fold of the fabric. The same with the ruffle pattern piece.

Your cut out fabrics should look like this:

Here are the steps to assemble using a 1/4" seam allowance:
1) Sew a hem on the long edge of the ruffle (turn in 1/4" and turn in again. stitch the fold down)
2) Sew a gathering/basting stitch on the other edge. Gather the ruffle to match the bottom of the apron. On my piece I had to gather to 32".
3) Pin the right side of the ruffle to the right side of the apron bottom matching the outer edges. Sew a 1/4" seam.
4) Press the seam towards the apron. Optional: Sew a piece of rick rack over the seam with a straight stitch.
5) Make a hem along the outside edges of the apron and the ruffle (turn in 1/4" and turn in again and stitch the fold down).
6. Make a gathering stitch along the top of the apron. I gathered my apron to measure 13".
7. Cut a piece of double fold bias tape 45". Mark the center of the tape.
8. Open up the tape matching the center of the tape with the center of the apron top. Pin the right side of the opened tape up with the wrong side of the apron. (You will be attaching the opened up tape and sewing it to the back first).
9. Sew the tape and apron together stitching along the bias tape fold line.
10. Press the seam and fold the tape over to the front of the apron. Pin the tape down on the apron.
11. Starting from the end of the bias tape (which is now your apron tie) sew the bias tape closed all the way to the apron body. Continue sewing over the apron body removing your pins carefully as you sew. Finish sewing out the tape which creates the other apron tie.
12. Sew another row of stitching along the entire top of the bias top.
13. Your apron is finished when you tie a knot at the end of each of your apron ties!

Yippppeeeeee You're done! Enjoy!!

Cooperation with the elements

2012-01-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

My baby quilt was quilted, bound and washed and ready for a photograph. I thought I'd try and snap a few pictures outside on a clothesline to capture the elements of a winter landscape. What I didn't think about was 1) the wind and 2) the frigid temperatures.

I got dressed for the elements sans the gloves and tromped through the snow to the clothesline. I was quite proud of myself that I even found turquoise clothespins to coordinate with the backing fabric. My camera was ready to start snapping some pictures after it was pinned to the line and...

the breeze was relentless and kept the quilt in a horizontal position rather than vertical. By the time I was actually able to capture a few photographs I realized my fingers could barely work the camera settings. How quickly the wind chill was making me long for a warmer setting. How foolish not to think gloves were important.

The good thing about the experience of trying to photograph my quilt outside was how the quilt pattern reminded me of confetti being tossed in the air for an important celebration. I never would have had the same association of the quilt pattern being confetti until I saw the quilt moving in the breeze. So I'm calling the quilt Winter Confetti . Anytime a little one comes into the world it is time for a celebration - confetti and all.

She's back...

2012-01-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

...winter that is. How quickly the winds started blowing from the north and within a day the weather changed to its seasonal normal. Remember the Witch Hazel Bush?

Here it is with a blanket of snow. I realize a close-up shot would have given the sweet blooms more justice, but I took it from inside the house where it was warm and I could stay in my slippers.

In the back yard, I caught a glimpse of this male cardinal (now from the kitchen window)... and still in slippers...

Tonight when I was finishing up a baby quilt I was piecing, I realized how much my environment influences my color palette.

We'll see what happens in the spring when the flowers start to bloom to see if my theory is correct. For now, back to sewing...

What a Winter!

2012-01-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

By the middle of January, I am usually holed up in my sewing room and thinking of only sewing. This winter season has been quite different from recent years. Any other year, by this date we would have had over 70 inches of snow in Central New York with the worst of the season yet to greet us, and I would have pieced or quilted a few tops. However...

the grass is vibrant and the Witch Hazel Shrubs are blooming! This means I've been trying to get outside to enjoy the reprieve from winter. We just planted these bushes this past summer and this is their first winter. Their intention was to add color to an otherwise snowy landscape since they are the first to bloom in late winter.

There is something else that is an anomaly for Central New York. Do you notice the beautiful blue sky? No wonder nature has been a bit confused this season - no snow and sunny days.

It also seems the Canada Geese are also not migrating as far south as they usually do and flocks can be heard overhead as they circle around from lake to lake. Some flocks are so large it sounds thunderous in the skies above.

Hearing the geese reminded me of previously admonishing the quiltmaker from the 80's for keeping painstaking records of her fabric purchases. Now is when I must do a retake and tell you why I admire her... and why the geese overhead remind me of her.

This quilt maker from the 80's dedicating herself to learning patchwork skills.

Tucked into boxes of 1980's fabrics was this Flying Geese wallhanging unfinished top. It measures 43" x 45" and is hand pieced. Rotary cutting was not in a quilt makers vocabulary until Mary Ellen Hopkins revolutionized the quilt making process demonstrating faster techniques and allowing quilters to break from historical ways.

But remember I said I really admired this quilt maker. It is because she was so precise and meticulous in her craft.

Notice the careful pressing and trimmed excess fabric to eliminate bulk at the seams.

Templates were traced with pencil and the marks became the seam line.

The quilt revival was sparked during the 1976 American Bicentennial. Prior to the bicentennial, quilt making techniques had slowly been fading from American culture. Certainly from my own experience, although my great-grandmother was a quilter it was not a skill my mother possessed. Growing up during the depression, my mother viewed quilts as a sign of poverty and hence quilts were used as mattress bed covers in our household.

I knew how to sew in the 80's, but it wasn't until I received Let's Make a Sampler Quilt by Diana Leone when I pieced together quilt blocks correctly and gained an understanding of the quilt making process missing in my own sewing vocabulary.

Take note of the green fabric in the center.... more on some of these greens later :)

So thank you to beautiful skies, migrating geese and quilt makers of the 70's and 80's for keeping the art of quilting alive for quilt makers today.

New Quilts from an Old Quilt

2012-01-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

In August I purchased a nine patch quilt top on Etsy which measured 66" x 83". I liked the colors! The palette was so happy compared to the somber prints of the 19th century which fill my shelves. Before I even clicked the purchase tab, I had mentally challenged myself to create four baby quilts from this piece. Happy colors for happy times with baby.

You can see how the bright colors acted like a neon sign flashing "buy me.... buy me".


But during my love fest with this charming piece of 20th century, I found myself a bit leery of the above red fabric. I have made it a habit to wash fabrics to ensure color fastness and stability to ensure they will hold up in years of repurposed use. Good reason to be cautious as the red dye was not stable and bled into the adjoining plaid. The lesson for everyone: when in doubt always test your fabric before sewing.

My plans for how I was going to make the baby quilts had to switch gear as I had to cut out every nine patch with the red cotton. This new plan of action was easier than I thought. Here was the first quilt.

The nine patches now resemble hole in the barn door blocks. I included reproduction 30's prints and Moda fabric by Sandy Klop.

It was purchased for a new baby expected in March 2012.

The second baby quilt I made I called Vintage Blocks New Quilt Nine Patch and Circles. The circular blocks were a nice addition, but I was accumulating a pile of fabric scraps.

Since I couldn't throw away even the tiniest of pieces, my solution was to piece them together in long bars for the Homage to Mary Engelbreit quilt. The traditional Chinese Coins pattern was my inspiration for the design for the third quilt.

I can understand why 20th century quiltmakers fells in love with feed sacks. Unlike broadcloth and percale also manufactured during the era, feed sacks have a lower thread count making it easy to needle.

Today I finished up the fourth quilt from the original vintage nine-patch quilt.

I set four patches I salvaged from the original quilt on point. Then I set them with alternating blocks from the American Jane fabric by Sandy Klop for Moda.

Now the real challenge - how to use the remaining scraps to create just one more quilt!

New Year resolutions, fabric records and new beginnings...

2011-12-31T17:01:00.000-08:00

As the minutes are ticking away and before a New Year is ushered in, I thought about some goals for 2012.

Years ago when my kids were little, we would sit around the table after dinner with paper and pencil in hand and each of us would list three goals we wanted to accomplish in the coming year. I would then take away the slips of paper, seal it in an envelope and put it away for safe keeping until the following year. A few years ago I came across hidden secret goals (I guess we didn't open them one year and that tradition ended). The contents weren't shocking or earth breaking news; wanting to run faster, getting higher scores at a gym meet, or reading more. Mine was about how many quilts I would finish.

My goal this year is to be better organized, especially with my Etsy shop. Better organization means a better shop.

Thinking about goals and being organized reminded me of an estate sale I went to this past fall. In a box filled with 1970'[s and 80's fabric was a metal index card box. Oh beating heart....are they treasured family recipes I can admire and adapt to my family? How clever they were hidden in fabric to guard these family treasures.

I am going to digress a moment .... to ask you to admire my new cutting board Santa brought me! Okay, back to the box now.

So my jaw hung a little when I opened it up to reveal it was stuffed with receipts and index cards.

with all the seamstresses 1970's, 80's quilting cotton purchases recorded with amount and yardage. I vaguely remember participating in the same activity and stopped when cotton soared to over $3 a yard. Could you imagine COTTON at $3.00! I then decided it was time not to have any evidence in the house of what I was spending on my "fabric habit".

Fabric record keeping wasn't limited to this seamstress either. At another sale, all the beautiful fine woven percale cotton yardage had sales slips tucked into each purchase or the original tags connected with a thread tack.

Beautiful organized fabrics from a well organized woman!

Not only the sales receipt but a note to herself that she had washed the fabric and there was shrinkage. The date was December 16, 1954 - 47 years ago - the fabric is as sweet as the day it was purchased.

I wonder if the fabric came from a household where sewing was done as a business and her accurate record keeping was a must with her potential customers? Possible theory...or she was an economist tracking the home sewing industry - probably not.

No mistake this fine percale is Quadriga Cloth produced by Ely and Walker. These calicoes are making a comeback to the quilting scene with Barbara Brackman's line of prints called Old Fashioned Calicoes for Moda. I remember these prints fondly as they were some of the first fabrics I used.

Regardless, if these women could be organized, so can I. Thank goodness January starts tomorrow and I can reform my ways, organize my sewing room and get working on a spread sheet.

Happy New Year Everyone!

The truth...

2011-12-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am inclined to develop fictional novellas in my mind regarding the women whose quilt blocks or other sewing items are being sold at estate sales. They are loved, kind, always lending a helping hand to a neighbor or family member. The good deeds are endless and on the cusp of "Queen for a Day" material. I've decided that as a creative person who spends hours sewing that I am projecting my wanna-be image onto these women from the past.

My fictional novella was tossed out the door this week when my husband brought home a pillowcase filled with crocheted items from his grandmother. HIS GRANDMOTHER - a name over the years which was never synonymous with kind, loving - you get the picture. His grandmother was a talented woman with the crochet hook? Oh, let me explain.

My husband's grandmother is the smiling woman who is seated on the right - Helen Sloma Sedor (originally spelled Helene Sidor but the spelling changed to reflect her Americanization). His Mom, Ann Sedor is the young girl standing on the left. Ann was born in 1916, so I am guessing this photo was taken in the late 1920's. Ann's Mom, Helen had eleven children, nine who survived infancy.

Ann lived to the young age of 94 and her stories of her Mom don't match the face of this smiling woman! There are accounts of her unfriendly behavior towards her daughter and son-in-laws (she refused to speak to them even after marriage), how children were babysat by tying them to the backyard tree and one of the saddest stories I learned from a next door neighbor. He said his mother's clothes hanging on the line would frequently be met with Helen's coal dust flying from her bucket. He never understood why she always did this causing his mother more laundry to be rewashed.

As you can see, no kind words have ever....yes ever, been spoken about this woman.

And despite her pack with the devil or whatever was the source of her unhappiness, she married a man who my husband and mother-in-law, if not everyone who knew him, liked and admired. My husband fondly recalls outings to the ball park and eating candy bars, having his grandfather cut his hair or holiday time when all the grandchildren were lined up and each given a dollar (which was big bucks back then and could buy some amazing toys at the five and dime.

And, shocked as I am, she crocheted and she did it well. Colors were changed with ease with knots hidden and patterns were consistent.

A ruffled crocheted pattern from the late 40's early 50's.

I'm not sure how functional this doily was, but it is colorful.

A favorite of many, the pineapple design in a dresser scarf.

Part of the pillowcase contents.

So I will wash these items of family history and put them aside. The truth..... she was not novella material, but oh she knew how to use a hook!

On the tenth day of Christmas...

2011-12-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

wait....hold it. The SUN is out. It is the 20th of December and the weather is gorgeous. This means it is time for a road trip. Only 24 miles away is MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, New York. Are you familiar with their pottery, furniture and checkered eclectic look? May I just suggest that if you are ever in the area to go to the shop on Cayuga Lake and stay for a tour of the house.

Brick paved driveway up to the studio and storefront. NO SNOW!!!

The renovated farm house used for pictures for the catalogs and displaying new lines of pottery, tinware, coordinating home decorations and furniture.

Glancing back at the lake from the grounds. Also this is the scene that is often painted on the furniture.

Inside the store, displays fill the rooms. Since it is almost Christmas, holiday decorations fill the space.

From the Christmas tree honoring our pet pooches.

And now to just show a few pictures from inside the three story farm house. My camera displayed this message: "batteries exhausted". Exhausted? I knew I was snapping away, but please get a second wind, I have pictures to take :)

This is the breakfast room - one of my favorite spaces.

Okay, so back home now and my offering for the 10th day of Christmas...

...my true love gave to me

ten spools of vintage thread...

Crochet these Gift Items in a hurry....

2011-12-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share this Lily booklet hidden in the box of crochet pieces I have in my sewing room.

Don't hurry making these, just enjoy them and think about how you can adapt the design to a project you have in the making now. File them away and enjoy the holiday season!

On the ninth day of Christmas...

2011-12-19T05:19:00.000-08:00

...my true love gave to me

nine vintage trims...

They come in different width, material, construction and hand created versus commercially produced. Yet they all are vintage, beautiful and once served a purpose. No secret they were once treasured, or they would not have survived to be admired years later.

If you enjoy lace, I'll share with you a little book of wonder that I acquired this past summer. It is 2" x 3" x 1". Here it is:

It is something that would easy to glance over. That is until you open it up and begin turning the pages:

For those with a passion for crochet or tatting, you will identify it immediately as a sample book. This tiny little treasure has over 39 different worked designs pinned or thread tacked to the muslin pages. What a wonderful reference. Family patterns, a design a good friend shared, or maybe a design found from a magazine article? The history is lost, but the beauty remains.

On the eighth day of Christmas...

2011-12-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

my true love gave to me...

eight vintage patterns...

and then suddenly the "uh oh" moment hit me

there is a Christmas present I haven't made yet!!!!

I confess, I have been having too much fun this holiday season. I've been baking since Thanksgiving and freezing everything to get ready to have all the family home. Between my Etsy shop and putting thoughts down to share with you in this blog, as well as other work commitments, I'm not bored.

Suddenly we're on the 8th day of Christmas....and while I was pulling out classic vintage patterns to share with you, I came across the last one - which should now be referred to as the "uh-oh" pattern:

No big deal, just a simple apron. And then it hit me: I had promised my daughter I would make an apron for her fiance for Christmas. How could I have forgotten? Too many cookies? Too many boxes of goodies to sort through for Etsy?

My daughter suggested that her fiance should have his own apron because she was getting tired of sharing her frilly ones that I had made her for her birthday. This was a moment where many of you who know me would have been proud that I had some filters. What I wanted to tell her was that if your dad wanted to put on my aprons and go to the kitchen and cook I wouldn't care (as he does make a mean butternut squash dish.... mmmmmm). She even was sweet enough to send me the links to a nice plaid fabric she thought would look nice because he loves plaid shirts.

It is amazing in the craziness of life when sudden inspiration comes from the least expected place. Thank you to the blogger out there who wrote about the shirt aprons she had made. I had never heard of them before, but one thing I did know, I had plaid shirts around the house my husband won't wear.

Considering my husband probably received this as a Christmas present years ago, how appropriate that it will be upcycled and find a new home.

I cut off the arms and shirt back and under the serger it goes.

I was able to get two nice size bias pieces for the ties from the shirt back.

In less than an hour it's finished!


wow....that was fun! Perfect for the lover of plaid shirts!

I will definitely be looking at old shirts from the thrift shop with a new set of eyes. Look at these aprons. My mind is flooded with ideas for presents. Off to sew now, but thanks again to bloggers out there sharing and giving inspiration to sew many of us.

ps. About the "uh-oh" apron pattern. Did you notice the man in the suit with the apron? This pattern was printed in 1949. I don't see him with a spatula, meat tenderizer, or something to signify he is wearing this apron because he knows his way around the kitchen.... no, he's reading from a piece of paper. Wait, could he be reading the recipe or is it a list of chores? What do you think she is saying to him?

On the seventh day of Christmas...

2011-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

my true love gave to me

...seven sewing baskets

...a small wooden accordion style filled with embroidery thread,

..one small wooden sewing basket that looks like an ark!

...two woven baskets, both 20th century.


Three plastic baskets. The bottom floral is the 1970's, the middle is 1960's and the top is 1950's.

It only makes sense that if you have a hobby which requires you to have special supplies, you are going to need containers or a method of storage for those objects. Just think of all the wonderful sewing treasures these baskets once contained - seam gauges, rulers, sewing needles, pins, pin cushions and scissors of all shapes and sizes.

I fondly remember my first sewing basket with a tan plastic woven base and a cushioned fabric top. I have no idea what happened to it over the years, but its demise may have been it had gotten too small for my needs. Just reminiscing about this sewing basket has made me realize what a wonderful present for the novice who is interested in learning how to sew. Fill it with everything they need to create to their hearts content and you will have given a memory to last a lifetime!

On the sixth day of Christmas

2011-12-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

..my true love gave to me...

six ugly buttons...

I think these have spent a few decades in the button box......

While I was doing some button research on "moonglow" buttons, I read a blog about a button show award for ugly buttons. There was an image of somewhat ugly buttons which had been tastefully mounted for display. And I thought to myself... You think your buttons are ugly.....they're nothing compared to some of the molded plastic I have in my button drawer!

So I went to my sewing room and pulled out the drawer that's marked "Loose Button" at the bottom.

...and I pulled out some ugly ones at the top. Nixon/Agnew? Diaper pins, snaps, whose in charge of this mess anyway?

And then..... my eyes fell upon a card of buttons that made me think of morel mushrooms.....

....which proves three things.... 1) buttons can make you hungry if they remind you of food, 2) ugly buttons can't be limited to six - lets think about this, there are plenty of button jars filled with ugliness out there and 3) ugly is only in the eye of the beholder.

On the fifth day of Christmas...

2011-12-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

...my true love gave to me

five plastic advertising thimbles...

No, I don't collect thimbles. I am unaware of their history, the diverse materials they have been made from and the years advertising thimbles were produced. I just thought these were colorful and fun - something we don't see given out anymore.

I do have a jar of thimbles in my sewing room where thimbles that once served a more utilitarian purpose have been tossed in because I just didn't like how they felt on my finger. Some ended up in the jar because of the frustration caused when my thread would fray and break when coming in contact with its metal surface when quilting.

I have had small ones when the humidity was low and big honking ones for hot and sticky days. My favorite now is by Clover. It is snug around my finger, yet the tip is sturdy, protective and guides my needle accurately. Leather ones were nice, but quickly developed holes in the wrong places.

But, I never thought about them as collectible or for advertising, or having value other than protecting my hands from sore fingers.

I do have one special thimble given to me as a gift by my son after his visit to Bath, England. I keep it on a shelf in my kitchen with some other curiosities .... the Monopoly thimble game piece, sewing machine salt and pepper shakers, a card with a flower made of shells, just little things given to me by friends or kids that I treasure.

Here's a blog I found - Simple Thimbles - for those of you who are fascinated with advertising thimbles. Olly writes that she currently has 400 thimbles! Maybe I should send her some plastic ones!! :)

0n the fourth day of Christmas...

2011-12-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

...my true love gave to me

four pairs of pinking shears...

They aren't glamorous and its even hard to photograph them to look exciting. Does anyone even use pinking shears today? In my house, family members will take them from the sewing room and use them when they can't find a regular pair of scissors. For those of you who love your scissors, I know you can find comfort in my anxiety that one day they might take my good pair of Gingher shears to violate their sharp accurate blades on coupon clipping or present wrapping.

Today I'm not sure if households even have a pair of pinking shears. The serrated wheel on the rotary cutter or a serger have doomed their existence. Pinking sheers were indispensable when I was learning to sew. If your sewing machine didn't have a zig-zag function your pattern pieces were usually "pinked" to help tame the edges from raveling away the seam allowance. To me their blades seemed to dull quickly making cutting out patterns difficult resulting in your hands getting blisters from the handles. Of course the blades may have dulled quickly because they found their way to cutting paper.

Pinking shears have only been on the market for the last hundred years as they were first invented and patented in 1893 by Louise Austin, of Whatcom, Washington. However, I have observed on historical clothing from the 19th century an embellishment created with an edge that was "pinked". I observed this mainly on black mourning dresses which were void of extravagant embellishments.

One inch strips of the black dress fabric (taffeta or silk) would have both raw edges pinked. These pinked strips would then have a running stitch down the center. The running stitch would be pulled gathering the fabric strip which would then be applied to the bodice front or whereever some design interest was needed. It was a very effective way to adding some interest without purchasing additional lace.

Well, here's to you pinking shears before you fade from use and Webster's dictionary.

On the third day of Christmas...

2011-12-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

...my true love gave to me

three picture buttons *...

These really were Christmas presents to me from a friend who had purchased them at Tender Buttons in New York City in the early '90's. They are vintage buttons referred to as "pictorial". The "Pied Piper of Hamelin" could possibly be the narrative to the character blowing his horn. What about the two cupids at the wall? Are they escaping after wrestling Pan or spending a day with Venus? And the pheasants look like they were taken right from an Audubon lithograph.

The last time I bought a "picture button" or pseudo picture button, it was a Beatrix Potter character's image applied to the surface of plastic. I had selected them to use on clothing I was making at the time for my own children.

Pictorial buttons just aren't ordinary. I make this statement based on the claim of purchasing buttons at estate sales and never finding one after carefully searching the contents of the dusty jars and tins. I have certainly found many strange objects placed in the button box for safe keeping, but not a treasure of this magnitude. I've even found some VERY UGLY buttons. I'm guessing hiding them and not allowing them to see the light of day was a wise move.

*Now to the disclaimer. While I love buttons, I am known to procrastinate in sewing them back onto clothing. Maybe it is fair to say I can admire them from afar without the need to sew them onto to anything. Let this be a warning to my family when they come home for the holidays!

On the second day of Christmas...

2011-12-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

...my true love gave to me

two vintage needle cases...

How wonderful when any kind of paper products survive over the years. Thank you to the seamstress who valued these for either their graphics or a special memory.....or could she have even forgotten she had them? No matter, we can now enjoy them.

The first needle case has the image of the Woolworth Building in New York City. The structure was completed in 1913 and it remained the tallest building in the world until the Chrysler Building in 1930. It's image is an iconic reminder of the changing world and movement towards the sky. New York City has a Skyscraper Museum and when I visited it last year it was shocking to see a display comparing the skyscrapers of the US to those in other cities throughout the world! If you're ever in New York City by Battery Park do yourself a favor and take the time to visit the museum and then go to Tear Drop Park.

The other needle case has the equestrian on one side and the other....

..has an Orientalist image of a provocative woman (can't get my eye away from the big floral blossom on the bossom) with a seductive beckoning glance with the magnificent stead behind her. Okay... not sure the year this was printed. Her beautiful cascading hair and her pose and glance is iconic of Orientalist art of the 19th century.

When the cases are opened, the needles are revealed....

and the graphics are just as appealing. I love the spiderweb background design.

And as I promised Martha, some more fabric images from the Tumbler Quilt from the 1st day of Christmas.

Two more conversation prints. The dogs on the left and then the picture below I had to make larger to reveal the adorable little boxers. This seamstress did love animals!

A conversation print of dressmaker's pins. I love it!!

The next two photos are of neon blacks. Wait, "neon blacks" is the term fabric collectors use today, but in their day, theywere called fancy black novelties or black novelty goods as listed in the 1896 Sears Catalog (See Barbara Brackman's Making History Quilts & Fabric from 1890-1910, p. 30-31).

When I was first learning about textiles, I always found it hard to believe these prints were turn of the century. They are so dynamic and the colors look like they are popping from the surface. Take a look at the one below that looks like firecrackers exploding in the night sky!!

On the first day of Christmas....

2011-12-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

....my true love gave to me...

a vintage one patch quilt


1900-1910 Tumbler Quilt from Central New York

A one patch quilt design is when one basic shape or template is used for the entire quilt top. There are no holes or gaps on the quilt surface. Other one patch quilt designs originate from template shapes of triangles, diamonds, hexagons, squares. Today a plethera of new designs are formulated on computer models to ease graphic designers for rendering shapes. *whew*

I like to think of Escher growing up (after all he was born in 1898) and having slept as a child under a beautiful one patch quilt. While my speculation is purely conjecture, think of it as "the artist having their finger on the pulse of society" (which is what a favorite art history teacher said in EVERY lecture).

Often with one patch quilts, the quilter would use a different fabric for each template creating a new category of quilts called "Charm Quilts." The tumbler quilt above is not a charm quilt, but there are some wonderful fabrics to study in indigo, red, double pink, manganese-bronze style, cretonne, plaid, mourning prints and some great neon black prints.

My favorite is a conversation print of a dog lapping up water from a bowl. Just a charming little surprise, especially for those fond of their pets.

Accuracy in cutting templates was a must. How easy it was to have the design starting to wander or even pucker. While it looks easy, it takes practice and patience. A good all over quilting design can easily mask some of those "pucker" problems. Uh oh....starting to creep up on the right.

The one patch diamond shape above with the color placement has 19 different regional names according to the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman (which is now out of print!). I have always referred to them as Building Blocks or Baby Blocks.

Some more one patch quilt pieces pulled from vintage scrap bag with sheets from An Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman when loose-leaf double sided sheets were copied, printed and compiled for a three ring binder in the 1980's.

More treasures to follow ...

Oh Baby...

2011-12-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

I am very partial to sewing baby quilts. Words aren't even going to do my feelings justice so let me just say, I find great pleasure in evey minute I am at my machine.

Combine my love of baby quilts with the task of making the quilt for my first grandchild! Estatic. Over the top. Pure fun. You get the idea.

EXCEPT, oh and it is minor, but my daughter lives out of state. So, all the nursery sewing had to be done over the computer.

My daughter had chosen the Animal Tower Print from Petit Collage for the nursery. This is the image on my computer monitor. This was the focal point for the baby's room. The playful graphics of the stacked animals are bold and fun.

The fabric stacked next to the computer was designed by Annette Tatum for Little House. The collection is "soliel". Also added are some Kona cotton solids.

I'm drafting the pattern for the applique on the office library table. I worked from the image on the computer monitor with my very favorite sewing aid.....freezer paper.

The animals are coming to life in fabric. Nothing like some vintage rick rack to add some texture.

And then quilting makes it POP!

You know how quickly these little ones grow. Any thoughts on a graduation quilt?

Patalier on Etsy

You can find Petit Collage on Etsy and Facebook.

Red and Green

2011-12-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

Back in 1994, I had a major obsession with red and green quilts. It started when the Quilt World December '88 magazine ran a 1860's design of the Princess Feather in its traditional four block design. The front cover had an older woman in a moppet hat sitting and quilting this beauty with a hoop in her lap.

I had admired the quilt for six years before I finally started the applique. I was quick to finish one block, then, years went by without the ambition to complete the remaining three blocks.

A few years ago I decided the last three blocks just weren't going to happen. That is when I had a brainstorm to just put the one feather star block on point and fill in the outer corners with half square triangles.

While I enjoy this quilt, especially during the holidays when red and green fills the house, I still think about the original quilt design.

This past fall, while I was browsing through Etsy, I came across a red and green quilt from southwestern Ohio. I think I only looked at it for two seconds before I "clicked" the purchase tab. The classic four blocks of the Princess Feather in red and green could still make my heart skip a beat.

Isn't it beautiful! Do you notice something else just wonderful about this quilt? It is an early machine quilted quilt. The "feathers" are masterfully appliqued onto the white background by hand and then each block section is quilted independently of each other. When finished they are joined together and then the seam is covered over with binding. The borders are then attached and the seams are again concealed on the back.

Barbara Brackman discusses the history of sewing machines in American Patterns of Progress: Quilts in the Machine Age. Woman who were fortunate enough to have a sewing machine wanted to display their skills and machine quilted their quilts. This quilt was sure to have been a family treasure.

The applique was finely executed. The background was quilted in a grid work pattern while the feathers have only diagonal line quilting.

Look closely at the binding. It was also applied by machine!

I admire this early quilter. She was skilled with her machine and she didn't hesitate to put her beautiful applique workmanship under the needle.

A Christmas treasure for our family for many years to come!

Getting sidetracked....

2011-12-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

It's just that I have all these things I'm thinking about "twirling around in my head" this time of year. It is so easy to start out hoping to get one thing done and the next thing I know I'm taking pictures and running to the computer.

Remember those grand delusions about getting some Christmas decorations out and getting the house cleaned for the holidays. I in all earnest started out with this goal. The bedroom with estate boxes that weren't separated were going to get cleared out. In order to clear out, I needed to sort. In order to sort, I needed to go through them and start the keep, donate, pitch piles.

This is when I discovered this sweet little embroidery for "Dolly" done on a piece of linen. I am sure a young girl did this as an experienced embroiderer would not have left such a looping thread on the back when transferring her needle to another design area. Some would say an assumption because I really don't have facts to prove a young girl embroidering, but I believe it to be quite accurate.

Now if there was this sweet piece of embroidery, I wonder if there were any traces of little hands sewing quilt blocks together or another kind of sewing project?

Remember I said I had the "twirling going on in my head"? It was because I started thinking about young girls today and how many actually sew their doll's wardrobes? Do they ever make a little skirt or bonnet or is it true American Girl Dolls taught an entire generation to catalog shop?

At my Etsy shop, I love doing custom quilting. Last month, I got a letter from a customer asking if she sent me her daughter's baby clothes, if I could make two doll quilts as holiday presents. Two sets of clothes, two quilts. Of course I would, could and "By the way, do your daughters have American Girl dolls?" Of course they did.

So, the box of baby clothes and bed sheets were sent and ......

And these were the two doll quilts that I came up with. I took pockets from the little clothes and added them to the back so there would be a place for secret messages.

There was still quite a bit of fabric left. I was able to make two American Doll dresses to match each quilt. Each dress had it's own little pinafore (a Kirsten style from the original doll).

Okay, that is Samantha I have the dress on, but it was a Kirsten style.

So I'm beginning to see the pattern of getting sidetracked, not only with cleaning, but when sewing. One project leads to another.

As I said in the beginning - this time of year being busy and the "twirling around in my head" - its going on all the time and not just during the holiday season.

Sleep Sound Machines...

2011-12-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

You're probably looking at this and wondering if I'm coming a little unraveled if I show a picture of a buttonholer and I'm making references to a sleep sound machine.

A family member has asked for a sleep sound machine this year for Christmas. It was a flashback moment for me because when I was growing up, my mother kept the sewing machine in my bedroom.

I need to preface this even more by saying my bedroom was originally suppose to be a porch when my father was building the house and it became a bedroom when unexpected news arrived in the household. So while it ended up be a fine room, it was small, yet concise.

Also of interest is the fact my room was over the family fruit cellar in the basement. A fruit cellar isn't heated. A cold wood floor combined with the last room of the house to get heat from the oil heater left this room a bit brisk in comparison to the rest of the house. Which all worked out because I slept under a feather tick.

But, back to the sound machine. Growing up, my mother gravitated to the sewing machine when it was my bedtime. I was able to sleep not only with the hum of the sewing machine, but also with the overhead light on and an occasional outcry of frustration when the seam ripper came out. I never minded the sound of the sewing machine. In fact, I found the background noise quite soothing.

A buttonholer makes this wonderful clicking sound as the gears move around the template. It sounds like it is working hard making your job easier and faster. This particular buttonhole attachment doesn't have a single pin scratch on it. ??? I have the feeling it never had the chance to make all those wonderful sounds and beautiful buttonholes which I found fascinating when I was little.

So yes, having a sleep sound machine makes sense to me.

Isn't this the greatest piece of cotton fabric from the 50's!! To make it even more interesting the original home seamstress who purchased it in the 1950's kept the original sales slip tucked between the fabric folds.

Contemporary fabric designers....stand aside, or even nod your head in admiration of these bold graphics.

I was trying to find the perfect label for it for my Etsy shop and I could only think Art Deco. Yet, the leaves have a bit of a folk art feel to them. I guess this isn't your grandma's usual floral fabric!

Heart of the Madder......

2011-12-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

For anyone trying to find a gift for the lover of textiles, look no further, I have found the perfect present.

I want to share with you one of the best Christmas presents I received from my family many years ago - Textile Designs by Susan Meller and Joost Elffers.

Back in the early 90's it was difficult finding books with color illustrations of textiles and the range of printing dates for those fibers. This wonderful resource allows the reader to not only identify their textiles, but it gives a concise history/explanation of the dye/technique to further discover if you have properly identified your fabric. There are 1,823 color plates that cover a two hundred year period for European and American patterns from fabrics worn by everyday people.

While the WWW has its merits, I love being able to put a stack of quilt blocks on the table and find what I'm looking for from a hard copy resource. Oh yes, these square within a square quilt blocks do have madder dyes (that's me talking to myself).

So I'll post a few more of these blocks that date around 1860-1880. There aren't the conversation and shirting prints of 1880's so I'm putting them in the earlier time frame. Oh look, madder plaids!

Textile Designs besides giving wonderful color identification, breaks down the textiles to design techniques. Once you see examples of fondu, picotage, serpentine, diaper, eccentrics, you will be on your way to dating 19th century fabrics.

I never saw a foulard design I didn't like.

Now, onto preparing for the holidays at my home this year. I'm starting to put out the Christmas quilts throughout the house. This is what I have hanging in my dining room. I made this from the Moda fabric collection and small wall quilt pattern designed by Minick and Simpson called Christmas Past. I loved Minick and Simpson's creative use of the red/green/white palette and simplified design to interpret an 1860's historical quilt. It looks perfect on my walls which are a rich pumpkin orange and golden spice.

When you're least expecting to find a treasure....

2011-12-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me is aware of my love of sewing; especially quilts. But lets just make it simple and say anything having to do with creating with a needle and thread brings me joy. I have been known to leave the house with bits of clipped fabrics and threads attached to the back of my sleeves or dangling from my pants where I am the least aware of their presence. It doesn't bother me, just as a gardener is not alarmed having a bit of dirt on their hands and nails; often their badge of caressing the earth and flaunting it. At times, for me at least, those threads were conversation icebreakers with those next to me waiting in line at the post office or grocery store.

So you are warned....stare at the threads, you're getting a story about what is underneath the needle of my machine!

I have always found writing difficult. For this I apologize. But, hopefully, I can share enough beautiful quilts, vintage fabric and funny stories to coerce you into returning to my blog. So, I will begin...

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This past summer, I reluctantly decided to go to an estate sale. Reluctant and garage sale are seldom in the same sentence for me, I even feel akward writing them together. However, for some reason, this day I had prematurely decided from the estate sale advertising that it really didn't fit my needs. Maybe it was the location of the sale, or the goods listed, or just that it was one too many rainy days in a row, but I went late in the day, and I was wrong.

I was warned the house had been "picked over" by the crowds who came early, but there were still plenty of counters filled with china sets or holiday decorations and odd pieces of vacation memories.

But, how many had passed over this early piece of quilting history?

Personally, I know the style to be a Medallion Quilt. The fabrics are early 19th century. I inquired with the woman whose household good were on sale as to how she had acquired it. She said her mother had gotten it from the Humes Family from Watertown, New York.

The quilt design, style, fabrics, quilting, backing, binding, appliqued shapes - everything was consistent with dating the quilt to the 1840's.

At the sale, the quilt had been draped on a rack with a late 18th century chintz quilt with family provenance from Ireland pinned on the back. The hefty price tag of the chintz quilt was still pinned next to the quilt's paper history. The price was a deterrant to attracting a new owner. I understand how the medallion quilt may have been deemed the ugly duckling next to the more pristine quilt whose fabrics did not have the daily use. Its colors were not faded from the sunlight, washings and everyday use. The chintz quilt had well established fold marks which indicated its value and seldom use. I wondered how many times it had ever been brought out in the sunlight for others to admire in the past two centuries.

This quilt speaks. It says it served its purpose with its worn bits of fabric. I believe it says it has loved and been loved.