A Clear View of 2020 Goals

It's not that I (Teri) have too much time on my hands, because I don't. But I do have a propensity to procrastinate and run down unnecessary rabbit holes—which explains this slightly creepy meme of me and Kara. But the sentiment holds true: we do wish you a happy 2020, and we hope that you will be able to fit some fun stitching projects into your year.

For my part, I have decided to look at my list of goals and make them public. Many of them are new projects; at least one is years in the making. Did I mention that I procrastinate? Kara is a much better "finisher" than I—oftentimes, I am ready to put a block aside when I complete the last stitch. I guess I'm more of a "blockmaker." Kara is not satisfied until it becomes a project. I wish that would rub off on me a bit. So to that end, I am hoping that you all may help to hold me accountable to complete my goals for this new year. 

Here goes!

(1)

We have a new series in the works—a set of seasonal cottages, which we hope to be ready to release and teach by springtime, or sooner. All the models are appliquéd, and they are ready for the embroidery of wreaths and flower boxes. And then they need to become more than just blocks. Watch for more about these soon!

(2)

The first two blocks from our new quilt, Woodland Reverie, are complete and will be the focus of our class in Williamsburg at the Academy of Appliquè this March. We are plugging away at some of the other blocks, hoping to have more to share soon. Or at least by March! Kara is doing the blocks on a black background, which offers quite a different look; it is fun to see the variety that the different colorways offer. (See A Woodland Walk to the Academy and It's Almost Time!)

(3)

Our Floral Elegance vase, wool appliqué with ribbon flowers and embellishment, needs to become more than just a pretty block. We have the perfect fabric to frame it for a wall-hanging. And of course, it needs to be quilted—not really my forté, but it's a small project that should give me some good practice. We are teaching this in Nebraska at Baltimore on the Prairie in September, so it would be nice to have a complete project to share. 

(4)

The other class we are teaching in Nebraska is our Baltimore Fraktur. Kara and I are both working on completing small quilts with this block as the center medallion. Our two designs are similar, but vary a bit. Suffice it to say, we will be "putting a bird on it." Beyond that, you will have to wait and see our final outcomes. Kara, of course, has a huge head start on me with this project! (See We Are Heading to the Prairie!)

(5)

Remember our Fairy Tale Album? Think waaayyy back. At the time, I thought it would be fun to make a redwork quilt using some of the motifs from that quilt. I did all the embroidery. Twelve blocks. I picked fabrics for a simple patchwork block to make as a setting for those embroidered blocks. I made the first block and put them in a pile, which then got moved to a bag. Three years ago. In my defense, I packed a house I'd lived in for 25 years, moved to a rental, moved to my new home, and....need I say more?! Excuses, excuses. It's time to make a quilt! (See Fairy Tales Through the Needle's Eye and A Magical Year.)

(6)

My mess. You see evidence of at least seven or eight projects here, either in piles, baskets, or tote bags. If I were a "finisher," I could put everything away when the project is complete. But I move from one block to another, keeping things organized and grouped for when I get back to it. I'd like to think that my brain isn't as messy as my space, but one couldn't convince my ever-tolerant husband of that. I have always been a juggler of many things. Since we have an empty nest, now I just juggle my stitching endeavors. It seems I always choose stitching over organizing and cleaning, but I am feeling the need to step back and create a clean slate may be in my near future. (See From Chaos to Order to see what this space CAN look like.)

(7)

And in my spare time—copious amounts, to be sure—I would like to continue to work on my Baltimore Album quilt with the blocks I have made for my class models. Five blocks do not make a quilt, so I'll need to keep stitching! Who knows what year this goal will be achieved, but that doesn't mean I can't be thinking about what block I might stitch next.

So there is my list. If you are a regular reader of our blog, then you will hopefully see updates as I check goals off my list. Or partial goals. 😊

What about you? Do you have some stitching goals that you hope to accomplish in 2020? We would love to hear about them! Please feel free to share in the comments below.

May your new year be filled with stitches!

Put a Bird On It!

 

Spring is just around the corner here in Maryland. Some of our flowers have come up, and others are well on their way. Our yard has been filled with robins and our back porch has had its usual nuthatch visitors. I (Kara) love seeing the renewed activity of all the different types of birds we have in our area, because I love birds. My children have teased me because of all the bird items I use in our home decor: pillows, figurines, framed art, etc. I don't think I'm as bad as this video, but they played it for me, and I did find it humorous.

I know I am not the only one with a bird fascination, otherwise there wouldn't be so many neat bird things in the stores. Since the beginning of time, birds of all types have inspired us. When we visited the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival a couple of weeks ago, there were so many quilts with birds on them, we knew that the inspiration was alive and well, and that it would make a fun blog post. So here are a few of the lovely quilts whose makers chose to "put a bird on it."

Woodland Home by Lois Griffith 

Detail: Woodland Home

A Joyful Noise by Eileen Lord-Williams 

Detail: A Joyful Noise

Detail: A Joyful Noise

All About Birds by Donna Bergman

Out on a Limb by Roxann Robinson

Jubilation by Heidi Dewey

Our Family Tree by Colleen Woodcock

The Elephant's Child by Shirley Hyatt Usry

Detail: The Elephant's Child

By Yvette Cienski
Heron from the book Quilts from Nature by Joan Colvin

by Corinne Vance
Center medallion from the book Nature's Chorus by Jeanna Kimball

A beautifully embellished bird from Threads of Friendship (Carol's Gift) 
by Barbara Korengold

As quilters, we can interpret birds and nature in our own unique way, and these quilters have done a magnificent job of doing just that. Letting our imaginations take flight (pun intended), we can find so much inspiration in the feathered creatures we see each day. Whether we stitch them to look just like the real thing or come up with our own interpretation, birds and quilts—in my humble opinion—definitely "flock" together!

Zooming in for a Closer Look

Last week, Kara shared the story of the Album quilt that we made and presented to our dear friend, Bette. This week, I (Teri) would like to share some details of that quilt with you, along with a few more detailed stories of our making of the quilt. So put on your glasses; we have a lot of beauty to behold!

I'll start with a block that Kara made. She really likes birds, and she tends to want to put a bird on everything. (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit!) But I thought it was a bit humorous that of the four blocks Kara picked at random, two of them had birds. Bet you can guess which ones she chose to make! I think she was pretty happy when she got to the bird after all those acorns.

Kara's bird in an oak wreath

Almost every week, Kara and I got together with our friend, Jo Ann, to stitch and work on our blocks. It was wonderful to be able to encourage and inspire each other. Jo is incredibly creative and not afraid to try anything, so she gave us a lot of courage to attempt some new techniques. Watching her work on this monument was a thrill. She set the bar high, pushing me (maybe both of us) to expand my horizons and take risks.

Jo Ann's monument block with birds made of ultra suede

We had quite a discussion about what these were supposed to be. Jo made them cactus flowers, with blooms made of hand-dyed velvet. This design is also in my cornucopia block, but I made them strawberries, since it was filled with fruit.

Jo's ruched flowers are stunning!

If you look closely at the picture above, you will see a little bee flying above the top flower. Jo had the idea that we should put bees on our blocks, because Bette was our Queen Bee, leading us all as we worked at the Appliqué Academy. Kara and I loved the idea and proceeded to place bees on our blocks as well. You can see Kara's bee at the base of the wreath on her bird block above.

My first block was a basic wreath with leaves and buds. I am not sure what kind of leaves or buds they are supposed to be; I'm certain the leaves aren't rose leaves, but my buds are rather rose-like. The calyxes are made with wool to add interest. To make the wreath, I braided three bias strips of fabric, appliquéd it down, and used a fly stitch on top. Each bud is tacked with a bead.

My wreath of leaves and buds

With Jo's guidance, I tried stumpwork for the first time to make the wings on my bee.

Jo Ann's sister, Jan Vaine, has also been quite an inspiration for both Kara and me over the years. She taught us her method of Perfect Placement appliqué, and we have been hooked on a back-basting type of appliqué ever since. While I was venturing into the unknown making my bee's wings, Jan was using stumpwork embroidery to make the petals of her flowers. Her work is exquisite!

Jan's urn with doves and floral heart block

Detail of Jan's dimensional flowers

Last week, we showed you one of Bette's blocks, with her teeny tiny stems, for which she is well-known. Bette is the master of minute detail, and her work is amazing, as you will affirm when you examine her other block. She is truly an artist who strives to better her needle skills with every new piece she stitches.

Bette's block, depicting the end of the Civil War

Detail: date appliquéd with ultra suede

Detail: photo transfer on urn

Detail: flower crocheted with fine thread

Detail: padded acorns with knotted caps

Kara had fun creating the variety of flowers in this block. With all the birds in these patterns, I'm not sure how I didn't get one at all!

Kara's urn of flowers...with a bird, of course!

Detail: A bee and a flower made of wool and ribbon

My second block was a cornucopia, which I shared in November, here. This block offered so much more variety and was lots of fun. As I was planning what fabrics I would use to make each fruit, I decided to include a lime. It seemed appropriate to place a coconut next to it, though by scale, it is a bit too small. By the time I finished that block, we were tired of having the song "The Lime in the Coconut" stuck in our heads. (It may have been sung a few times in our stitching sessions.) If you'd like the song stuck in your head, take a listen by clicking here.

Detail: my lime and the coconut, surrounded by plums, a peach, and apples.

There were ten of us stitching blocks for this lovely quilt, from six states across the U.S. Bette was so kind as to send it to us for a lecture we gave in the fall for the Baltimore Appliqué Society. While it was here, I took some photos of some of the blocks. Here is a representation of the other stitchers in our group of friends.

Doris's block, so bright and cheery

Kathy's lyre block, with her ruffled ribbon rose

Lou's block, with dimensional pineapples—Lou made four blocks for the quilt and is Jan and Jo's mom.
She certainly passed down her talent to her daughters!

Megan's flower block, perhaps geraniums 

DeeDee's dove and anchor block, with lovely folded rosebuds and calyxes

We hope you have enjoyed exploring this Baltimore album-style beauty with us. The patterns were all created by the Baltimore Appliqué Society from the 1847 Samuel Williams Quilt, which resides at the Baltimore Museum of Art. I hope you have found some inspiration from these blocks. And we also hope that you, too, have found a group of stitching sisters, tied together by your love of needle and thread.

A Crazy Treasure

For me (Kara), antiquing is about digging for treasure—finding that one item that speaks to you in some way and deciding that you can't leave without it. Unfortunately, my budget line item for antiques (if that really existed in our house) is negligible. However, every so often, I find an item that is a treasure, but won't break the bank or incur some sort of financial displeasure from my husband.

To my delight, I have found two quilts in the last six months that meet the previous requirement. The first one is a log cabin quilt that I will share more about in the coming weeks, but the most recent was a tattered silk crazy quilt that practically jumped off the table and into my arms. It even has a ribbon in it from Jackson, Michigan. I worked in Jackson in my early adult years, so I took that as a sign that I should buy the quilt.(I can rationalize with the best of them.)




Crazy quilts have held a special place in my heart for a long time. Participating in making a reproduction crazy quilt for quilter/author Jan Vaine was a joy, and it solidified my love for this particular genre. You can read about that in our post here. The crazy quilt I just bought was sitting underneath a pair of embroidered "twin" quilts that Teri will tell you about another time, and it caught my eye. It was a little worn in spots, primarily because it was made of mostly silk, but its charm held me captive.

The fabric that caught my eye in the store was a printed ribbon from the "Annual Reunion, 20th Michigan, Volunteer, Jackson." Being a Michigan girl at heart, this was all I needed to lead me to purchase this gem. As I researched, I found out that the 20th Regiment, Michigan Infantry, was mustered out of Jackson, Michigan, for the Civil War in 1862.

As we looked at it further, we found another ribbon with "6th Annual Encampment GAR" and "Compliments Fairbanks Post No. 17, Detroit Michigan, 1884." As I did a little research, I learned that GAR stood for Grand Army of the Republic. This was a society founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1866, and its members were all honorably discharged Union veterans who had seen active combat in the Civil War. You can read more about the GAR here. If you would like to read about another crazy quilt that references the GAR, check out Barbara Brackman's post about the Emma Hurd 1886 Union Crazy Quilt here.

While these ribbons added to the quilt's charm, the fabrics, stitching, and painting in and on the quilt worked together to make a lovely example of the crazy quilt style, popular in the 1880s. There is no provenance with this quilt, so I have to make up one based on the evidence in the quilt. My favorite appraiser, Phyllis Hatcher, dates the quilt at approximately 1884-1890 based on the fabrics and the ribbons. The embroidery ranges from quite good to beginner, leading me to believe that the quilt could have been made by more than one person.

I've never seen a stitched grasshopper before

A goose or a duck?

Tea anyone?

A slightly more primitive bird

Another primitive bird sitting on a branch

Embroidery wasn't the only method used to create motifs; the stitchers also put their artistic talents to use by painting images on velvet.  I always wonder what inspired a particular maker, or makers to put certain motifs into a crazy quilt.

A spray of forget-me-nots

The owl makes another appearance 

A lovely thistle

Sweet painted roses

A popular motif in this quilt is a tassel design scattered throughout the whole quilt. Most of the seam stitches are classic crazy quilt stitches with a few more creative ones thrown in.

Is there a significance to this design?

Very neat stitching

A classic fan

Some creative stitching!

The quilt is pieced with so many different types of fabrics: silk, velvet, embossed velvet, foulard, faille, as well as pieces of ribbon. There is even a piece of silk that looks to be the lining of a hat!

"Newent" and "London" are the two discernible words on this piece of silk
that is possibly a piece of lining from a hat.

A lovely piece of embroidered lawn

It was difficult to get a good picture of the whole quilt, so I took pictures of the quilt in four sections. The quilt is made up of four 24" square blocks, two of which are made up of four patches. The borders are about 5-6" wide, and thankfully, the maker used a gingham as a backing, so where the silk has degraded, it doesn't look quite as bad with the gingham showing through.

I have so many questions about this quilt. Did the military ribbons belong to a relative? Where did they get all these silks, velvets, and ribbons? Were the fabrics they used special to them in some way? How did they come by the GAR ribbons? Unfortunately, these questions will never be answered, but I am thrilled to have such an interesting piece of the past in my collection now. Who knows what other quilt treasures might join it in the future?