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Halloween is a favorite holiday of mine....so many good memories. When I was a child, my mother would make the family a nice dinner before we set out to trick or treat. She would wrap coins in tin foil and put them in the mashed potatoes. It was probably not the safest things to do but we thought it was great and we are still here to tell of it. It seems like we went to hundreds of houses and got countless full size candy bars. No wonder I had so many cavities! He continued to be a good sport when I would take the kids out trick or treating and leave him home to answer the door dressed up in my flannel nightgown, the kids' pink wig and a pig nose and glasses. (He looks a little hot, don't you think?)This all leads to why I couldn't resist this quilt pattern, found at the Cary Quilt Company. I made this wall hanging for both my sister and I, leaving out the "Sometimes" on my sisters version for obvious reasons.... I always miss my sister, and wish that we lived closer so that I could see her more often, and share stories of the Halloweens of our youth in Lowell MA.
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Recently I had the pleasure of quilting a Vintage Feedsack Quilt. The top was hand-stitched by Saphronia Turner, from Panama City, Florida, in the 1950s . She was an award winning quilter and it shows in her work. Her stitches are beautiful, with seams lined up and the top perfectly square. I was a little nervous about machine quilting this treasure on my home machine because some of the fabric was a little thin, but it held up well due to Saphronia's expert stitching.
The feedsack fabric is varied in thickness or weave with many different patterns and bright colors. I was surprised at how vivid the colors were. It is a good thing the family preserved it well in a cedar chest away from sunlight; most importantly it was not washed, which may have led to the fabric fraying. In researching Feedsack Quilts I came across an informative article by Kris Driessen. Here are some of the highlights. Feedsacks started being used to transport and store food staples, grain and seeds in the early 1800s. They were initially made from heavy canvas, but that changed in the late 1800s when textile mills in the Northeast began weaving inexpensive cotton fabric. A wide variety of styles were offered, from small prints to large florals, stripes, polka dots to kitchen and garden themes. Many bags came pre-printed for dolls, aprons, pillows and curtains. It didn't take long for clever farm wives to begin using this fabric to make dish cloths, diapers, aprons, nightgowns and other items for the home. Soon, magazine and pattern companies got into the act and began to publish patterns. In 1942 it is estimated that over 3 million women and children of all income levels were wearing print feedbag clothing. After WWII, it became cost effective to ship grains in heavy paper and plastic containers. Feedsacks unfortunately went out of use except in some Amish and Mennonite communities. I hope someday we can again manufacture textiles here in America. I know of only one company in the US, American Made Brand, that is producing quilting quality solid colored cotton fabric. I hope we as quilters support them and let our voices be heard, which will lead to more textiles produced here in the US. Watch for more of my views on bringing textile production back to the US, as I have a bee in my bonnet about this. There are so many reasons why I love Seattle.
Craig and I lived here back in 1983 when Sara was two and Craig was doing a post doc at the University of Washington and I was working as a nurse at Northwest Hospital. It was a time in which we had almost no money, but we enjoyed every day. There was so much to do and we were surrounded with such beauty. We met many nice and generous people, from the woman in the bank who let us borrow a crib to our neighbors Reub and Frowe, and her sister Wilhelmina; they often babysat for us and made us amazing apple and blackberry pies. We've been back several times over the years since that first experience. Pike Place Market and other areas of downtown Seattle are fun, but the most important reason why I love Seattle is that Sara and her three boys now live there. I just returned from a wonderful ten day visit. Sara and Adam were great hosts. What I enjoyed the most was being a Foster (literally ) grandmother. Who knew grandparents had it so good, with all of the play, hugs and love, but none of the discipline. It is such fun to spoil little kids! I will miss my "monster dudes" and of course my Sara and Adam, but Craig and I will be back here in February for the Northwest Flower Show. That will mean more grand parenting (and more dim sum!) Here are some of my favorite pics.
Here are a few of the cool quilt tops that I have completed for Patchwork Memories which is closing up shop. But my shop is still open, what better way to preserve your memories for generations to come. These quilts were made from baby, men's and women's clothing to t-shirts and men's ties.
Send me an e-mail for prices and info. Just back from a great long weekend at the Seed Savers Heritage Farm in Decorah Iowa. Being from the east coast, I have never given much thought to Iowa, but I have to say that it is delightful, from the beautiful farms, to the welcoming people and the miles and miles of corn plants waving in the breeze. I know that I am basing my opinion only on Decorah, but I have a feeling the rest of the state is just as delightful. Decorah has a fun and thriving down town with great restaurants, farmers market, quilt store, yarn store, coffee shop and an incredibly good ice cream shop.
Craig gave an amazing talk to highlight the 40th year of Seed Savers Exchange, and also a great talk on the Dwarf tomatoes. He is so ready to share his knowledge and experience especially with young people. I have heard him speak may times, but this time he really nailed it. He really is a Tomato Rock Star. Here are a few of my favorite pics: What is more American than baseball? Well, maybe Mom and apple pie would qualify.
Take a look at this great t-shirt quilt that I made for a young man in college who has played baseball since he was a small dude. I have had the honor of finishing a couple of quilt tops made by my good friend Verna, who sadly passed away in 2013. The quilts have gone to her daughter Kat as wonderful family heirlooms.
Happy 4th! It has been a fun and exciting six months since Craig's book came out. We couldn't be happier with the book, it is beautiful as well as filled with everything a tomato lover and gardener would need to know. Tomatoes are one of Craig's passions and it really comes through in the book. Our travels around the country have been great fun. We have met some of the nicest people and have heard so many heart warming stories about family and gardening. Aunt Jemaima approves of Epic Tomatoes.
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