When I’m on road trips, I like to buy stuff. On Sunday we drove 10 hours straight through the Oklahoma panhandle to reach pretty Taos, New Mexico. The old plaza is so cute, but also a bit touristy, with lots of souvenir shops. However, there are also wonderful galleries and many shops filled with beautiful…
My sisters and I had a wonderful time visiting our family in Oklahoma. It was so fun to see Jean Ann and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild. I can hardly believe my oldest sister is a great-grandmother. This is a doll quilt that I made for Jean Ann in 2002, when I first began using…
The wedding is over, and I am happy to say that Emily was very pleased with the decor. It’s a lot of work bringing in all of your own linens, dishes, decorations, etc., but the end result was very cute. The photographer just emailed me today and said the photos would not be ready for…
Emily’s wedding is tomorrow, and I am actually feeling pretty relaxed. The entire living room is filled with boxes of glassware, plates, linens, candles, paper flowers, pennants, and numerous other decorations we have made. Tomorrow it’s all about packing the cars and meeting my sisters, my mother-in-law, and Aaron’s mother and aunt, who are going…
This booklet contains the Ferris Wheel pattern I used for this quilt top. In my experience, the templates in these books are accurate, unlike some of the vintage newspaper patterns. There’s not much in the way of instruction, but that’s part of the challenge.
Probably as a result of all the napkin stitching, I have managed to develop tendonitis in my left hand which requires a rest from any hand sewing until the thumb heals. I thought this might be a good time to post some of my vintage quilt booklets, so I have started the process of scanning…
In case you’ve wondered what happened to me, I have been finishing up the 204 crepe paper flowers for Emily’s wedding (plus a few other odds and ends like garters, pocket squares, suit and bridesmaid dress alterations, etc. etc.). Gordon made these posts which will be placed down the aisle, connected by the fabric pennants…
Gordon and Martha, 1976
These transfers have been cut and are missing both the envelope and the instructions, so I don’t know the date or the publisher. Although I think the alphabet designs are very cute, I was disappointed because I expected each character’s name to begin with its accompanying letter, and in most cases they don’t — or…
This turned out to be such a fun activity at Emily’s shower. The guests really got into it and the hats they made were all so original. I would highly recommend this as a party craft. The hats take a little while to make, but once you get it down, they go pretty quickly. I…
The shower is over — I can hardly believe it. Emily received wonderful gifts, and the guests seemed to enjoy themselves. They really liked their aprons, and they had a lot of fun creating these truly original hats. Tomorrow I am going to take a break and finally catch up on my blog reading. Then…
This is one of the series quilt patterns published in many 1930s newspapers under the pseudonym “Nancy Page” by Florence La Ganke. The fictional Nancy would meet with her quilt club on successive Tuesdays, where she would introduce the next block and make suggestions for fabrics, colors, and techniques. You can read more about Florence…
Emily and her Maid of Honor, Gianna, came up with the idea of having a “Twist-Off” at the wedding reception (think “Pulp Fiction”). Emily was planning to order a couple of trophies, but then she and I found this great stuff on sale at Michaels. I wonder if the company that manufactured these items has…
Today I finished the embroidered wedding napkins and hemmed the cocktail tablecloths. No time to take a break, though, because the bridal shower is Sunday. Most of the work is already done — aprons are made, the pillbox hat craft is ready, cupcakes and flowers are ordered, and decorations are in place. Of course, the…
Because I have nothing new to show you (except more boring napkins), here are a couple of George Carlson puzzles from the August, 1927 issue of John Martin’s Book. I don’t have the September issue with the answers, but the results of the M and N puzzles are in this magazine, and they each have…