Red and White

Have you ever made a red and white quilt?

My Nana Betty hated the color red.  It somewhat shocked me when I found this out because she was always seemed to embrace everything, particularly flowers.  She complained that red was a "hot" color.  Throughout most of her life, Nana dealt with thyroid problems; as a young child she experienced hot flashes.  These prompted her mother to tell her red faced, sweating profusely little girl to sit in the cellar to cool off.  

I've only technically made two--although that is pushing the envelope since one was technically burgundy more than red.  One is still a top and awaiting me to pull off more of the paper pieced triangles (I'm sorry to admit the paper has been on there for years).

The burgundy quilt is finished.  I made the redwork blocks as I cared for my mother for a full year.

It's Christmas themed:

One of the problems I have with working with a true red is that I see red spots for a while afterwards.  Still I like red and white quilts and have a few.  This one I inherited:

Yes I have a lot of redwork quilts but more on those later.

One of the highlights in my quilt life had been the privilege to attend the Red and White Quilt Exhibition, "Infinite Variety" in NYC in 2011.  

We live only a 2 hour drive from NYC and I have to admit I didn't even want to go to the exhibit.  My friend Kim had gone to the exhibit and then insisted Julie and I return with her--AND THANK GOODNESS SHE DID!  I have photos on my other blog here if you want to see a little of what we experienced.

It was otherworldy.  It was like entering a sacred quilt place and I don't even remember hearing a lot of loud speaking.  It was truly an amazing experience.

Obviously, red and white quilts appear to always have been popular.  Most historians will cite that "turkey red" fabric was popular because it was color fast and wore well.

19th century Carpenter's Square quilt from my collection.

I respect that many folks made quilts with turkey red because of the durability of the fabric.  Still I muse about other factors--not historical in nature and completely subjective:  Did the red color brighten 19th century homes in the bleak midwinter?  Did the color feel "warm"--or as Nana said-- "hot" during wintry days?

Have you ever made a red and white quilt?

Have a great day and please stay safe!

 

Holiday Cheer and Bloom Quilt #2

 

I finished this Christmas quilt last month.  I call it "Nana Betty's Wrapping Paper" because it reminds me so much of the Xmas wrapping paper she used when I was a kid.  In fact, I'm quite sure she used a blue Santa wrapping similar (if not exactly) like this well into the early 1970s:

Nana always bought Christmas wrapping paper after the holidays and stored it until the following holiday.  She must have gotten a really good sale on the blue paper! 😁  

Terri Trotter did the quilting and included lots of snowflakes and wintery winds!

Because this quilt holds such a strong memory for me, it is technically Bloom Quilt #2.  I have enough four patches left that I'm assembling another quilt to gift to my sister/aunt (an aunt who is my age and more of a sister to me).

I was actually looking for a photo of another Christmas quilt I had made years ago and I kept finding photos of Christmas quilts in yester-years.  Turns out I've made a LOT of Christmas quilts--and that surprised the heck out of me simply because I never thought about it before.  It's probably the second most quilt I've made after juvenile/baby quilts.  Here are some mug rugs I made about a decade ago that I gifted one year.

How about you?  Have you done a lot of holiday quilts?  Would you like to share them on the blog?  In the upcoming months I'm also going to feature some vintage and antique quilts that are wonderful to display this time of year.  

I think we could all use as much cheer we can get this year.  It's been a grim year for all of us and it would be nice to fill the internet with some joy!

Have a wonderful day and please stay safe!

Men who Quilt #1

 

I've known for some time that men enjoyed quilting.  British soldiers sewed while recovering during the Crimean War.  I think this fellow photographed might be one of them. A few years later, some disabled Civil War soldiers sewed quilts as well.

I have a fairly large folder on "Men Who Quilted" in my files.  If memory serves me right, I remember being amazed at all the articles I found on men who quilted in my area.  I thought I would do periodic features because they are interesting...and fair.

This is one of my favorite articles and I marvel at this little guy from Knoxville, TN.  He taught himself to sew at age 3!

Then there is my least favorite quilt man.  My husband had some choice words for this fellow that I can't write here.  😉

Have a safe and happy day!

What to Do With Leftovers and Flower Friday

 What to do with leftovers...aka scrap quilts!  I wanted to share with you that I found a neat scrap quilt pattern and it is free!  It is called "Plaid-ish" and is offered at Kitchen Table Quilting here.  There are actually a lot of free quilt patterns on the website and a few for sale.

Today is Flower Friday and Betsy was kind enough to send the last of her fall flowers.  A clematis and her mums:

Lorraine sent a happy photo of cotoneaster bushes with bright red berries to help us feel season!

I still occasionally find a few flowers while walking my dog Scout:

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving 2020!

Today we are grateful for our family and friends--including my dear friends that I have met through blogging!  Thank you for your friendship!  You've made this year more bearable!

Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving alone.  A family member is sending over a meal for us and we will talk to the kids later in the day.  I'm hoping you are all isolating and staying safe. 

This quilt is called "Horn of Plenty" and is from the 1950s.  It was a kit quilt offered by Paragon in 1954 and 1955.  I love it for this time of year!

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!  Thank you again for making 2020 a better year!

 

A Different Kind of Batting

 On Monday I shared a story about collecting funds for the Red Cross.  I mentioned that when I first saw the headline, I thought the money was actually sewn in the quilt.  

The reason I thought this was because of a different local story that I found published in 1910.  I don't think I'll ever look at my collection of antique and vintage quilts quite the same way.  Yesterday I was refolding quilts and yes, I kept checking the batting for what might be in there!  😁

Have a safe and happy day!

Tuesday Tidbits

Brad is recovering but it will be a while before he is 100 percent and not a fall risk.  When you are caring for a loved one, I recommend two different kinds of sewing:  binding or embroidery.  Both are portable and don't take much thought.  It's a kind of sewing that I find calming.  While I care for Brad, I've been binding.  I have one quilt left and then I will probably switch to embroidery.

This lap quilt was finished shortly before his surgery and it's for my oldest friend Linda.  She also wanted a table runner to match and since I had a few extra blocks, I was happy to oblige!

I think the most impressive part of the quilt is Terri Trotter's quilting.  Often I let her choose what she thinks will work best for a quilt.  We are old friends and I trust her judgement.  She's never let me down and I love this pattern on the quilt.  It takes it to a whole new level!

Some other things to share with you are comments or emails you shared with me.  First off, Libby wants to know from Sue P. :  "Please share your secret for getting such wonderful garden photographs!!!" (like here).

Kathie L thinks (and I agree!) Libby's mother was ingenious in whipstitching the Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt featured on Friday (here).

Well I'm off to care for hubby!  See you tomorrow and stay safe!