May Day!

 

May Day greetings to all of you!

Tomorrow is Flower Friday so please email me any photos you might like to share!

Housewives

 

If you can remember Mr. Peabody, Sherman, and the Wayback Machine, you probably remember the women's movement of the 1960s and 70s. 

One thing I remember reading was a great essay entitled "I Want A Wife," by Judy Brady; it appeared in Ms. Magazine and you can read it here.  In many ways it is still relevant since studies indicate that women still do most of the childcare and housework even when she and her spouse both work fulltime.

But that's not what I'm writing about today.  I'm writing about a sewing kit that originated in the 18th century (probably in England).  It was used by both men and women and is often referred to as a hussif, huswif, or a housewife.  I've even heard it referred to as a hussy.  😆

When Beth and I did our Civil War program, we talked about the hussif and how soldiers used them to mend, darn, etc. while in the field.  Beth even found instructions from during the war and made an example for our programs.  This was a common use of the hussif, made by family members for soldiers in the field.

Civil War soldier sewing

You can see a lot of these antique hussifs online and a great essay on them with photos is here.  It was a small rolled up kit that included things like needles, thread, scissors and other sewing essentials.  

But women used hussifs too.  Those are the most decorative and I've found examples from both the UK and North America that are very pretty.   Back when Beth and I were looking at them, it seemed like only historical reenactors were interested in making them.  Then the pandemic hit and as more people hand sewed, there was a renewed interest in them.

The modern versions are often pretty and I encourage you to browse the internet for them.  The makers now incorporate slow stitching, embroidery, and all kinds of doo-dads like lace and rick-rack to make pretty sewing kits.  A great article for you to peruse is here.  Have you or would you make one?

Flower Friday is coming up and if you would like to submit a photo, please email me at allentownquilter@gmail.com

Have a great day!

Tuesday's This and That: April 29, 2025

 

Many thanks to Sue who identified the plant I asked about last Friday!

Virginia Bluebells!

Thanks Sue!

The one thing I want to ask you--how is your weather these days?  We are in a drought and most of the gardeners I know are talking about not putting any new plants in this year.  We get a little rain every now and then (often the predicted rain misses us completely) but we need a week or two of a soaking rain.

How is it where you are?

***

Ann Hermes is well known in the quilt history world and is a writer, collector, and quilter.

I have had this post saved in my bookmarks forever.  On her old blog it was an article on how to recycle yardsticks.  I don't know about you but I have broken yardsticks and some that have paint on them.  These are great ideas I hope to use someday!

***

Have a safe and happy day!

Say Cheese!

 

It's funny how trends come and go.  The last year or two, I noticed a lot more muted tones but also more cheddar like fabric.  Cheddar was popular fabric with the Pennsylvania Dutch.  Years ago, I knew a quilt collector who loved anything cheddar!

My favorite cheddar collection right now is "Cheddar Blues" from Connecting Threads. 

This appeals to me because of the combination with blue.  It's true, I think blue makes everything better.

Here's a late 19th century quilt top that was made locally.  I should really quilt this one of these days:

My favorite cheddar piece is this Moravian Quilt:

Do you like cheddar colored fabrics?

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: April 25, 2025

 

Happy Flower Friday!

It's another beautiful day here!

Sue sent this lovely photo of a bleeding heart.  The flowers cascade like a waterfall.  I love it!  Thanks Sue!

The tulips are beginning to bloom here!

The park we walk at has large clumps of daffodils.  Most of the daffs around here have become one color.  These are the kind I remember in my youth:

Do you know what this flower is?  It was growing near the daffodils and is so pretty.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

What's Up?

 

Are any plants cheering you up these days?

Tomorrow is Flower Friday.  Please share what happiness is blooming in your corner of the world!  You can email me photos at allentownquilter@gmail.com

Have a great day!

In Stitches

 

My main New Year's resolution was to have fun, especially with my sewing.  I also wanted to do more handwork and try to get my fingers working better.  Even if my fingers are clumsy sometimes, the handwork has been a real blast!

I love doing this kind of work while we are watching the Phillies.  The sewing relaxes me and thanks goodness because our team has more ups and downs than a roller coaster.  

Vintage Dorney Park postcard.  On a side note:  the amusement park is near where we live and it was also featured in the old movie, "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows."

Okay enough digressions...

Anyway, the thing I love sewing the most these days are these Quilt As You Go Hexagons.  I showed you the first one I made a few months ago.

But piecing the hexies together was a bit of a problem.  I used the ladder stitch for the piece above.

But my problem was that the stitches became loose in some areas and I had to go back and rework a few of the stitches.

Then I watched a video where Karen Brown (Just Get It Done Quilts) interviewed Emma Jones from Vintage Sewing Box.   You can see the interview here.  They discussed EPP and both said they found the ladder stitch problematic and used the whip stitch instead.

So I tried that for my next two pieces.

But I didn't like that method either.  So this week I went back to the ladder stitch but then searched YouTube for a different stitch and I found one!  I found it on the Daisy And Grace YouTube channel.  I use that company's templates for these.  It turned out that Nicola uses a different stitch that is sort of a ladder/whip/back stitch creation.  You can see her video here.  

This is my new favorite method and it seems to be working better for me (show you the finished piece when it is done).

I have lots of floral scraps and I am hoping to use up a lot of them to make these little table toppers for friends and family.

Anyway, that's it for today!

Have a great day!