Tuesday's This and That: September 20, 2022

 Tchotchkes--I love them but in moderation.  Actually I like to collect things but contain them in one place--and preferably a place with a glass door to reduce dust.  Like these bisque dolls I collected for a while.  

The two I originally had were from my grandmother but I now wonder if they were actually hers or her mother's.  Nana never liked the color red.  But I love these little red dolls in the center of the shelf:

Nana also collected little wooden figurines.  I think they may have been from Denmark but I'm not sure.  This is my favorite figure of the girl cutting what I think is fabric (or maybe a box?) anyway she has a nice doll and spool of thread aside of her.  She is featured in another box (with a glass door of course):

This shelving unit has more sewing features than anything else:

A sewing caddy that was made in Japan.  I think this might have been made before the war and was given to me by a friend.  One of her baskets is a pin cushion and the other basket has one's thimble in it (the lid comes off to get to the thimble).  

Another friend gave me a sister to the one above.  Her baskets were long lost and someone replaced them with vintage spools of thread.  Both of the figures have measuring tapes in the back of them that you can pull out:

Also in this collection are my poodles caddies which are pin cushions from the 1950s:

Thimbles are also featured.  My kids used to buy me a thimble when they travelled (the one from London is tipped over a bit for you to see).  Sometimes they would pick up some from flea markets.  I never told them that I don't use thimbles 😄

So this is Tuesday's light weight fluff for your viewing pleasure.  Do you have any collectibles that you cherish?  Do tell!

Have a safe and happy day!

Centennial Quilts

 

The year was 1940 and our local Allentown newspaper reported about a quilt that was being assembled for a local woman:

Initially, I thought there was an error in the reporting.  I still think that the newspaper got the dates wrong (our local paper was never really known for accuracy) and the dates the women found in the fabric were 1776 and 1876.   Like this:

Centennial prints were popular in the 1870s during the time of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.  I'm fortunate to own one family quilt that has a variety of centennial prints: 

The print is so small that no one in the family ever realized what was in the quilt!

Photo of the actual quilt.  The centennial prints are featured in a place of honor--in the center of the textile.

About ten years ago or so, reproduction fabric was printed of some of these prints and the handkerchief that was popular during the time.  The scale of the prints was bigger but it was still fun to use the fabric.  I made a wall hanging that I use in some of my programs:

This is an original handkerchief I have in my collection:

The reason I have been thinking about the centennial is a surprise that I found when I was researching Nancy Cabot patterns.  In 1938, this pattern was marketed in newspapers:

I've never seen a quilt that was based on this quilt.  Have you?  

The description from the ad:

"'Centennial Block' is a combination pieced and appliqued design adapted from an old piece of printed material belonging to one of our readers, Mrs. William S. Giles.  The Liberty Bell is of a deep blue background against a pale blue background.  The corner blocks are red with white appliqued figures.  The three inch white bands have red stars and one-half inch red bands appliqued before they are joined to the center square.  The combination block is set together in an alternate arrangement with plain white blocks, and finished with an eight inch pale blue border bound with a one-half inch white bias binding."

Now back to our quilting ladies---I'm not sure what fabric would be printed with 1886 woven into it.  The one major event of that year was the dedication of the Statue of Liberty and I've never seen antique fabric that memorialized that occasion (have you?).

We will revisit Centennial quilts on Wednesday but for now, have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: September 16, 2022

 Happy Flower Friday!  

We have some nice selections today from readers!

Sue P.'s butterfly bush is still full of blooms!

Check out Sue's perennial ageratum:

Love Lorraine's dahlias such a pretty color!

And love her sweet autumn clematis too!

Alice shared that her giant asters began blooming this week:

Her zinnias are still going strong as well.  Alice said she doesn't see many bees but she has these tiny butterfly/moth insects visiting her flowers.  I have them too here.  

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Bee-ing Present

 How is your garden growing?

We have received some beneficial rain and the garden has perked up.  Some of the plants remain stunted (like my mums who appeared to have gone dormant during the drought).  But I'm grateful for the rain we have received.

These days, there are more patterns that feature bees and bee hives.  This of course reflects that most of us are aware of  the importance of beneficial insects.  To be honest, I'm mostly keeping the flowers as they are for the bee keeper that lives down the street.  Her honey bees are always visiting my garden!

There is only one old pattern I know that celebrates these wonderful insects.  The Honey Bee pattern!

 

I have only one quilt that features this pattern but it is a beauty!  Made originally in the mid-19th century, it was repaired at a later date but the work was done really well.

And of course the quilting is amazing!

I'm hoping to get some gardening in this weekend while my husband is away at work.  Last weekend, a neighborhood mother and her daughter asked what to do with the zinnia blooms that had bloomed and gone to seed.  They are first time gardeners.  I taught them how to cut the faded blooms off.  

The daughter, nine-year old Corrine--has an affinity to biology and vocabulary.  She was doing a good job.  She called to her grandmother who lives with them:  

"Look grandma, I'm decapitating the zinnias!"

This made us all laugh and then I explained that we actually call this "deadheading" which made Corrine's mother exclaim, "don't encourage her..."😂😂😂

What is going on in your garden?  If you have any photos to share, please email them to me at allentownquilter@gmail.com!

Ahoy Mateys!

 

Ahoy Mateys!

Today's feature is about a boat quilt I have.  I suspect it was made circa 1940.  As you can tell some of the boats have floated away...or rather, just faded with time 😁

I do like this happy quilt and I always thought I would give it to one of the kids one day.  Boat quilts were popular in the 20th century and this pattern is still popular today.  

Most boats are christened with a name but there are a LOT of boat patterns particularly during the era this was made.  I know, for example, that this quilt is not a few of these patterns.  

This 1937 pattern was confusing to me at first.  Then I realized the pattern fabric was the background and there were the sailboats sticking out:

Nancy Page's Sailboat quilt from 1934 is different as well.  Notice the port left side of the quilt has a different shape than my quilt:

The Ship of Dreams is more similar to mine but not quite a perfect match.  This was published in the L. A. Times in 1940:

This leads me only with a few more choices of where the pattern originated.  It is possibly Nancy Cabot's "Fishing Boats" or a pattern that was published in Needlecraft Magazine in 1931 and called "Little Ship o' Dreams."  Because the Needlecraft Magazine title is so sweet, I'll go with that.

Do you like nautical themed quilts?  Have you ever made one?

Have a safe and happy day!

Tuesday's This and That: September 13, 2022

 Welcome to Tuesday's This and That!

Two more interesting tidbits about Queen Elizabeth:

The first is a quilt made by a woman living in Tulsa who made an amazing tribute quilt to Queen Elizabeth.  Many articles reported that the woman was British and her name is Devida Bushrod.  Please view the quilt here.  My understanding is that the quilt didn't arrive at the Palace until the day the Queen passed.  It is still an amazing textile and I really appreciate all the time Devida put into the quilt!

***

Another interesting tidbit.  Most of us love having pockets in our clothing.  So apparently did Queen Elizabeth but when she was young, the pockets were sewn up so that she could not stick her hands in her pockets.  There's an interesting article about this here.

***

Finally, Sue sent me a photo of a vintage pillow that she has.  The pattern looks vaguely familiar but I can't find a name for it anywhere.  Have you seen it before?  It is applique but doesn't appear in my Encyclopedia by Barbara Brackman.  Anyway, I think it is a lovely piece!

Have a safe and happy day!

The Crown

 Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

She was not our monarch but we had deep respect for her years of service and leadership.  We also liked her sense of humor when it surfaced and maybe many of you have favorite anecdotes about her.  

My particular favorite was when Vladimir Putin was about to meet with Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, the Home Secretary's dog barked loudly.

The Queen quipped: 'Dogs have interesting instincts, don’t they?"

The comment may have been a breach of royal protocol but one that I will always love.

Today I thought the only way to celebrate in a quilt-like way was to share some "Queen's Crown" patterns. There are a lot of them and I am only sharing a few:

Queen's Crown featured in the Des Moines Tribune, 1933:

Queen's Crown, Nancy Page, 1932.

By the way, Nancy Cabot referred to this same pattern as Queen Charlotte's Crown:

I also like one offered by Nancy Cabot that I can't find in the newspapers right now. But you can view this link to look at it and there is even a link for directions.

We would not leave the Queen's oldest son out of this post! Here are some King's Crowns for your perusal:

Detroit Free Press, 1932:

Nancy Page, 1934

Wishing you a safe and happy day!