This week has been a travel week. I have worked on a few things…not much. Here are a few pictures of works in progress:
I made these pieces last summer in 2022. I am finally going to put them on the border where they belong.
I will add more of these flowers once I get these ones sewn down to the background. Oh, did I mention there are four borders, not just these two?
This block is from Pat Sloan. It is part of the fireworks quilt along that is just ending. It has this center square that I have decided to use in a block of the month quilt.
This picture has two outside borders on it. Next I will add the blocks for the month and big 16 inch corner squares. My colors are purple, teal, and a bit of red.
This is a practice block for the center of each cornerstone block of that same quilt. The section with the blue and purple square is actually made up of two triangles, which makes it a bit of a challenge.
Hope you are living your best life and doing things that bring you joy!
What are you working on during these last toasty days of summer?
I finally got it all together. Well, maybe not ALL, but this fourth and final version of the Sweet Childhood Memories quilt. This is the quilt that holds my memories. Ta-Dah!
In this quilt, Sweet Childhood Memories, designed by Pat Sloan, each block has a theme. I chose fabrics from my stash to represent the given theme of each block. Here is a detailed look at my fabric choices:
My favorite color is teal. Any shade of blue is great, too. Purple and red are great accents. The inner border that looks black is in reality a deep purple.
Block: Fairy Tales
When I was young, I had a Raggedy Ann doll that I loved to pieces. She had several surgeries to reattach her arm, her leg, etc. I also had a book about the adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy. There are many of these books still available from Amazon, Etsy, etc. The dolls are also very collectable. I have several of the dolls decorating my sewing room, but not the poor original that was so well loved.
This block reflects the colors in the Raggedy Ann’s clothes. I even found some striped fabric…just like her socks.
Block: Best Friend
My best friends were all in the band. The fabric selection in this block reminded me of a John Philip Sousa march…that my friends would have been playing. Listen here.
Block: Bedtime Routine
Like I said, all four of these quilts had the printed background. Story time or reading was an important part of the bedroom routine. Brushing teeth and taking a bath was important, too.
Blocks (from left to right): Easter Sunday, Outdoor game, and Summer Break
Easter Sunday was the time to visit with grandparents. My grandmother loved to color Easter eggs with us. My grandparents had 200+ chickens, so eggs were never in short supply. They also had rabbits. One always left tracks somewhere in the house for us to find.
I had an basket that I used year after year. A Gardener’s solid chocolate rabbit always appeared in it. I always got a new Easter dress and dress shoes.
As a teenager, our youth group was always in charge of the breakfast after the sunrise service. Someone from the Ladies Auxillary group usually supervised us. That poor lady!
The middle block represents outdoor games. I used to love to play hide and seek with my brother. I would hide and he wasn’t good at the seek part…because I was in the hay loft in the barn where we weren’t supposed to be. I didn’t fall and break my neck…no harm, no foul, right?
Ahhh! Summer! This block goes well with the block above it. I loved playing outside…or reading a book outside. I spent a great deal of time in the hay loft of the barn or up a tree, hiding and reading a book.
Block: Ride a Bike
The Christmas that I was six years old, I got a bicycle. It had a purple and silver paisley seat, that my dad immediately changed to a more comfortable plain, white one. The body of the bike was purple sparkles. It took me forever to learn to ride, because I was so afraid of crashing! No helmets back then!
Blocks (from left to right): Books, Sing a song, and Movie Time
My favorite book was Charlotte’s Web. When the movie came out, I was thrilled, but as always, it was not as good as the book. I used web fabric in memory of Charlotte and pink fabric for Wilbur. Sorry, Templeton, no rat fabric was available.
The middle block is for Sing a Song. Senor Don Gato was a favorite song from elementary school. Listen to it hear. The fabric speaks for itself.
The last block in this row was for favorite movie. I would have to say Cinderella. She did have to clean up a lot of cobwebs!
Blocks: Nursery Rhymes on the left, Fun School Memory on the right
Ring Around the Rosie was my favorite nursery rhyme. We would join hands and spin around like maniac, then all fall down. I used as much flower fabric as I could. The contrast in this block is not the best, but it is still a pretty block.
When I was in high school, I did a term paper on nursery rhymes. I was appalled to find out it was about the black plague.
The tulip block is the fun school memories block. My greatest school memory was a school wide trip to Philadelphia, PA for the bicentennial celebration. Our school did fund raisers for two years to make sure that every student got to go on this trip. It was a five hour bus ride from central PA to get there. We left at 4 AM, but I got to touch the Liberty Bell. I still have the miniature version on a shelf in the sewing room. We got to see the mint in action making money. I was in 4th grade. Don’t waste time on calculations…I am old.
The flower body was cut from red, white, and blue calico. I probably have some Liberty Bell fabric in the tub of American fabrics, but I was content with the red.
Block: Childhood Home
This block is so appropriate for my childhood home. That whirling shape in the middle…someone was always coming or going…Mom, step-mother, etc.
The purple in the center is for a great patch of irises that were beside the house. There was wild garlic mixed in with the irises, so when it was time to mow them off for the fall, it had a wonderful garlic aroma.
My parents had beef cattle and milk cows, thus all the cow fabric. My mother used to make butter in my Grandmother’s antique barrel churn to sell. She also sold pastuerized milk, too. When my parents divorced, dad sold the cows.
The house itself had gray tar paper siding on the outside. At one point, the house had belonged to my great-great-aunt and uncle…maybe more greats. Then it was sold and turned into a hunting camp for a while before my parents purchased it.
Blocks: Toy Box on the left, and Favorite Teacher on the right
My favorite toys were Barbie dolls…and, yes, I still have some. They are friends with my elf and sasquatch statue.
I have two favorite teachers. In high school, Mrs. Neary was a wonderful teacher. She had my dad as a student when she was a brand new teacher. From the stories he told, it is no wonder she became strict and scary. She was wonderful!
My other favorite teacher was Miss Richards in 6th grade. She was sweet and kind. She taught me a lot about being compassionate…that carried over into my own teaching career.
I chose the fabrics for this block because I liked them. I am not sure when I learned to be the recycling “hippy” that I am. Maybe it was on that walk in 6th grade when we didn’t get to go camping…
Blocks: Favorite Bedtime Toy on the left, Holiday Memory on the right
On the right, the block represents bedtime toy. Again, Raggedy Ann.
The block on the left was favorite holiday memory. For years, my grandparents had a big Christmas party. All the aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, great uncles, etc. came to this party. I hated it. I whined about it. My dad said that someday I would miss that stupid party. I hate to admit it, but he was right. He was so right.
Block: Something You Learned
This block is about something I learned. There is not enough space here…Let’s just say I survived, I adapted, I overcame and here I am! Now I am old enough to wear purple and red anytime I want!
All four quilts pieced and ready to be quilted. I hope to have these ready to give as Christmas gifts (this year, smarty pants!).
I am already working on my next two projects. I need to keep busy so that Dan doesn’t think I have time to substitute teach. I am having way too much fun being retired!
Here are the first two pieces to be repaired. The blue bracelet on top needs a clasp. The white bracelet is missing a part that holds a joining link.
I found a link on a different, not repairable, bracelet. It is not the correct color, but it works.
My solution for the white bracelet was more elegant. I found a “bead” on a broken necklace that could be fastened to the bracelet pieces with jump rings. It is a little longer, but beautiful!
I showed you this bracelet in the original post, but I forgot to post about it with a follow up.
Most of the original cabochons were in the bag of pieces, but they were still a few missing. I improvised.
This cute little pin was in the bag .
I am not quite sure what someone did to bend the back like this. Oh my!
I straightened it as best I could with a pair of jeweler pliers… Not perfect, but functional.
These items need a little bit of glue or jewelry cement. The middle piece is a pin.
The two bracelets below just need a jump ring inserted to make them whole and useable again.
This pin was actually in two pieces. I glued one on top of the other to make it usable again. It measures 2 inches across…welcome back to the 60s or 70s.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the update on the bling from the scrap bag of jewelry pieces. There are many more of these to come.
I did finish the final quilt today and will be showing you that later this week…
When I started making these childhood memory quilts, my purpose was to get to know our new daughter-in-law, Tracy. I also thought that she might like to get to know us a little better as well. I actually learned some things about my husband as well, which surprised me after being married to him for almost 38 years!
In this quilt, Sweet Childhood Memories, designed by Pat Sloan, each block has a theme. I chose fabrics from my stash to represent the given theme of each block. Here is a detailed look at my fabric choices:
Dan’s favorite color is purple, but I also used as much nature fabric as possible. At home and cabin, he likes to feed the deer, turkeys, and squirrels. We have traveled to Yellowstone National Park many times to watch the wildlife, too. He likes to fish with friends and family.
Block: Fairy Tales
This block is based on Dan’s favorite stories: Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. He loved watching Fess Parker as Davy Crockett on Sunday evenings on The Wonderful World of Disney.
The center of this block is a majestic moose. I also used the last of the Alaskan batik fabrics throughout this quilt.
Block: Best Friend
Dan’s best friend is also my cousin, Todd. Todd is a great fisherman. The fish seem to know he is around and beg to be caught on his hook! (Dan claims that he has been on trips when there were no fish caught, but I don’t know if that is really true.) Dan also hunts with Todd and his family at their fantastic camp. It is a beautiful, peaceful place in the wilds of Pennsylvania.
I used camp and nature fabrics in the corners. I used water fabrics for the background. I had some great fish and fishing panels that I fussy cut for the triangles in this block.
Block: Bedtime Routine
All four of these quilts have newspaper print for the background in this block. Everyone reads or has been read to at bedtime in our family.
Dan didn’t remember much of a bedtime routine when he was growing up. He remembers brushing his teeth every night. Everyone uses some water when brushing their teeth.
The striped fabric is green forest with birch trees. It fits the outdoor theme of the overall quilt.
Blocks (from left to right): Easter Sunday, Sing a Song, and Summer Break
Easter Sunday was the time to visit with grandparents. Dan’s family colored eggs. The Easter bunny brought a basket with delicious Gardener’s chocolates. He usually got a nice peanut butter filled egg…ohhh, yummy!
The middle block is for Sing a Song. De Camptown Races was a favorite song from elementary school. Listen to it hear. The brown fabric represents the dirt race track.
Ahhh! Summer! Dan spent a couple of summers in Canada with his grandparents. He did a lot of fishing for Walleye with his grandfather. The fabrics in this bottom block are mostly about fishing. I snuck a piece of Alaskan batik into the center.
Block: Ride a Bike
Dan used his Uncle Randy’s orange and purple bike with tiger handle bars until his grandparents got him his own for Christmas. It was blue-purple with orange highlights, too.
Blocks (from left to right): Books, Favorite Outdoor Game, and Movie Time
Dan’s favorite book was loaded with stories. He read the Disney Big Book of stories until it fell apart. We still have this copy, fixed with duct tape, in our library. We also have a copy in perfect shape that we bought at a yardsale. The book cover was red and colorful, so is the block.
Wiffle ball was a favorite outdoor game for all the kids in the neighborhood. That reminded me of the movie Sandlot, when they play baseball at night under the fireworks.
101 Dalmations, the cartoon version, was a favorite movie. Notice the paw print fabric. Movies were not available on VHS, DVD, or even on TV at that time. It was a special occasion to go to a movie in a theater.
Blocks: Nursery Rhymes on the left, Fun School Memory on the right
Here it is. The nursery rhyme:
Mary had a little lamb,
And when she saw it sicken,
She sent it off to packing town
and now it’s labeled chicken.
You will notice the sheep and chicken fabric.
The tulip block is the fun school memories block. At the end of sixth grade, the school district Dan and I attended took students on a week long camping trip to Bald Eagle State Park. His class had a great time. Those poor teachers! By the time my class got there, this trip had been permanently cancelled. I got to go for a day trip…basically a walk in the woods…whoopie.
The flower body was cut from a postcard block. It looks like a camping trip to me.
Block: Childhood Home
Dan’s childhood home had dark brown siding. It was on the mountain above Port Matilda, Pennsylvania. I loved to go to visit there when we were in college…lots of trees, deer, and peace and quiet.
I snuck in more of the Alaskan batik with the mountain at the top…not the same mountain, but a mountain nonetheless. There are also trees and more earth tones.
Blocks: Toy Box on the left, and Favorite Teacher on the right
Tonka trucks are used to play in sand and dirt. I used Tonka colors.
Mr. Hoak was Dan’s favorite social studies teacher. I used Americana fabrics to represent him in this quilt.
Blocks: Favorite Bedtime Toy on the left, Holiday Memory on the right
On the right, the block represents bedtime “toy”. I used mushrooms, castle towers, and balls to represent this. Enough said…you figure it out.
Dan’s favorite holiday memories were of hunting after Thanksgiving. I used fabrics that looked like the big woods.
Block: Something You Learned
Dan’s lessons from childhood seem to be related to nature and the peace and serenity that can be found there.
Three quilts down and only my version to go! I hope to have that assembled and ready to show you by next week sometime.
