When it snows...make snow cats!

Snowing again. Snowing, snowing, snowing. Started this morning; we have 9" on the back deck so far. Our youngest cat loves to run in the snow. We know he's part Bengal. We think the other part is snow leopard.



It's absolutely beautiful out. The snow is wet and sticky so the trees make it a while wonderland. The wet snow is also perfect for making snowmen, or rather snow cats. It keeps getting fuzzier and fuzzier. By this evening it will be a long-haired snow cat.



And speaking of getting fuzzier, the snow is clinging to Murphy's tags, turning them into a snowball.




I could be quilting, but we're having too much fun. Let it snow!

Researching the fabric

The fabric is hard to pin down to an exact year. Let's look at some of the individual fabrics.


First, the pink used in the sashing and flower buds. The sashing is lighter than the flower buds but they are both rose pinks. The floral prints have background colors such as mint green, turquoise or aqua, sky blue, and bright yellow. These prints and colors were popular in the late 20s into the 30s.

However, there is also a print with a burgundy background, and a navy blue with white polka dots. These prints and colors were more popular in the late 30s into the early 40s.

So when was the quilt made? You can never say exactly when a quilt was made unless it is dated (that’s why you ALWAYS label your quilts, right?) but we can say it was made from a pattern published in 1930 using fabrics popular in the 30s so I’m going to put an estimated date on it of 1930s. My guess is that they at least started cutting fabric for the quilt soon after the pattern was published and probably finished it sometime later.
I mentioned earlier that the quilt was hand pieced and hand quilted. The maker was a skilled seamstress and probably experienced quilter. The pieces are accurately cut and stitched -- and still holding together, so they knew how to sew. The quilting isn’t as precise as the stitching, but I believe they used an original design. The flower pieces are shadow quilted, no biggie there. But in between, in the squares, there is a quilted butterfly.

It’s a bit different in each one, as if they drew a basic pattern, cut it out, and then traced it onto the blocks. You can see this best in the blue and white polka dot print. I love it.

Now that I have the pattern I want to make a new quilt using contemporary fabrics. I think it will be interesting to display them together. Still wish I knew who made this one.

The hidden quilt is revealed

These cold, snowy days have been great for uncovering the hidden quilt. Removing the binding and ties has revealed a beautiful pieced quilt -- one that is in remarkably good condition. There is some wear on the binding, but that's it. Why did someone cover up this quilt instead of simply attaching a new binding? We'll never know.

Interestingly, a double layer of flannel had been stitched to the top edge of the quilt. This was always the first to wear out because it was pulled on more than the other edges. I have quilts from my grandmother that have a decorative edge sewn to the top of the quilt when it was made to prevent wear when used. Underneath the decorative edge the quilt is unworn and unfaded. What a great method of preservation.

The now unhidden quilt is made of medium quality fabric and appears to be filled with a thin cotton batting. By all appearances it was "purpose made". In other words, it wasn't pieced together from old clothes or made as a utilitarian quilt. It was made from a pattern to display the maker's sewing skills. The quilt is hand pieced and hand quilted. The maker was obviously skilled as shown by the sharp points and evenly spaced stitching.

Using several resources I've been able to determine that the quilt block pattern is called Sage Bud. This pattern was published in The Kansas City Star on November 29, 1930 (Kansas City Star archive pattern #146). The blocks in the quilt were pieced precisely following the published pattern. A very pretty rose pink was used for all of the buds and a lighter rose pink used for the sashing. The colors in the prints are all still clear with no bleeding and just a little fading. The quilt was obviously used but well taken care of. I still can't believe someone covered it up.

Now that I know the pattern is from 1930 I'll use that date in the next step of researching the fabric. In the mean time, Murphy is testing the the newly exposed quilt.

Happy New Year!
We have a tradition of toasting the New Year around a campfire in our back yard. Not sure that's going to be carried on this year. We've shoveled a path to the firepit and dug out the ring (three times so far, as a matter of fact) but it may take a bit of work to get a fire going on the wet ground. Regardless, we'll say farewell to the 'naughts' and welcome 2010 with good friends, good food, and great wine.

This year we have the rare opportunity of toasting a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve. This occurance happens only every 19 years so it is definitely something to celebrate and the perfect drink for this is called a Blue Moon. You pour 1 1/2 oz. Bombay Saphire Gin with 3/4 oz. Blue Curacoa and a splash of Contreaux over ice in a shaker. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Add a twist of lemon. Enjoy!

The year 2009 celebrated a great occasion in my family. My Aunt Alice turned 100 years young in August. Aunt Alice lives by herself, cooks her own meals to make sure they are healthy, and plays pool with "the boys" in the afternoon. She is a real lady, but plays a mean game of pool. Her advice for a long life is to eat healthy, stay active, and be happy.

Time to start cooking for company. Have a safe and sane holiday. Catch me next year!

Curiosity gets the best of me

This past week hasn’t left much time for blogging, what with Christmas and a foot of snow. There’s nothing quite like sitting in front of a fire wrapped up in a quilt with a nice cup of tea after shoveling snow on Christmas. But after three days of snow it’s time for a bit of excitement.

Curiosity has gotten the best of me. That’s right. I’ve started to unveil the hidden quilt. This isn’t always an easy decision to make. Most quilts that have been recycled as batting are worn beyond repair and often taking a quilt apart to see what’s inside will ruin the outer quilt. But in this particular case, the outer quilt is tied so it can be removed without damaging either the outer or the inner quilt, making the decision to see what’s inside much easier.

I began by removing the binding from one corner. The binding was attached in the typical way -- machine stitched on the front and hand stitched on the back. Only this one was hand stitched with heavy thread -- buttonhole thread or crochet thread. Every stitch had to be removed individually. After a few inches I could see that the inner quilt was bordered and bound with pink fabric that was thin but in good shape. A few more inches of removing the binding revealed some pink and white flannel that had been attached to the edge of the quilt. This could mean two things. One, this was the top of the quilt and the flannel had been attached to project the edge, a common practice in the past. Two, this was the top of the quilt and the edge was so worn from pulling on it that they had to replace the edge with another piece of fabric.

That is when I realized I would have to remove some of the ties in order to see the block and check it for signs of wear.

So, I undid the binding for about 12 inches on either side of the corner and removed the nine ties from the same corner. I peeled back the corner and squealed with delight as I discovered the block underneath. The condition of the block is great. The colors are a tiny bit faded, but not worn. The quilt appears to be hand pieced and hand quilted. I must check out the rest of the quilt.

Only 290 inches of binding and 310 ties to go before the entire quilt is revealed!

First things first

When I looked at the quilt at the sale I thought I saw a red stain on the back, nothing that stopped me from buying it, but something worth checking. Upon closer inspection I discovered that the “red” wasn’t a stain. Rather, it was a shadow of something underneath -- not a shadow from the quilt top, but from something in between the top and the backing. Could it be? Could this be that magical item we quilt collectors are always looking for? A quilt within a quilt? I held the quilt up to the window and, yes! There it was -- the backlighting revealed the subtle but undeniable shapes of another quilt! Oh my, now what?
But, first things first. One thing you should always do when you bring a new quilt into your fold is document. Whether it is a quilt that you made, received as a gift, or purchased, you must document it. Take photographs of the quilt, both whole-quilt and details, and put in writing everything you know about the quilt. Easily done if you are the quiltmaker; not so easy when it’s a found object rescued from a sale or thrift shop. This particular quilt has no name or date on it, nothing to offer any information about the quilt. So, first, the photographs. Next, the dimensions. Then, when and where I purchased the quilt. It was an estate sale so I have the address and can find the name of the last person to live at that address. I know the sale also included other quilts and a sewing machine so it is possible this person was the quilt maker. Look at the pattern -- is it representative of a particular period in time? Look at the fabrics contained in the quilt. Do they reveal when the quilt was made. Barbara Brackman’s Clues in the Calico and Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (plus her new Encyclopedia of Appliqué) are good resources for researching fabrics and patterns so I’m off to the library for a bit of research.

Hidden Surprise

I love estate sales and look for those advertising quilts and linens. This story is about a quilt I found at an estate sale in Kansas City.

It's a simple quilt -- a scrappy 4-point star pattern with a white background and what appears to be a bedsheet for the backing. The fabrics appear to be from the 40s and 50s, although I'd have to do some research to make sure. The quilt is tied; the crochet thread ties are spaced about 4 inches apart and knotted over and over. Whoever made this quilt did not want the ties to come undone. The quilt is in excellent condition. No wear whatsoever, and very clean. It's heavy, even for its size (82" x 63"). Perhaps that is the reason it is so clean. It may have been too heavy to be comfortable. It isn't a "great" quilt, but I like the fabrics and the overall look is appealing because of the design and colors. Someone put a lot of work into this quilt and I'd hate to see it put in the trash or the dog kennel, as I imagine happens to quilts that don't sell.

It's the last day and last hours of the sale. This quilt needs to be saved so I decide its a steal at $12.50 and take it home.