QUILTS ALL OVER THE HOUSE

This past week I gave a Zoom lecture to the Valley Forge Homestead Quilters, in Pennsylvania. Meeting virtually with them was fun and hearing that Philadelphia accent I think I have lost but can recognize instantly was even more fun. They chose the lecture "THE HARD STUFF" and I hope I inspired them to rise to a challenge. Thanks, ladies, it was good to be "with" you.

The Heritage Quilters of Huntsville had our bi-annual quilt show and I will do a long blog about it next week with lots of photos. The guild always presents a great show and this was no exception.

Since I am working diligently on a super secret project I cannot show you, here are some of the many quilts around my house, in no particular order:

The extra guest room, also where the overflow quilts are stored

An Archeological Dig, some completed, some waiting for quilting 

The most commonly used teaching quilts in easy reach

Many tops waiting to be quilted

The Living Room, an art quilt above the mantel, a small one on the chair waiting for the binding to be hand sewn. The small quilt on the sofa is for the cat

More Living Room--time for the Christmas quilt to come down. My Quilt of Valor is on my chair

A small piece from my "artsy" period, with LOTS of beads and a 3D lace dragonfly

Our bedroom with a few of my favorites and my husband's Quilt of Valor is at the foot

Even have quilts in the bathrooms--this was an early teaching sample: Quiltmaking 201, more challenging blocks and hand quilting

Another in my bathroom--Batiky Log Cabins--made for and featured in McCall's Quilting magazine years ago

The main guest room, always ready for guests

Oriental One of a Kind--from my artsy/Asian period, lots of beading, some hand quilting, some machine quilting

A lovely Round Robin quilt I made with the Sunday Sew and Sews

Hand marbled fabric I made and used for a Signature Quilt at a wonderful retreat with the Virginia Consortium of Quilters, 1989

Color Play 2, made in 2010, a scaled down version of a quilt in a magazine

My introduction to paper piecing 1994. Those kimono blocks are 2.5". Lots of hand quilting, back when I hand quilted everything

So there you have a little tour. How do you display your quilts?

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

IT'S A QUILTY CHRISTMAS

 And the stockings were hung. The house is now ready for Christmas. It always takes me a while to get in the mood to decorate but once it's done, I'm happy with the results.

Enjoy a little Christmas cheer from my house to yours!

Cross and Crown quilt and my "quilty" tree

My favorite ornament, an A6 from my USMC days

                                                

Mini stockings, gifts from dear friends, and other special gifts on the mantel

The Funny Frog and a beautiful carved Santa from a cypress stump, a real treasure

Hand made Teddy Bear in his sleigh and The 12 Days of Christmas quilt

Even the hubby's carvings display gets a Christmas touch

The Dining Room is kept simple this year

12 Days of Christmas quilt--first block has 1 piece, second block has 2, etc...

 I have made several of these, and given a few as gifts. Pattern from Temecula Quilt Company   

Front door--and each window across the house has a simple white candle, lovely at night

Living Room

                                        

Detail of an antique quilt from circa 1875

One of my most treasured antiques, a Flea Market find, on the Non-Guest bed

Read much more about this antique Ohio Star quilt here: Christmas Quilts   and  It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas  

Even the guest bed gets a Christmas quilt--I made this in 1989, one of  my first hand quilted bed quilts

1880 Sampler quilt, pattern from Temecula Quilt Company Sew A Long 2018

However and whatever you celebrate at this time of year, I wish you the best!

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

                                     

Christmas Quilts

 Decorating for holidays, any holiday, just isn't something that thrills me. It means I have to stop quilting, dig stuff out of deep closet storage, and rearrange my house. Then a few weeks later I have to reverse it all. I know, bah, humbug! Those who love to decorate in a big way just don't get it, and that's fine.

I dug out my Christmas quilts and will get them up in the next few days. That always makes the house look festive and if I don't put out any other decorations, I am fine with that.

Here are the quilts for your enjoyment.

1. The Stack: 

2. The Littles:

 3. The 12 Days of Christmas--I love this quilt and have made several as gifts over the years. Each 3" block has 1-12 pieces in it. The pattern is from Temecula Quilt Company and is still available free:

I even hand quilted it: 

4. The chair. An old Morris chair I took from my parents attic when I left home--it had been up there my whole life. It had old horsehair cushions that were scratchy. My husband refinished it in the early 1980's and I had new cushions made--they were mauve/pink, to go with the colors of the day. When a friend, Bonnie Spencer, came to help me decorate this new home years later, she suggested we cover the chair with a quilt, did I have anything that would work? You bet--this twin size quilt I made from blocks received in a swap was perfect. I had machine quilted it not so well but it covers the cushions and I think of Bonnie frequently because she knew just how to solve this problem. And at this time of year it looks like Christmas:

5. The Antique Ohio Star.  My best find ever! I got this at a Trade Day, like a Flea Market, some years ago. I loved it the instant I saw it and the price was incredibly low. I had it appraised--for 30 times what I paid for it. Hand quilted beautifully and with some of my favorite motifs, feathered heart wreaths and large cables, often seen on old Amish quilts. Upon closer inspection at home, I found two motifs quilted in two corners--a "W" and a dragonfly. This quilt was truly meant to be mine. My husband's last name begins with a W and I adore dragonflies and decorate with them frequently.  Enjoy:

The lighting is overdone here but you can see the entire quilt:

Funny/scary story about this quilt. When showing it to someone who knows nothing about quilts, she said, "Look at those spots. I would throw that right in the washer!"  My holler of "OH, NO!" startled her. As the green appears to be home dyed fabric, a few places of blue appear, washing this would likely ruin it. As is often said, if you ever get a notion to wash an antique quilt, lie down until the urge passes. I love it just the way it is, spots and all. If you were this old, you would have a few spots too.

When I do put up a small tree, it is covered with quilt-y ornaments, many gifts from friends over the years. And this quilt I designed and made in 1997, sets the mood. This quilt was featured on the cover of McCall's Quilting magazine, December 1997 issue, and the pattern is in that issue:

For my friends who decorate to the nines--have at it! I will enjoy your efforts from afar. As for me, I have quilts to make right now, and some cakes and cookies to bake. And grandchildren to love on. 

Happy holidays to you and yours, let's quilt.

Barbara

How a Quilter Decorates for Christmas

I put off decorating until I really have to then find it's not so bad. I don't do a lot, but I do enjoy seeing my special ornaments on my "Quilt Tree", many given to me over the years by special quilt friends.

Here is a little look at our home ready for Christmas:

The Quilt Tree--mostly quilt-related ornaments

I am probably the only person you know with an A-6 ornament--from my days in the Marine Corps--I love this thing!

The mantel--with two of my greatest treasures--tiny stockings made for me by Judy Murrah--the note she included with them are tucked inside

Two of my favorite photos of my boys with a couple Christmas characters--and a painting gift from Stella last year

Once the Quilt goes up, the living room looks ready for Christmas

A special gift from close friends who lived in Germany years ago and sent us the best gifts--a wooden Nutcracker is on the mantel

A housewarming gift from Ellen 20 years ago--this lives on the dining room year 'round but looks especially perfect there now

A fun mini-quilt I have made several times--the 12 Days of Christmas by Temecula Quilt Co--the first block has 1 fabric, the second block has 2, the third has 3, etc.

How do you decorate for the holidays?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Best Wishes--whatever makes you happy at this time of year.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

How To Display Quilts

Recently, I was asked how I display my quilts on the walls in my  home. 

This is how I do it and I'm sure there are other ways. As I watched my husband hammer a nail into the wall I thought "I'll bet 3M Command strips would work." Maybe I'll try those when I hang up something else in the future.

For small wallhangings, I like to use hangers made especially for that purpose. Once the hanger is mounted on the wall, usually with a small picture hanger-type nail, it is easy to change out these small pieces seasonally--the rods slip out of the holder. They are usually  made from wood or wire and are often sold at large quilt shows:

 

Heavily Beaded Dragonfly quilt from my 'artsy" period 2003, 1/4" dowel for hanging

A gift from Ellen, tiny little pieces, 2013, she included the hanger too

For larger wallhangings, there are substantial shelves with wooden hanging rods attached:

Friendship Triangles, 2011--I swapped more than 700 half square triangles with quilters all over the world, thanks to The Quilt Show 

I change this one a few times a year--it is in the hallway outside my studio so I see it every day. Another quilt on it:

Almost Amish, 2004. handquilted, made in honor of Pennsylvania quilters before me

Small quilts weigh very little. If they don't have a sleeve, I use old sewing machine needles, they have a tiny point that is sharp, and makes a tiny hole in the wall:

A Calendar quilt gift from Sharon, 2002

I bought this beautiful piece from a long-time friend, Eileen Williams--like from Kindergarten days. She makes wonderful sea and beach landscape quilts, for sale on her website Eileen Fiber Arts Quilts. She finds amazing items to create hanging rods for her work, like this driftwood and I love the shell fringe, more beach finds:

"Reach for the Stars" June 2013

For larger wallhangings, I often use 1/4" dowels, easy to find at Lowe's or Home Depot. If you know what size you want, they will usually cut them for you right in the store. This is a long piece and the photo was taken looking up toward the ceiling. I don't worry about the correct length in my studio, since I change them from time to time. If it's in the living room, I would cut the dowel so it doesn't show:

This hangs in the guest bathroom, Salsa Red paint on the walls, the dowel is the correct size, it does not show:

"Kimonos" 1994, back in my hand-quilting days

Now for the larger quilts, throw to bed-size. I get wooden lathe boards from Lowe's, 1.5" wide by 1/4" thick. There are a few heavier quilts hung up, and I should have used heavier lathe board--they tend to bow out at the top a bit. This quilt is about twin size so the 1/4" board is fine. Invisible:

An eye bolt is simply screwed in to the side, here is the right side:

 Here is the left side--be sure to get them at the same height on both sides:

Picture hangers are used here, this is where maybe Command strips might be better--it is hard to get them in the exact right spot, way up at the top of the 9' ceiling. Husband only wanted to do that once:

The quilt in place. Notice the lathe board sticks out. That is because during December a Christmas quilt hangs here and it is longer so the lathe board was cut and hung for it. What I intended to do but didn't, was to paint the lathe board that luscious soft gold wall color when hubby painted the room--then it would hardly be noticeable:

A-Round with My Friends, 2011, hand appliqe'd and quilted

The same location in December: 

"Cross and Crown" original design, 1997, Featured on the cover of McCall's Quilting, December 1997 issue

Exposure to light and dust will take a toll on textiles. This crib-size former class sample has been in this north-facing wall for 18 years, in my bathroom. The border fabric has faded--I used a fabric from the same line as the border fabric for the binding and you can see the difference on the side not directly exposed to light:

The back side of the binding, not exposed to light:

So, don't hang antique, fragile or valuable quilts for long periods of time. Refold them periodically to prevent permanent creases. I store my antique quilts and tops in cotton pillowcases in a closet, they rarely see the light of day.

How do you display your quilts?  I'd love to know.

Let's quilt!

Barbara