3/3/13

Brown Paper Packages


If you're looking for the February NewFO Linky Party, Click right here.

Yesterday I received the most delightful package in the mail from Sherry, who blogs over at Quilts, Fabric and Thread Tales.


She sent me the original patterns for the nursery rhyme characters in the Two Grandmothers (aka Rhymeland) quilt.


 She also included the patterns for another quilt series created by a contemporary of Ruby McKim, who created the pattern for the Rhymeland quilt.  Her contemporary, Eveline Foland, created another similar quilt series called Santa's Parade, which was also originally published in the Kansas City Star.  Santa's Parade is a redwork quilt.  I did a little searching and found a little bit of information about it on the internet.  You can see all the patterns at Q is for Quilter along with a little blurb about Eveline Foland.  I was hoping to find a good picture of the entire quilt made up.  The best I could come up with was this image from Quilts. Quilts. Quilts.


Interestingly, she gives credit to another woman, but with copies of the original designs in my hot little hands, I happen to know that they are all signed by Eveline Foland.

One of the things I love most about quilting is being a part of a body of work with a rich historical and multicultural tradition.  I can recall how delighted I was when I first learned to quilt and discovered that all the quilt blocks had names!  I'll admit to being a terrible student of history growing up.  Perhaps it was because history was poorly taught...I don't know.  As an adult, I've become hungry to learn more about history, quilting history and otherwise.  Be sure to check out Sherry's blog.  This woman knows her quilt history.  Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me, Sherry.  Also, Sherry knows I am a sucker for embroidered quilts, and so I'm adding this to my embroidered quilt to-do list.

Wanna see my list?


Don't laugh.  Okay, laugh if you must.  When I'm ready for a new project, I actually generate a number at random and then do whatever comes up.  It's like winning the lottery every time.  The list keeps getting longer.  Soon I will have as many embroidery patterns as I have quilt patterns, and believe me, that is a scary thought.  We may have to move to a larger house or build an addition onto this one.

So here's what I did yesterday.  I finished all the applique for my March doll quilt.  I can only give you a peek.  Next, I'll be doing the top-stitching.


This morning, I did some more work on my Quilting Snowlady.  I fixed her mouth and eyes.  I had considered using black instead of gold floss.  After realizing there was no other black on this particular block, I decided to use the darkest of the browns, and I took a triple wrap on my French knots to make them larger.  (It always makes me hold my breath when I take more than one wrap on a French knot.)


This morning I finished up the greenery on the tall tree and then added the red French knots.  I love how the red pops on this piece.  The rest of the colors are rather muted along with the tea-dyed muslin background.  The red really brightened it up...sort of like lemon zest brightens of the flavor of food.  (Love how my brain works.  Everything relates back to food.)  And I'm linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching.


So today I told Mike I wanted to do something because I'm bored.  He suggested right away we do something really exciting like buying a new vacuum.  This wasn't his original idea.  It was mine, and here's why:


This is the second day in a row I've walked into my sewing room to discover this.  I can't imagine how these birds are getting into the house, but I have some ideas about it.  The day before, the bird was still available for catch and release, and he didn't seem to badly ruffled by his experience.  Yesterday, the bird was nowhere in sight, which brings a whole new level of angst to this scene, but that will have to wait for another post.  (If you get my drift.)

Anyway, all of that to say that our house is on three levels.  Only two levels rate their own vacuum.  And that means that when a murder occurs in the lower level of the house, I have to drag our heavy vacuum down the stairs, and I'm tired of that.  I told Mike that we were getting another vacuum for these special occasions.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy, but it does need to suck up feathers.

Speaking of bird murderers...


Don't let that angelic pose fool you.  Mainly though, I wanted you to see Smitty snuggling with his security toy.  He is so funny with this thing.  He drags it all over the house like Linus's blanket.  To see this image, you'd never guess that therein lies the heart of a bird murdering psychopath.  You try to raise them up right, but sometimes it's hopeless.

21 comments:

Teresa in Music City said...

Your Quilting Snowlady is really beginning to take shape! Such intricate stitching in some places.

We have a bird murderer too, much to our dismay. Actually, Gypsy will murder anything that moves in our yard. Period. Sometimes I'm afraid to be caught moving while she's out there! I scold her every time she goes out - "Don't kill the birds!" Thankfully, she's finally getting too old to be successful as often as she used to be =^..^=

KatieQ said...

Poor Smitty. He needs to act macho and catch birds to combat his adorable image. Sherry was so thoughtful to send the redwork patterns. It's nice to have some of the history of your quilt blocks.

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

Love how Smitty is sleeping with his play feathers... You are so quick at your embroidery which makes your list more doable! The owner of my LQS showed me cute Crabapple pattern yesterday with old trucks, license plates and other memorabilia done in black. Very different.

Lyndsey said...

I love the Santa's Parade quilt and I'm envious of your embroidery list. Once I finish up some of the cross stitching I found I can start on a major embroidery project.

Picasso tries to catch the birds but he wears a collar with a bell on it to protect them. However every so often he manages to creep up on them without being noticed.

Quilter Kathy said...

Thanks for the giggles today! Your cat needs to go to rehab, eh?!
Love the santa... great job on the face.
I LOL about your list...you are funny!
Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!

Marti said...

I feel your pain. I haven't found feathers in the house yet, but have found that and other things in the garage. Today we discovered a pile of something on one end of the kitty perch and the cat was sleeping on the other end. Disgusting, and I get to clean it up.

I have thought of buying a toy like that one but didn't know if Buddy would like it. I bought one toy that was a bunch of pink fluffy feathers attached to some kind of ball that doesn't bounce and Buddy chases it until he has a mouth full of pink feathers and then he spends the next 10 minutes trying to get them out of his mouth.

Rachel said...

It is all looking so amazing! Love your mail day, how fun that is!

Anonymous said...

I really like your snowman mouth now. It looks like you actually put little pebbles in the mouth like a real snowman.

XX Kathleen

Kelly Vetch said...

I don't know....This looks like a classic framing to me. Someone knew that Smitty likes feather toys, he's a perfect target. :) Your snow-woman is the sweetest that I've seen!

Sherry said...

So glad you are enjoying the patterns, if you finish your list I have more historic embroidery patterns to share. I find having the original patterns important as not everything you read on the net is accurate. The snow lady is grand!

Junebug613 said...

Oh boy oh boy! I like that list! I can't wait to see Catnip Tea and Irish Prayer! I love anything Irish and of course Cats! Your snow lady is fantastic! Naughty little Smitty! He does look rather angelic, curled up with his toy.

Brown Family said...

WHen you cut thread for your daily Embroidery time, how long go you cut your strands? I know that sounds like a strange question, but if you finish a color at a sitting it would matter!

LethargicLass said...

wow! That is a ton of feathers!

quiltzyx said...

Hmmm, a second nursery rhyme quilt? Are your son & daughter-in-law starting to avoid you? heehee!

Oh my, a vacuum just for feathers. Your house is gettin' fancy! Is Smitty contributing at least some of his allowance toward it?

quiltzyx said...

Hmmm, a second nursery rhyme quilt? Are your son & daughter-in-law starting to avoid you? heehee!

Oh my, a vacuum just for feathers. Your house is gettin' fancy! Is Smitty contributing at least some of his allowance toward it?

Deb A said...

I remember my cat when I lived at home caught a blue jay. my Mom loves feeding the birds and was so mad at me because my cat caught and played with one for a while. Heck.. I was at work - nothing I could do! Now when the mouses were place in the shoes by the door.......
Hope you got the new vacuum to hide the evidence.

Kate said...

Well at least it's just birds. Mom had one of her cats drag a mole into her bedroom closet. What a mess!

Glad that the bigger French knots worked. Your snowlady is looking great.

sewyouquilt2 said...

Love that pic of Smitty with his toy. How can you reprimand him? That is my Dunkin. Gets into mischief but too too cute. They are such a joy.
Love your embroideries. I just found your blog through a party hop. I will be back.

Cath said...

Oh dear Smitty, you are a naughty boy for murdering that poor little defenceless bird! And look at you lying there like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth! Regardless of the fate of the poor little bird, I do enjoy your antics. And your mummas embroidery is coming along very nicely too.
Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I have 3 levels and only one vacuum. Lugging it up and down stairs is a pain! Enjoy your new vac.

Lynne said...

I love your approach to choosing a new project!

I'm sure Smitty told us recently that he just isn't into birds! LOL