Something Old, Something New

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  It's the last Saturday of the month, and time for airing some quilts from my collection.

It's a pink parade for April, which has been pink month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I'm not really pink's biggest fan, so I don't make or buy a lot of pink quilts, but these called me to take them home.  Sadly I have no information on the original makers of any of these quilts.

Doll quilts always catch my eye.  If in perfect condition, they can cost a fortune.  But if it's in perfect condition, doesn't that mean a child never played with it?  Very sad.  The ones I buy are well loved.

This little one is kind of wonky.  Maybe a child made it?  Or a mama in a hurry?  All the work is by machine, including the quilting and binding.  It's hard to date quilts with only solid color fabrics, but I'm guessing around 1900, give or take 10 years in either direction.

Next up, a quilt that's both old and new.  I bought the blocks in an antique mall, and set them together with plain white and reproduction fabrics.

Even though pink is not my favorite color, these little blocks just insisted on coming home with me.  My guess on an age for them is circa 1930. 

I was apparently too lazy to make a label, but at least I wrote some information in the border.  Good heavens, I finished this 18 years ago this month!

Have you ever seen a quilt like this before?  Hundreds of quilts were made from this pattern, published in newspapers in the 1930s.  It's called The Alphabet Quilt, and the designer was Florence La Ganke Harris, who wrote under the pseudonym of Nancy Page.  

This is the announcement of the series from the newspaper.  Some of the papers ran contests for completed series quilts.

The Nancy Page column published a quilt block each week in the late 1920s through the 1930s, with the fictional Nancy advising her quilt club on how to make that particular block.  For the series quilts, Ms. La Ganke sometimes changed the format.  The Alphabet Quilt is being made by "Aunt Mary" for her young niece Joan, and Mary is sharing her progress with her friends.

Here is one of the newspaper patterns.  Quilters often cut them out and saved them, maybe planning to make the quilt someday.  (I can definitely relate to that!)

Most of the blocks in the quilt are simple applique, meant to be familiar to a child.  The last block is very unusual.  Ms. La Ganke gave quilters a choice.  They could either embroider X Y Z to finish the alphabet or they could do as this quilter did, and embroider the word YOU to make it a signature square.  (Either way, they would have 24 squares instead of 26, and could put it together 4 blocks by 6 blocks.)

This is the reason I bought these blocks on Ebay many years ago.  The maker has embroidered the name of the intended recipient, Billy Shannon, on the left, plus Mama and 1931.  In pencil she has written the word "from" just before Mama.  I felt like this project needed to be completed.

When this came to me, it was a UFO from at least 70 years ago.  All the blocks were done, and the pink frames had been added.  (Pink was not considered an exclusively girl color in the past.) 

I'm sorry that Billy Shannon never got his quilt.  I finished the blocks with vintage fabric, including the backing and binding, and did some simple quilting.  If I had any idea who the family was, I would pass it on to them.

Florence La Ganke designed many other series quilts, among them the Magic Vine, which was redone by Eleanor Burns a few years ago.  Patterns for these quilts and/or copies of the originals can be obtained from online sellers.  Check out this article on Nancy Page (Click HERE) by Wilene Smith for more information on Ms. La Ganke herself.

And now for something completely different.

I love to catch my young grandsons playing together peacefully.  It's not always like this! But they really do love each other.

In the week ahead, I'm wishing you peace and love.  And happy quilting!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Angela at So Scrappy

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Cynthia at Oh Scrap 

 

Scraps of Pink

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Here's my barrel cactus on the windowsill, blooming again.  The little flowers are such a cheerful shade of pink, just right for pink month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Thanks as always to Angela for encouraging us to use our scraps in all the colors.

I didn't get much sewing done this week, but I did manage to finish the hollow nine patch blocks for this baby quilt, and set them together.  Taking the photo outdoors was a challenge.  The sunlight is wonderful, but the wind kept inflating the top like a balloon. 

Here's the top indoors, where it can lie quietly.  I was inspired to make this quilt by Mari, the Academic Quilter, and the lovely banner on her blog.

My sashing fabric was a spring flowers print, which I bought as a remnant.  The blocks are 6 each of pink, purple, yellow, blue, and green.  You can see all the crazy novelty prints in the little scraps, like a ghost with a lollipop, bees, lady bugs, a giraffe, etc.

The border is this adorable Hoffman print.  Little bears, bunnies, and dogs are floating in the sky with balloons and kites.  It came from the wonderful basket given to me by my quilt group.  That basket just keeps on giving!

Would you believe I actually had to cut MORE 2.5 in. squares to make these blocks?  For once, that box is getting emptied.

Quilt tops have been piling up around here, and it's going to get worse.  Last weekend, I got this stack of quilts ready to be worked on.  There are 7 baby quilts to be quilted, plus a larger quilt to bind on the bottom.  Mrs. Pfaff and I started on the first one, but about half way through she suddenly seized up.  I think there's a thread mess inside, not sure, but I couldn't do anything with it.  Wednesday I took her to the repair shop, and they say it will be at least 2 weeks until she's fixed.  Quilt finishing just came to a screeching halt.  (Cue the record scratch!)  

I will find things to do, of course, while I await Mrs. Pfaff's return.  Maybe my basket of "some assembly required" blocks will get put together.  Or there could be a new project or two.

This year, the quilt group is doing a Block of the Month, led by Nancy, Queen of Scraps.  April's block was Hole in the Barn Door, with the colors done two ways.  All who are interested make the blocks, and bring them to the meeting.  Then we put our name on a slip of paper (one for each block we made), and a winner is drawn, who gets all the blocks.  I made mine in pink, since I already had the scraps out.  

Who loves chocolate icing?  This Little Guy!  I let him lick the beater for the first time, with happy predictable results.  It took a while to clean him up, but I know he'd say it was worth it.

I think April is the miscellaneous month for weather in Wisconsin.  This week we had snow, fog, rain (lots of it!) and wind, but there was one warm sunny day to go to the playground and walk in the park.

Whatever the weather, I hope you have a great week ahead.

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

This is IT! I Spy Pink

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

Did you ever see a quilt someplace, in a book or a quilt store or on the internet, and realize this pattern was exactly what you didn't even know you were looking for?  I saw a puss in the corner quilt on the Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting blog, and it made me gasp and then say, "This is IT!  This is what I want to do with my pink scraps!" 

I've made quilts in this pattern before, but hadn't thought about alternating the colors.  Block A has a dark center and dark corners, and Block B has a light center and light corners.  Suddenly I had a use for both light and dark (pink) novelty squares.  (Thanks, Cathy at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting!)

It just so happens that several of my pink fabrics have bunnies on them, and this is Easter weekend.  I'm not exactly sure why or when we started linking bunnies with the holiday, but I like bunnies all the time anyway.  The little flannel ones were made by someone in my quilt group, and the grandkids love them.

More Easter decorations, and another bunny print.  I've had the duck for a while, and got the bunny recently at an antique mall.  The ceramic eggs were painted by my youngest daughter (the one the duckie is holding) and her then-six year old son (the one with the bunny).  I don't have a lot of Easter decorations, but I like these little things.

I've had the Nice Buns fabric for a long time.  I hope it's not inappropriate for a kid's quilt.  Those do look like nice bunnies, with such sweet smiles.  You can see the wild print border in this photo.

The backing is this adorable older Hoffman print.  There were several yards of it in the basket my generous quilt group friends gave me several weeks ago (Click HERE  Scroll down) and it just seemed perfect for this quilt.  As you can tell, I used the serpentine stitch on my Pfaff to quilt a 2 in. grid.  I really do use it a lot, and maybe I should try other ways to quilt, but hey, it works!

Like the quilt that inspired it, this one will be donated.  It will go to the Little Lambs Foundation, as part of this years Hands 2 Help drive.  Every center square is different, and there are lots of fun prints, so I hope it will keep a youngster entertained.  Some details:  the blocks are 8 in. square, there are 25 of them set 5 x 5, with a 2 in. finished border, which brings the quilt up to 44 in. square.

Speaking of I Spy, my kindergarten buddy has been very excited about these I Spy books lately.  We had the Spooky Night book here already, and I got the first I Spy book at the library.  He has really sharp eyes, but there are some things we still haven't found.

This morning the boys had another book, the kind that plays music when you push the buttons.  As the songs played, they ran around the living room laughing.  I tried to take pictures, but they're all just blurs.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate, and a very happy weekend to everyone.

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

Thinking Pink!

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

We're celebrating pink all month long with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, courtesy of Angela at SoScrappy blog.

This little orchid is blooming its heart out, as usual.  I've had it at least 14 years.  This is my favorite shade of pink.

Ok, so I'm making a crayon quilt, and taking photos of these long rows is hard.  What if I hang it on the refrigerator like the kids' artwork?

The magnets are holding on tight!  I scrounged up pink pieces from EVERYWHERE for the pink blocks this month.

Next up, a UFO from 2021.  These half square triangles (hsts) were ones I made last year.  Deciding what to do with them was the problem.  In the end, I'm going with these blocks, four hsts set together, which is what I had originally planned.

Although this configuration is a strong contender!  I have the hsts done for all the other colors, so now I can start making them into blocks too.

My other RSC projects for this year are not going to have pink in them.  No objection to it, but just not what I've got planned.  So why not start some new baby quilts?  (It's not like I really need an excuse!)

Mari, the Academic Quilter, is hosting the Hands 2 Help quilt drive this year.  She has the cutest hollow nine patch quilt as her banner, and every time I see it I want to get out my scraps and make one too.  So now I am, starting with 6 pink blocks.  I love this one with the bunny in the middle.  Just in time for Easter.  Thanks for the inspiration, Mari!

A weird thing happened this morning.  We woke up to the power being off, which is not usual for this area.  Lots of the chores I had planned needed electricity (vacuuming, baking, etc.), so it was on to Plan B.  I made the bed, folded a load of towels, put away the clean dishes, and sat down to sew at the treadle.  Good thing I didn't need the iron!  Thank goodness I had several blocks cut and ready.  The day was overcast, but there was enough light to see what I was doing.

My Little Guy isn't used to watching TV in the morning, and he didn't really notice the lack of electricity.  We had fun working puzzles.  At 2 years old, he's moving on from the wonderful Melissa and Doug brand Sound Puzzles and starting on the jigsaw kind with big pieces.  Every time he gets two together, he claps his hands with joy.

It took til nearly 10:00, but power was finally restored.  Grandpa and I cheered!  He started the coffee maker, and I brewed my first cup of tea of the day.  Just a minor inconvenience in our lives, but it makes me think about the terrible situation in Ukraine where people are struggling without heat, lights, water and food, all while being shelled.  I need to write another check to the Red Cross.

In cheerful news, my kindergarten buddy took this selfie with the crocodile/dinosaur toy he got at the museum last week.  Yikes!  Check out the teeth on that thing!  The photo was a pleasant surprise after he borrowed my camera one afternoon.

Have a good week, everyone!  I hope all your surprises are pleasant ones!

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

Is It Spring Yet?

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Happy April!

And the April color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is (drum roll please) pink!  Isn't it fun to get a new color?  I always start the month pulling out the big scraps and small yardage to see what I've got to work with.  

 As usual, there is some cute stuff and some weird stuff.  (Note to self, I've got to find a use for these pigs!)

Most of the time, I'm making baby-sized quilts to be donated.  I like to make what I call Everybody Quilts, that could be given to either boys or girls.  If I use pink, that usually restricts the quilts to girls because pink is considered a girl color.  I have heard that charities receive more "girl" quilts than "boy" quilts (not sure if this is true?) so I concentrate on colors that will work with either gender.

But sometimes I find a really cute pink fabric like this animal print, and make one just for a little girl.  I bought this fabric second hand at a big sale, and the four patch blocks came from our guild's silent auction.  I had no idea pink was going to be April's color when I finished this last week.

The back is a pink/lavender print.  I showed this quilt on the blog last Sunday as an example of an easy pattern for Hands 2 Help.

I also showed this one, as a top.  It's now quilted and bound and even washed.

This is another one of my little bricks quilts, made with scraps 2.5 in. x 3.5 in. that I call little bricks.  The "recipe" is on last Sunday's blog, and is very easy.  (Why is there always a headless dinosaur on my quilts?)

The back is this fun circles print, and I went with a green binding.  Both of these quilts will go to the Little Lambs Foundation, as part of Hands 2 Help.

I took these photos on Friday.  Here's what it looked like on Thursday:

Seriously?  What about that thing we learned in elementary school, about March coming in like and lion and going out like a lamb?  Maybe that's not valid in Wisconsin.  At least most of the snow melted away by the next afternoon.

This week was my kindergarten buddy's spring break, and he got to go to the Milwaukee Public Museum to see the T. Rex display.  He was so excited to learn new dino facts.  We had planned to take his little brother too, but my Little Guy had a bad cold, so I stayed home with him.

 We're trying to teach him to wipe his nose, and he's doing pretty well when reminded, but covering his mouth when coughing and sneezing is just beyond him.  I've been thinking a lot about that scene in Jurassic Park when a dinosaur spits poison in a park employee's face.  No surprise, I caught his cold.  I'm resting and drinking lots of tea and water, and hoping to be fine by Monday.

Meanwhile, it's snowing again (!).  Should be a good day to stay inside and quilt.

Here's hoping you're in the pink this week!

Cheers for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Angela at So Scrappy

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Cynthia at Oh Scrap