MIL Treasures

My MIL delights in auctions.  DEEElights!  She knows to be on the look-out for sewing machines & quilt stuff.

I knew there was a nearby auction on Friday but I couldn’t go w/ the quilt show on my calender.  In the haste of harvest & getting my own stuff around, I forgot to call her.   However, she called me from the auction.

She said there were several treadle machines. However, I was gone until 5, Phil & FIL were swamped with harvest, and JP was at work.  So those would have to go home with someone else as she would need help in loading.

She said there was a Bicor machine. I’ve never heard of this brand.  Now I know it was made in Poland.   I haven’t had a chance to clean it or look for a manual yet.

MIL said on the phone that there was a Singer, some type of lightweight.  It was white.  I said to buy it.  HOWEVER, she brought home this HUGE suitcase like overnight bag.  Inside is a serger! LOL!!  I laughed but paid her for it as well.  I’ll get it going and look for a new home for it.

And then 3 flats of quilt tops and embroidered linens.  Jackpot here!!

A dark navy & black top made from suiting scraps.  Not sure this will ever be finished.  It is a good quilt for the trunk of your car on cold wintery drives.  🙂   I’ll be happy to finish it for anyone that wants to buy it.  The photo is of 1/4 of the top.

This next one is an older top, maybe even done for the US Bicentennial and the quilt revival then.  Red, white & blue.  It is hand-pieced and about 65″ square.   The blocks are about 19″ but even with just 4 blocks, they each vary greatly.

One of the red borders is sun damaged.  I thought maybe I could just flip to the back side of the fabric but there are also some holes in the outer border.  I think I’ll take it to a quilt shop sometime and see if they would have some red that is close to the original.

 

This is a printed table cloth but I think it would be cute quilted.

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The real beauty of the whole pile is this cross-stitched quilt.  Yummy!!

I left this photo larger if you want to click on it to see it about twice this size.  All the cross-stitch is complete in blues, greens, and a bit of lavender.  I love this!!!  MIL knows I was quite thrilled with this one!!! 🙂  It is 82″ x 98″ and I can’t wait to see this quilted and finished.

I have a remaining pile of various embroidered linens.  Some pillow tops that need finishing as well as dresser scarves and chair covers.

Here is a funny from the whole thing.  MIL was buying these piles of linens and had a stack in front of her.  A lady came up to her and asked, “What are you doing with all these pieces?”

She replied, “I give them to my daughter-in-law!”   🙂

“Wow!  You must be a really good mother-in-law.”

We laughed over that one.  She & I were both pleased.

I informed her that I’d be feeding FIL on Saturday since it was bean plot day so she was off of lunch packing & delivery duty.  She was glad for all the more time for her to be at an auction she wanted to go to.  However, even visiting 2 auctions on Saturday was nothing compared to her Friday finds.  She also had her own treasures from Friday.

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Nancy’s Project

One of my sisters likes to do cross-stitch.   She asked a few years ago if I would put some cross-stitch blocks into a quilted wallhanging.  I think she brought them to me during JP’s graduation.  (May 2009)

She wasn’t in a hurry so it was OK that inspiration didn’t hit until this winter.  🙂  The idea rattled in my brain awhile and then I asked if this was a good time for her.  Yes… so I proceeded on.

I don’t know enough on EQ7 (quilt design software) (and didn’t want to dig out the book which was downstairs while I was working upstairs….) to make a free-form quilt like this so I resorted to good ol’ pencil & graph paper.   I sent this for her approval.

the little yellow marks are where the log cabin blocks will go

I went shopping on Super Bowl Sunday to catch a quilt shop sale for her and came home with these:

I used paper piecing (the technique where I don’t sew on the paper 🙂 ) for the stars as they aren’t 45′ angles.  I wasn’t going to figure out how to cut a triangle with a 31′ angle.  This was much easier and more precise.

Here are the biggest blocks —

All four cross-stitch blocks are now into stars —

I LOVE how the fabrics go so well with the cross-stitch and they work well together.  Very funny since I FORGOT to take the cross-stitch blocks to the quilt shop!  (I had picked up Nancy’s paint chip colors at Lowe’s so went by them and my memory.)

I have finished the 6 log cabin blocks that will be used for fill-ins.  Two are 4×5″ and the other 4 are 4×4″.  Also paper pieced because I love it.  🙂

I’ll use a mix of the greens/blues & pink/oranges/yellows for the blank filler blocks.

For now, I have them in a box as the ceiling is finished and I must get the basement floor done.

Time, time, time!  It is nearly TIME!!!  🙂

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