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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Heirloom Quilt

I’m ready to move my quilts to the quilt show tomorrow morning.  After the big project was done and all the labels correct on the quilts,  I made cloth bags like pillowcases out of either cheap muslin or “vintage” (ala 1990) fabric in my “joann’s” bin that I won’t use in a quilt.  I wrote a quick label on another piece of cheap muslin and zig-zagged it to the bag.  We are to fold the quilt and place in the bag so that the quilt label is easily seen in the bag as well.

Part of the show is a display of heirloom quilts so I’m taking the Sunbonnet Sue quilt that was made for my mom.  I’ve wanted to get a label on it for YEARS so this was the push I needed.  Mom helped me get the story straight too.  🙂

This is what I put on the label:

This quilt was made for my mom, Joan (Riddle) R***, when she was 8 years old by Mrs. Bauman, from Louisville, Ohio who named her.  (Mrs. Bauman’s daughter’s name was Elizabeth and my mom is Joan Elizabeth.)  My grandfather, E.M. Riddle, was the pastor of the Waterloo, Iowa, First Brethren Church at the time the quilt top was received and the ladies at the church quilted the top.  The story goes that my grandmother went to the church when the ladies were quilting and wanted to help.  However, her stitches were too big and she was told she couldn’t quilt.  Her work was removed after she left.

Each Sunbonnet Sue has a different dress as well as a different embroidery stitch accenting her bonnet.   My mom’s name, Joan, and the year, 1934, are quilted in the outer sashings.   When company came, Mom & her sister dressed up their bed with this quilt.

When we were kids, my sister, Margaret, and I used to go through the treasures in our mom’s cedar chest.  We’d argue over who would get this quilt.  One quilt and 3 daughters could be an issue!   Mom didn’t know this when she gave me the quilt in 1986 after I had their first granddaughter and I was ‘most likely’ to be a quilter.  I remember telling my mom at that time that I wasn’t going to cut up fabric and sew those little pieces.  It was within a year that I started quilting.   Many of my early pieces were miniatures!

I also have a coordinating quilted pillow that features one Sue and the sashings.

This quilt is 68” x 86”.  Hand appliqué, machine piecing, hand quilting.

Then I signed the label that I wrote it and my signature & town.

I’m hoping to get you caught up on the rest of our September with lots of blogs the next several days.  Stay tuned!  🙂

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Phil brought home a new orchid plant yesterday!

He made a very good choice as I love orchid plants and it will last much longer than fresh flowers.   Several blooms are open and there are many more to come.   This one has a lot of leaves.  My current one of this same variety of orchid (different colored blooms) refuses to support more than 3 leaves….

I made the men a Peach Berry Pie and there are no leftovers they can share.  😉

Today Phil & I went to the city an hour away for lunch out and shopping.  Just 2 1/2 miles from home, Phil wondered if he saw an eagle in the field.  We turned around and sure enough, YES!!  {And to think I had considered bringing my camera and changed my mind.}

The eagle was snacking on some meat in the field surrounded by crows who knew better than to mess with a eagle that is eating! As we stopped, the eagle decided he didn’t like us there so took off.  How amazing to see the wing span as he soared to the far side of the field and the row of trees.  Beautiful!

At the biggest town between here & there, we slowly swerved around something in the road.  Valentine cupcakes and the cookie sheet they were on!!  :O   And then our imagined stories flowed… I really think that someone got to Sunday School this morning without the cupcakes for the party!!  😦  I think that because the pan was still in the MIDDLE of the road, that the driver didn’t know the cupcakes were not inside the card.  Oh my!!!

We arrived for lunch before a crowd, which was our goal.  We did some shopping for odds & ends we needed here at home.  Since the day was still young, we stopped to walk through the antique mall.  We always enjoy that!

I found this cross-stitched tablecloth for $5!  🙂 It is in wonderful condition.  I received the book, Wholecloth Linen Quilts, for Christmas and had read through it last week.  I’ve watched the author on The Quilt Show and knew I’d love the book.  So this will be my first quilted linen.

I’m not too sure the “lace” edging will stay as it doesn’t seem to go with the embroidery or time period. All the embroidery looks beautiful still!

I also found this sewing chick/duck!  If the scissors didn’t have such a big nut on them, they’d slide through for the beak/bill!

It has a little drawer on one side with goodies inside!

I think I’ll give it a new pin cushion in time but just had to show you first!  🙂

On the way home, Phil slowed at the eagle corner and we were surprised one was still there eating… along with 2 other friends!!  Phil pulled to the side of the road and all 3 Bald Eagles took off.  Soaring… A beautiful sight!!

I saw my first eagles in the fall of 08 on our trip to Prairie du Chien, WI.  I saw one on my way to my parents’ in January.  Now these 3… amazing!  Phil has noticed an eagle down this road before.  Thrilling to see 3!

I’ll top off the evening by watching The Olympics.

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