Here’s a picture of the pottery on the shelves above my bed – most of it, maybe all of it, is vintage McCoy.
This picture is my favorite antique possession – a woman in a boat looking into the distance longingly and her dog is looking back at her wondering why she isn’t thinking more about him. So sweet! I bought this in an antique mall in Monticello, Iowa years ago. I paid $99 for it and am so glad I did. I look at it every single night and just love it!
After posting this picture of the original Bullseye quilt and getting lots of comments about a sew along, I am happy to announce that we’ll do it again. We will start February 1 – more details to come here on the blog.
So Tony came and fixed the longarm machine today and I quilted the Noah’s Ark quilt and remember this quilt? The blue animal fabric? Got that quilted, too. Now binding on both.
Oh, don’t you just love finishing projects?
I LOVE your pottery on your shelves!!!! Such a unique pretty color and I have never seen animals like those. I am a collector of many animals; carnival chalk and collies in particular. I have never seen pottery animals like yours. Thank you for sharing!
Lora Jans- I have a collection of chalk animals, too.
You are absolutely AMAZING!!!! The numbers of quilts you complete just blows me away! I’m glad to do one a month (in a good streak!), but you seem to finish at least one a week. I guess I need fewer clients and more free time!! (yes, retirement is on my mind!)
I love your painting of the woman in the canoe with her dog. I am daily appreciative of the love my pups provide. They truly have been my saving grace during this pandemic. I am not certain how I would have gotten through without their company.
I’m glad you are going to do another bullseye quilt-along!!!! I will be joining in to make another as it truly is one of the most favorite quilts I’ve ever made and also one of the most fun quilts I’ve worked on! I will be making my next bullseye for my Dad! Thank you for considering doing it again!!!
Diane Bauer – certainly not amazing! Right now I have lots of free time since I don’t have any outside yard work to do. I take care of the barn, my house is NOT spotless, I cook in large quantities in the crockpot because Rick is very good about heating up leftovers and that leaves me lots of time to sew. I love imagining new color combos and fabrics in a new project. We just don’t have much fabric available to buy! When we do buy it’s with unknown projects to use it in and as usual that has created our scrap look. The blue animal fabric is an unusual look for me but I absolutely love those farm animals. I wish that artist would illustrate Susannah’s story for me!
YA HOOO!!!! I love my bullseye quilt and soooo excited to begin another one.
Just the perk I needed. Thinking this one will be polka dots fabric.
Thanks so much for doing this for us.
The picture is one to look lovingly at each day. It shows the connection humans and dogs have is unforgettable.
Kathy in NY – you’re right about the picture – the dog/human connection is so real!
What a beautiful collection.
Is the bullseye made with flannel or flat cotton, or either?
Jo -I made our last quilt along with flannel as well as Diane in Ohio did one. It was a great flannel scrap buster for me. This one I will use cotton.
Jo in Wyoming – either. Read Kathy’s comment, too.
Our son has my flannel Bullseye from the last quilt along. It was very easy to do in flannel. He lives near Ckevekand—lots if snow like Buffalo so they use it a lot. It is very soft. I am also using flannel in another “Mary” rug😊.
Do we need a book for the bullseye quilt along?
Diana Schumacher – no book is required since it is out of print. The pattern is available as a pdf download in our store or you can mail $12 to me for a paper pattern. All of this info will be coming later today.
Thanks Mary!!
Thanks for the information on your beautiful pottery collection, I love it. A Sew-Along will be great. Mr. BRRR is going under the needle today, as soon as I get his backing pieced; yes, finishing is GREAT!
Love your pottery collection. Such a pretty color and you display it so well. How nice to get to enjoy it every day. Love your quilt on the bed too-it is so pretty
I love your pottery collection. I find it interesting you and I have so many of the same collections. I absolutely love that bunny on the top right . Looking forward to how to do a circle on a quilt. Never have attempted that. j
Love your antique picture and can’t wait for the bulls eye sew along!
Gosh, Mary! You should be glad you purchased the picture. It is beautiful. Your pottery is lovely too. The bullseye quilt is very pretty. It may be too complicated for me. As always, I’ll be reading your blog posts.
Frances E – I can almost guarantee that Bullseye is not hard – nearly beginner level as accuracy is not needed – truly! That’s what makes it so fun to make – can you see that those circles don’t match? – they don’t match on purpose and they are cut freehand – no template needed! It’s a magical quilt!
WHAT great news! Another bullseye quilt along! I’m gonna look for fabrics tooday!
What a great picture of the woman with the dog in the boat. Your collections are always so great to see. Jerry noticed a little pitcher and bowl I have in a cabinet in my sewing room. It was in my home growing up. It probably has no value but it doesn’t s something I have always had so has great value to me! The bullseye quilt I made before was fun to do. I have so many projects to do that I probably won’t do another but wonderful to have new readers have fun doing it.
Thanks for the closer look at your shelves. Question, what was the purpose of the little crochet dress? I have a very similar blue one and was told it was a potholder. I really like the little pitcher by the cat. It’s adorable!
Carla – I assumed it was a potholder, too, but it sure wouldn’t have protected your hand much! It is beautifully made however.
The little crochet dress was likely made to fit over a wooden salad set – spoon and fork. The spoon was vertical, the bowl forming the face, and the fork went crosswise through the sleeves for the arms. I have some old 10-cent crochet books with patterns for these. If you search on Ravelry.com for “salad set potholder” you can see one.
Dot – thanks so much for the explanation about the little crocheted dress! It’s always been a mystery to me but it was made so well I admired it
Dot – you can’t just look around on Ravelry – you have to establish an account!
I love my Bullseye quilt. I sleep under it every winter night. I put it away in the warm months. It is just so cozy. and warm. Mine has a flannel back but made with quilting cottons on the top.
Love your McCoy collection. Color-coordinated, too.
Anonymous is me. lol
I will be sure to get the pattern from the website for the bulls eye quilt. I have never made one in the 40+ years I have been quilting. Looking forward to the fun of a quilt along. I just finished a Long Time Gone Quilt Along from Jen Kingwell that took us all the way through 2020. I will post a picture as soon as it comes back from my long arm quilter.
Marj – you will find this Bullseye quilt along very relaxing and freeing! Ask anyone who has made one!
Oh I may have to do that Bullseye quilt with you. I have always loved that quilt! Love your dog/boat/lady picture and your antiques! Could you give or have a discussion on longarm or midarm quilt machines? I’ve debated this topic for a long time in my head and wondering if there is a quilting machine that uses your own sewing machine (as I have another one I could use) that also you can use pantographs. I just don’t know enough about them and don’t want to spend the money to buy a long arm or do I have the space for one.
Julie D – since I use a longarm I cannot advise you on this but I will pose the question on the blog so you can get some feedback. How’s that?
Julie, I have a long arm and, sometimes, wonder why? I thought I’d get a lot of my own tops done. Word got out and I am in business. Great for taxes.
It is great to finish piecing, load up the quilt and do the quilting . Depending on the size of the quilt, it can all be done in a day. I add my quilts to the list of customers.
As with everything there is a learning curve. Lots to learn. I think longarm quilting makes you better at piecing too. Evaluate the machine with your head, not your heart. The sales people make it look easy, they have a lot of practice at that. I would shy away from a frame that uses a sewing machine. The throat beside the needle is all you have to quilt in and that will be used up pretty fast when you add a back and batting. Check into service and education, cost and location, both are very important. My husband loves to fix things and is a computer geek, both very helpful. I really enjoy quilting, now that I have worked out the newbie kinks.
Thank you Jo! I appreciate reading your comments!
That would be awesome! Thanks!
Looking forward to the Bullseye Quilt-along! I have my fabrics ready and waiting from the last one, just did not start. Thanks for doing this!
Cinders from MN – wow! You really have a jump start compared to the rest of us!!! That’s great!
I have almost enough fabric cut for a bulls-eye, so may have to join in on this one. Prowling through the house this morning, I found a quilt book, started looking at it, and see that you and Connie have three small quilts in it. (You were Mary Tendall then). I don’t need to start another project, but the one called Plaid Patches is calling me. I’d better get off this computer and get a move on if I’m going to get anything done, lol.
I forgot. I have one of those crocheted dresses too, and I think there’s a matching one that has shorts on the bottom, instead of a skirt. Potholders, I imagine. My Aunt Elsie crocheted a lot of things like this, so the set is a nice keepsake for me.
I love the antique picture. I have a couple of questions –who is the artist and is it an oil painting? Thanks and we love seeing your collections.
Margaret In North Texas – artist is unknown. I took it to an antique appraiser who didn’t put any value on it – yes, it’s an oil painting on canvas and it remains unframed like it was when I bought it. Just someone’s amateur painting that I love!
I do love a ‘finish’ … but right now I’d be happy to get the ambition to make a ‘start’! Not that I don’t already have lots of ‘starts’ to ‘finish’ … LOL! Your beautiful Bullseye quilt-along may be just what I need. Thanks!
Candy – what can I say to convince you to join us and make a Bullseye quilt? Or if not that, are you doing the Dirty Dozen?
Bullseye probably my all time favorite! I’ve done four all flannel. Very addictive process and yes easy. I also made a valance to tie in with Bullseye on bed. I do have the Aunt Amy book and had recently been thinking of another Bullseye. So this is very inspiring! I have a few pieces of McCoy. I so enjoy hearing about & seeing pics of your beloved animals.
Mary, thanks for your reply on the painting. The artist is a very talented “amateur”. The fact you paid $99 for it years ago— I would get another appraisal. I used to buy a lot of “antiques” and I would always ask where they acquired them–that way I could retell the story about the item.
Margaret in n Texas – I don’t know just where I’d have it appraised – this guy came to our library for a special event and he didn’t think much of it. Hmmm – it really is a wonderful old painting!
I emailed you Mary.. I found a print of your picture on eBay! It’s named Drifting and print is dated around 1899…. I think yours may be the original oil on canvas … either way it’s priceless to you. I love it too. We have very similar tastes 😊
Really????? I’m sure this is original but I have searched for it. How did you find it?
No email yet – did you send it to this address? maryehazel2020@gmail.com
I found it on eBay by putting in woman in canoe with dog print.. came up as Drifting. I’ll resend email to new address
Joyce C – so interesting! Mine is very primitive in comparison – I’ll take a better picture and send you. It’s the same…..but different.
I concur with your thoughts regarding the woman in the boat on the lake…lovely , enchanting and most captivatingly contemplative image…………..
charming pottery collection , although I don’t know if I would trust all that over my own bed!
Now…the piece de resistance: your blue country animal quilt, very beautiful and the first of it’s kind that I have seen.
Got your blog from a dear friend of many years who is in fact an avid and accomplished quilter…Not so for me!
Be well and keep up beautifying the world!