Here is Connie’s Number 4.
She wonders why she has so much green yardage – I told her she probably wanted to make it king size! Haha!
And my problem Number 4. See these tiny little seam allowances? Sewn by hand with seam allowances about 1/16th or less. Don’t know if they’ll even hang together if I sew them.
And I will have to take a seam allowance that will cut off all the points. Is this worth it?
Now here’s a block that I worked on two evenings in a row – it measures 8″ x 8″. There’s a lot of pieces in this little block! And it’s not pieced accurately – I’m going to try again.
Here are the Dirty Dozen Quilts:
Here is that little 1-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ pieced block I showed you recently – this reader has already made a long tall quilt! She called it Magnets.
Good Night, Everybody!
Hi Sweet Millie, Squeak sometimes looks grumpy like that, too.
The colors in your 8 x 8 block are very pretty. It will make a neat quilt.
Are your antique blocks also very stiff? I have some that a friend gave me that are all out of whack like yours, but also very stiff. She washed them so I don’t know if that’s why or not.
Next year, I will try to put them together to see what happens. Good luck with yours!
I love how you put together the most interesting colors and patterns.
Nice quilt show today, thanks
The smaller the quilt the harder it is to get everything right. No wiggle room to shift the material.
Ladies the quilts are wonderful. Keep up the good work.
Hi Mary, here’s my 2 cents worth. I don’t think you will be happy with the old blocks sewn together and points cut off. I collect old blocks too. I personally think these blocks are too far gone for a purpose. The second block is nice but what are going to do with one, make a pillow? I would move on to something different .
Oh, and good morning to you.😁
Linda from O – I’m afraid you’re right about the blocks – thanks for confirming my decision.
In my opinion, Linda from Oconomowoc is right. Life is too short to struggle with something that you are sure won’t turn out well.
There’s a reason there are so many old blocks that never went into a quilt – they had too problems when they were made to use them! And now they’re old, worn, problem blocks.
Just like now, there was high-quality fabric and poor-quality fabric then. And fabric dries out with age. Poor storage conditions make some of that worse.
I’m glad Mary has already decided to move on from these blocks!
Thanks for the quilt show, especially like the magnet quilt. May I ask who the designer is for Connie’s Houndstooth pattern . Making vegetable soup today & writing out some Xmas cards for the first time in a long time. We all need some cheer!!
Joyce, I found my pattern and the designer is B’s Caprice, LLC. From 2012, hope it’s still available!
I’d suggest to take the antique blocks and replicate them with fabric you already have and make a small quilt/table topper. Then you have honored the hand-sewing maker and have a quilt that will hang together.
Could the vintage blocks be incorporated into another quilt that uses a design author matching seams? Something to disguise the less than perfect state of the old blocks? Probably not, but it’s a thought.
I agree with Jan; take some of your own fabric and draft your own pattern to replicate the antique blocks. It isn’t worth it to struggle putting the old blocks together and know that you are going to have points cut off and blocks that don’t fit together as they should. Whoever made them must have enjoyed making them or didn’t realize the fabric would fray so badly with such small seams. I have an antique quilt top called “Many Trips Around the World that has tiny seams like that. The fabric has frayed so badly that I can’t repair it so I just drape it over my spinning wheel and enjoy the many 1 inch scrap squares of many colors. Enjoy making your own blocks and eliminate the stress.
Jeanne – yes, I am moving on to something I really want to do!
*without matching seams….
Hi Mary. I would use the antique blocks just quilt it heavily and it will stay together just fine. I really really like the block that you said you were going to redo. SO very interesting.
Connie’s DD reminds me that I have that same Houndstooth pattern and the tiny ruler that came with it. It will need to go in next year’s DD. I failed miserably years ago trying to cut out the tiny pieces and deliberately put it out of sight. There is hope that I might have ideas on how to do it better now. My problem was that the ruler moved easily when I was cutting.
Everyone’s finished DDs are lovely. Really impressed that they are completed and photographed already! I haven’t started mine and feeling anxious about finishing it. We have our twin freshman grandsons here Monday-Friday to use our wifi for remote school. They were having trouble at their house with four of them streaming at the same time so it was a divide and conquer situation. Love having them here, got to listen to jazz band this morning at 7:30, but it does change what I do. One of them is using a table next to my sewing space and don’t want to disturb him. They will be doing this until Winter Break so I’d better figure something out!
Rhonda – you one super grandma helping out your family with the WiFi situation. So many are feeling this dilemma of too many on WiFi at once and I sure feel compassion for everyone trying to make the best of it with working and schooling from home.
The dedication of teachers, parents, administrators understanding home environments is something I took for granted till this pandemic hit. So many have trudged along for the sake of all of us including health care and hospital professionals, first responders, police, truckers, grocery store workers and caring grandmas like you! Thank you for doing this for your children. You have my deep appreciation for adjusting to make it work for them.
Kathy,
Oh my, how kind of you to say this! It made me teary. We are really enjoying having the 14-year-olds here and it is especially nice to have them without their 7-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother for a change. It’s a whole different experience without the little ones. It is such a hard time for so many and I am so thankful that my family has remained healthy so far. My father-in-law is in a memory care facility and they now have 6 active cases. It’s a smaller place so that number is concerning.
So appreciate your words regarding the teachers. Our other daughter has been a reading specialist her entire 19 year career, working with 1-4 students at a time. She learned days before school started that she would be teaching 35 fourth graders remotely fulltime. The stress has been out of this world – never having had a classroom, not knowing the curriculum, plus the technology part of it. On top of that, there is really no one to help her so she is on her own. This far into the school year she is continuing to work 75 hour weeks and unable to sleep. We all should be fearful that many excellent teachers will leave the profession. It has already started to happen locally. Again, thanks for your kind words!
Why not use those little antique blocks and frame them individually or in multiples? They would make a wonderful gift for quilter buddies. Frames don’t have to be expensive, look in local thrift shops. Perfect decor for sewing studio.
I love your little 8 by 8 block! Such great colors and fabrics you chose and put together. Square up that little jewel and you’ll find a spot for it. Love that magnet wall hanging, too, from a reader; I am putting the borders on my magnet piecing right now! Thanks for the small challenges to keep us going.
Tanya Tullos – when I get another block made I’ll explain what I’m doing.
I really like the multi-colored block, too. Looking forward to your explanation of it.
Bag the antique blocks, put a low price on them and take them to your Junkin’ Gals booth! ;’)
Mary Says Sew – yup, I’m moving on to something I really want to do!
What is the plant that is in the picture with Millie? My husband had one but it died when I moved. Had the best smelling flowers. I would like to get another one but don’t know the name.
Can you help?
Louverna
Louverna Tomer – it’s a variegated Hoya or wax plant. I have many of them in assorted varieties. They’re so easy to start and I just don’t have the good sense to throw the vines away when I trim them up. These by Millie may just stay growing in water?
Mary, make that pretty 8×8 block into a nice potholder and sell at Junkin Gal. It will be nice accessory for someone’s kitchen! Don’t think it is worth your time to do any more. Just my honest opinion. Good Luck!
Margaret in North Texas – I’m moving on – so many other projects I’d rather work on!
Could you stitch over those hand-stitched seams with your sewing machine?
Just a quick thought about the vintage blocks…on the claws of your bear paw, if you increase the seam allowance between them, it pulls the tips in further from the edge. It would take some re-sewing, but it would strengthen the seams and save your points….of course, I love messing around with stuff like this 🙂
Brenda – if you send me your address, I’ll give you the blocks -I want to move on to something I’d rather do. Send your address to my email – marye@ncn.net
I just recently started reading your posts. It feels like talking to an old friend. It looks like you are having good luck propagating a hoya plant in water (last picture). I’ve been trying to do that for 2 months. Can you give me any tips? Not much is happening yet, and I’m discouraged.
Susan – maybe it’s where you cut your plant – cut right above a leaf where there are nodules that will create a root. Try that and let me know. Glad to have you as a member of our Blog Family – it’s a great group!
Thanks. I’ll try that and see what happens. I’m really enjoying your posts. 😊
Hi, Mary and bloggers, My sympathy and respect goes out to everybody that is doing their best to keep kids in school via the computer at home. The schools are expecting an extreme amount of effort from the family that is also trying to balance working from home. Some will do fine, but others are completely unable to cope. The schools are going to have to find a way to adjust grades because it just isn’t fair to all the students. So many are getting an education in life they never expected and it isn’t an easy one.
People need to take a deep breath and be nicer. As I walked by a employee at Walmart, I made the comment that she was working hard she answered ‘there is 1 nice person.’ She said she had gone home a cried the night before because of the nasty comments from shoppers. These people are working hard, especially because some employees just don’t show up for work and the rest have to do that job and their own, too. Please, be nice to everybody. They need encouragement.
And in the meantime, take a deep breath and carry on. We will survive. Betty in Rapid City
Betty K – yes, we will survive and we’ll end up more thankful for those employees and health care workers. I’m glad we’re retired and don’t have to go anyplace. Always fun to hear from you, Betty!