The sky is falling, the sky is falling....*G*..no, not really. I'm sharing an orphan block today. This is Matilda McCluck, and she is heading off to North Carolina to lend a helping hand to a very good friend. Just think how many bugs she'll catch ! One of the things I'm learning gradually, is that stripped fabric doesn't photo worth a darn. You get that weird sense of movement. Anyway, one photo is with Dell's Quik Fix and the other is without. The darker one is "fixed". I'm thrilled to have one of my orphans headed out into the big, big world...*VBS*

Snap, crackle, pop...it's a cracker ! I read somewhere that this block was called that because it resembles the small table favors used at Christmas in England. I've seen them in one or two movies. Brightly wrapped tubes filled with fun goodies for children(I think) and when pulled open, they "pop". If I've got that wrong Anne B. or Fiona, please correct me...*VBS* I had to post one more from my "over the years" collection. Looking at the cracker block the way shown above(?-who knows with Blogger where it will be), this would make a neat signature(or album)block. And if two tri's were the same color and two light, you'd get a neat "chain" affect. I know I've seen that in some book or another. One block blue, one red, one green, etc...chaining across the quilt. Then if you turned the next row, would the chain run the other way?? Will have to try that and see.

Crackers anyone?? I was so thrilled to see a Cracker quilt top on Linda J's blog Tuesday...*VBS* I'm very easily pleased..LOL. This very simple old pattern doesn't get much press these days. I have loved it all the way back to my beginnings. To me it seems equally suited to planned or scraps. It would be a great small 4th of July quilt...or just the border. It can be made with any size strips. After what seemed like a ton of log cabin quilts from the Aunt Gracies, I remembered this one. I'm working with 1.5" strips and my blocks finish at 4.5". Of course it will take quite a few of them to make a quilt top...but it's a great little "pick at" project.
Most of yesterdays sewing was of more stars for the quilt for Little Sam. His birthday was in May and his quilt still isn't done...so much for monthly goal setting. For me goals are not a reality..not yet anyway..more like a suggestion of what I "should" be doing. I've finished 5 or 6 tops in June, and gotten borders on 3, but not one stitch has gone into the Country Roads UFO...guess I'll list it again for July....LOL.

I guess it's anybodies what happens in cyber space. There aren't suppose to be two pictures here..I only clicked and uploaded one! My computer has slowed down in the past day to less than a snails pace, and Hello completely lost my morning posting...LOL.This is my 2nd Strip Twist quilt top this month. I had left over blocks from the first one, made a few more and got this one finished up today. Fairly bad storms again last night, and my part of WI woke up to 64 degrees this morning. It was in the high 80's just yesterday, it's an odd year for sure. I've been offline most of the day, running some virus scans, etc to see if that was the problem....apparently not...but it's still running very slow for DSL. Always something I guess.

Well, it's official...the block I wondered about yesterday is called Skyrocket, and that works for me..*VBS* Thanks to Linda J. for having such great resourses and, like me, being curious. No quilty pictures today but I do have a "done it" list. Border battles have been raging here..but not with MN or ILL. I have gotten borders on 3 tops over the weekend. Finished up another set of 48 blocks that will become another Strip Twist quilt, and made a few more of the Whatever blocks that Linda J. showed us.
I've revised my list of what I still hope to accomplish in June...but it's dwinding down fast....and soon the 4th of July weekend will be upon us. Wish I had lots of quilts for this holiday, but over the years, I've only managed to make two..neither of them very big. I'll show them soon. I do have Uncle Sam patterns galore, maybe I need to make that a priority for next year..*VBS* Hope everyone had a good weekend.

A rainy Sunday morning in WI, altho my weather pixie seems to think it's sunny..LOL. This is a vintage quilt I picked up at a yard sale. Actually it wasn't even part of the sale, but stuck up on a garage shelf next to an outboard motor..LOL. The hubby said yes, I coulc have it for $2-. So I took it. It's seen alot of years and not much tender, loving care. There are holes completely through from front to back, in a few places. There was a wider outer border, but it was very, very raggedy, so I cut it away, and re-bound it with some 50's type fabric. It has a cotton batt which is very lumpy. It was quilted in what would be called "utility" style. Not with what we use today, but regular cotton quilting thread..and quilted all one direction. The quilting is further apart than you should do with an old cotton batt, thus the lumping. Many of the old quilts that were for hard use were quickly quilted one direction and called done. This quilt has the lowest possible grade of feedsack type mulin that was used in the feedsacks. It's a very, very open weave, so holes in the quilt aren't unusual.The backing and sashes are all the same coarse weave muslin. I have brought it to "as good as it gets" for a quilt of its vintage and materials. It's fun to sleep or nap under it, in the summer month. It offers very little warmth, which is nice..*VBS*, in the summer at least! 

One block and a different perspective when the points are done in a vey light color. 

Name that Block?????? Anybody familiar with this block? I think it's a fun look and a nice variation on a 9 patch. And I think set without sashing you'd get an interesting secondary pattern emerging. I can figure out the cutting by looking at this and measuring, but I'd LOVE to know what it is called. 

Teddy Freddy...often called TF...one of my Bialosky Bears. He is dated 1982, but I got him as a gift a couple of years later than that. He has his "Save Energy, Use Quilts" button on and is ready to answer questions...*S* He has his own hand quilted little liberated quilt...one of my first things after reading Gwen's Liberated Quilting back in the 1980's.Not very liberated by any standard, but fun. Karen asked if the crcheted fabric rug was washable? Yes, but not in a machine. There is no way to keep the load balanced. It's a heavy rug, even dry. I wash it on the pavement(which is where I took it's pic yesterday). Soapy water and a scrub brush, and then rinse it with the hose. It takes awhile to dry, once it's mostly dry, flip it over and let it finish. Of course I don't wash it in the wintertime. Yes, it looks quite new, but is a faded shade of it's former self..it was quite abit brighter. It hasn't seen HARD use, mostly in front of my sink, or in the laundry room. They are very durable. And heavy enough that if you have wrist problems this will add to them. It's heavy to crochet on by the time it gets big. I would imagine that is true of Darcie's also. About the Mile A Minute, I don't know why they call it that. It was a magazine artice a few years back. And yes, I often stick in orphan blocks, or maybe a 6.5" square of something odd or interesting. I didn't make a girl's jumper from that yardage from WalMart...I buy the panels of it, but the whole panel gets cut up and used as fabric....I'd say try it, it's fun, but only if you like odd ball stuff like that in your scrap quilts. They didn't used to sell fabric with words,and I think it's neat to find something you weren't expecting in a quilt. These days there are many fabrics with words. Betsy just gave me one printed with all different chicken "stuff", and previously, one with the Gettysburg Address printed on it. Before that we just cut up the directions for thoe "sewn from a panel" things.

TF's little quilt..and news in the quilty department. I've gotten borders on one quilt, have one more to make borders for. Regarding the strip twist question, I will add borders, and then it's going toWTIL. I had left over blocks, made a few more, and there will be a second one quite similar to the first. I still need to choose and cut borders for the mile a minute quilt I showed on Tuesday. It will be one that stays here with me..*VBS*

Fabric string rugs...

Fabric Strings rug...which I'm showing you because Darcie is now crocheting rugs from fabric. They are really awesome and look like such fun! A friend made this for me back in about 1982. She gathered yard sale cotton sheets and other large but cheap fabric..older cotton curtains or tablecloths are a good source. This rug is about 36-38" at its widest part, and about the same height. From looking at it, Darcie. I think she started with that double row of pale blue. You notice that the right hand "arm" is slightly wider than the left? I'm thinking that is where she joined the next color. The rug has worn well for its almost 25 years of use, and nothing is breaking out or away...unlike the braided and stitched ones. On a different note, Katie, at mismatched quilter(see link on my side bar) has been showing pics of her mother and grandmothers quilts. They are wonderful!! Crazy quilts with remnents of embroiders, lots of bow ties quilts...some fabrics dating back to the late 1800's. She's done a really great job with the pictures, showing us both sides on many of them...they are nice maverick type assortment of quilts for every day use....it's a shame not to go and look at them..*S*. I know I don't have anything like that from my family. 

If, on a sunny day in June, you found yourself with an overflowing scrap basket, odds and ends of thread on spools, and time on your hands(and somewhat limited vision..not a requirement tho) you could cut a "go fish" square from the printed directions for a little girls jumper... 

And if you had left over Hawaaian fabrics cut into 2.5" triangles, and you sewed them into a HST 9 patch... 

it's a definitely maybe that you could end up at this place...where if you look hard, you can see where the 6.5" blocks come together. So now they aren't just 6.5" blocks anymore 

If and if and if...then you could end up here..S*. You could have depleted your scraps basket, made something useful and very individualistic. I know several gals who make these mile a minute tops, and no two look the same. It's not quite as fast as string quilts....well, give it a try, and see for yourself..*VBS* 

The embroidery floss rope..

This is a full skein of Princess brand(registered trademark). It is 8 yards of color fast twisted floss. It's not meant to be seperated into single strands. It seems much like size 5 perle cotton to me, except for the twist. When I checked the back of the cowboy piece to see how many stands they used, I found it was just ONE strand of this type stuff. There is no price on the skein.

This is a little piece of needlework that I found in a bag of scraps I bought. I've had it for several years tucked into my orphan blocks(vintage). I got to thinking lately about needlepunch, and wondered if this might not be that. Soooo, I dug it out. But what I found is that it isn't needlepunch, but embroidery. Not like any I've seen tho. I took close ups of both the front and back, and as soon as the batteries charge I'll snap a pic of what I think the stitcher used to make this neat piece. It's obviously "cut away from" some bigger piece, and I'm pretty sure it's been used quite abit...the red was no doubt brighter back when it was done. I'm guessing maybe 1940's??? Anybody have an idea?? Anne B. just left a comment saying it looked like it was done in chain stitch, so I checked closer. It's hard to tell(the piece looks like it has been ironed..frequently..the stitches lay very flat) and yes ! *VBS*, indeed, it IS chain stitching...all of it !!! It's so neat on the lasso, the stitches follow the curve perfectly. Thanks Anne!!

Front side of the cowboy.... 

the back side of the cowboy..and a good look at the stitches.... I think she used something that was called Embroidery Floss "Rope"...I have some and will snap a picture of the skein. 

The close up of the buffalo... 

the backside with the stitching... 

"...once upon a time, the world was sweeter than we knew, all the dreams were mine, how happy I was then....but once upon a time, never comes again.." Born after 5 years of marriage, and a child they never expected to have, I was a "daddy's girl". He could do anything, fix anything, had all the answers, and almost always a nickle for a popcicle or candy bar. He was the wind beneath my wings, as I learned to fly. Childhood bumps and bruised, scary hospitals and surgeries all got better, if he was there. He was a very patient man, who taught me much as I tagged along behind him. He showed me little plants in the woods, how to catch fish, where the best blueberries were, and so much more. He was born in 1911, married in 1935 as the USA was coming out of the Great Depression. I don't think life was ever easy for him, he worked hard always, supporting my mom, us three girls and my live-in grandma. Almost always, he worked at least 2 jobs to make ends meet. I had always thought I looked like my mom's side of the family. Lately I come to realize how much my 7 years old self(in this picture) looks like my Dad. My blond hair and blue eyes are a throw back to his family, and neither of my sisters have them. Happy Father's Day, Dad, I love you and miss every day.

Open Borders....altho, no borders would be more correct. Some stash reduction taking place. The cream colored fabric with the flags says "2000". That was what it was printed for...and altho there were quite a few patriotic fabrics available for Y2K, it was nothing compared to what came right after 9/11.I had bought a yard or two of the cream, but the red with tiny white dots, and the navy with stars are both older fabrics. I like this simple "Sticks and Stones" block from a Thimbleberries book. It makes up fast. Mine is 60" X 72". All I'm showing you is a fourth of it. Now to get some borders on and see what comes next. Thank you all for your concern, prayers and support as I deal with the ongoing eye problems...*VBS* It's not going to go away, it's just a matter of "better" or "worse", as is much in life. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

This snowball is one of TWO quilts that I have made in my lifetime with only 2 colors. I like 2 color quilts, but I get so bored working with such a limited spectrum. I had seen the black fabric, with butterflies and flowers at a local Ben Franklin, and knew I wanted a snowball quilt made from that fabric. I am definitely a product of the 1950's. Pink and black were very HOT way back then...LOL. And while I never had(nor wanted) a pink and black Crown Victoria convertible, I do like pink and black together. This was pieced and quilted back in the area of 1984-86. I hand quilted everything back then. It's a crib size, 6.5" blocks, the triangles were all template cut, as were the snowballs. Not sure about the 9 patches. This quilt has never seen a day of use, found a home, or any other happy ending. It really hit me hard today, when I pulled it out of the linen closet. It's at least 20 years old and has never been washed nor served any purpose. I find that very sad. The passage of time is such a slippery slope. 

The quilting...each pink square has a circle quilted into it, and each black snowball has a medium size heart. I cross hatched through the black squares. On the back side, it looks divided into a checker board...*VBG* Another of my "no-sense" quilts. 

Not verymuch happening at my house right now. I'm having another "go round" with my eyes. Started up again on Friday evening, and I'm pretty much back where I was a week ago Monday Nothing that I am doing seems to be making any impact on it, so it's back to the eye doctor. Saw Tracey's lovely red, white and blue 4 patch yesterday and loved it! I decided to bring back one of mine in red, white and blue...with a couple of other colors tossed in..*VBS* 

Summertime, Summertime...sum, sum, summertime...the hurry, hurry, hurry of May is behind us. Endless summer days of freedom from routine have arrived. Wisconsin has 3 months of summer. Which seems like forever in the early days of June. Lovely June weddings are taking place, and kids with strange white feet and legs are starting to go barefoot. In June you roll in the new green grass, ride your bicycle everywhere, and long for the first swim in those icy spring fed lakes. June is our transition month. Warmer than spring, but still cooler than summer. The days are lazy or not, filled with popcicles and playing outside into the dusk of evening. Fireflies begin to light up their little corner of the night as we play tag, and Blind Mans Bluff, Statue Maker and Hide and Go Seek in the dark corners around the houses. Oh surely, it will last forever, this
carefree feeling of childhood. Looking back...a day in June, a neighbors pony tied to graze in the field behind our house and 3 horse crazy sisters..ages 2, 13 and 6.