Aprons

A few months ago my finger was almost too sore to quilt, so I took a break from it; however, I still wanted to be sewing on something. I had seen a few blog posts featuring aprons and thought I'd like to make one. Well, I didn't stop with one; they're so easy to sew and half aprons can be made from a really small piece of fabric. With scraps of rickrack, eyelet, or bias tape, they can be trimmed up into a cute, useful item. Now I'll have to be truthful, I hardly ever wear an apron anymore; I wear jeans most of the time and don't worry about getting something on them while I'm cooking. I suppose one reason women used to always wear aprons was to protect the fronts of their dresses so they could be worn more than once since laundry was done by hand and an apron wouldn't have been as difficult to wash as a dress.

I have read that aprons were the first pieces of clothing, referring to the aprons Adam and Eve made from fig leaves. They made a good place for a shy child to hide behind when company came, a good thing to wipe tears from that child's little face, a good thing to wave to the men in the field to let them know dinner was waiting, and when it was folded up at the corner, it made a good potholder.

These are pictures of some of my aprons:

This apron was made from a scrap with an embroidered pocket using a tea towel transfer.

Another simple half apron dressed up with chicken scratch embroidery; don't look on the back because I can't hide my knots very well.

These aprons were made by an online, free, printable pattern by Susan Branch. They take about one yard of fabric and two packages of double fold bias tape. They're easier to make than they look; just make sure the tape catches both pieces of the sections.

The little flirty apron at the top of this post was made by an old newspaper pattern I found. It took next to nothing to make it; just a piece of fabric the length you want the apron to be.

This is a blog I follow (www.oldcentennialfarmhouse.com/search/label/aprons); on which she features aprons in her collection now and then. And here (www.tipnut.com/ripply-apron-pattern-vintage-1951/ is a free pattern for a cute half apron. Maybe a homemade apron is in the making for Christmas?

Happy sewing,

Charlotte

Memories of Friends

Did you ever have an autograph book? Perhaps you're too young and the nearest thing you had was a high school yearbook. They were both places for your friends to write a short note and sign their names.

My autograph book was bought on April 30, 1955, in Little Rock, Arkansas; at least that is the date written on the inside flap of the book. Also, most entries are dated 1955. I would have just turned fourteen and I believe my glee club (now called choir) was in the big city for some contest. There seems to be a glimpse of me purchasing the book in my memory.

The entries are representable of what you'd expect to find in a teen's autograph book: funny rhymes and poems and sincere wishes. Here are a few such writings:

From a close friend -- "When you get old and wear a girdle, remember me, your friend Myrtle." I haven't seen Myrtle since high school graduation.

"Dear Charlotte, Yours 'til Spain cooks Turkey in Greece served on China," your friend, Jeanie.

"Dear Charlotte, If you get to heaven before I do, punch a little hole and pull me through," Susan.

"The higher the mountain the cooler the breeze; the younger the couple the tighter they squeeze".

And of course there were several entries such as this: "Dear Charlotte, you are one of the sweetest girls I know. Lots of luck to you in life." I didn't know she realized I existed. lol

I found a clever verse written by my grandmother at age 82: "Be not too sharp, be not too flat, but be natural," your Grandmother, Minda P. Woodard.

One signature brought sadness to me. It was written by a dear friend who passed away this past June.

And last was this note written by my dear mother: "Dear Charlotte, you are a very sweet girl and I'm proud to have you for my daughter. I love you dearly and may God be with you throughout your life. Always remember He is your best friend. I hope you lots and lots of happiness. Love, Your Mother."

What a special little book!!

Charlotte

What a Couple!

What a darling couple we made, my cousin and I. We were pretending to be an older couple and had the names Silas and Belle. I was exactly eighteen months older, and we were closer than a brother and sister. He was so good to play almost anything I suggested, from playhouse to toy trucks in the sand bed. We played in the barn loft, the barn crib, in the branch of water with crawdads, and under the porch. We bent over saplings and played "skin the cat". We built shelters at the slab and sawdust piles and when he got a bicycle he left it with me one afternoon so I could learn to ride too. We don't get to see each other very often, but when we do he gives me a tight hug, which tells me I'm as important to him as he is to me. Love you, Si.

Charlotte

When Are You Too Old for Dolls?

I'm wondering, when are you too old to play with dolls? Twelve, or maybe eighty? Before my daddy passed away and we visited the nursing home, we met a little old lady, I'm assuming she would be in her mid-eighties, who carried a doll with her all the time. She had it wrapped in a blanket, dressed in real baby clothes, and gave it all the love one would expect to give to a real child. I won't say I go that far, just yet, but I do like to pose my dolls in settings to pretend they are living a happy life.


I guess I've always liked dolls. The first ones I can remember were not very pretty ones. Their heads were made from some sort of pressed sawdust, their bodies were stuffed cloth, and I don't remember what their legs and arms were made of. I only know, from experience, that they didn't hold up very well when wet. Around the age of nine, I got a big vinyl doll for Christmas. Vinyl was fairly new then and the doll gradually got soft and sticky. I had a sock doll when I was in the fifth grade; he became the origin of a craze for rag dolls and soon most of the girls in my class had to have a rag doll. The last doll I had was given to me by my sister one year for Christmas and by then I was almost too big to play with her much. I still have some of her clothes.

When my girls were little I made cloth dolls for them one Christmas, sitting up at night after they were in bed, sewing and stuffing. When they got big enough to sew they made dolls too. Some of those dolls are still around, dirty and well-loved.

A few years ago my interest in dolls made its way back into my life. Since I had never had but one or two pretty dolls, I decided to bid on a porcelain doll on eBay. I won the bid but she never really filled my need for that pretty doll. So I made my own doll(s), a topsy-turvy, and then went on to make Fannie (the quilting buddy). Now I was finding patterns and instructions online for making cloth dolls (no longer called rag dolls) with painted faces. I tried it, and although I never mastered the art of painting faces, it was so much fun!

There are many good books on doll making. Two of my favorites are Cloth Dolls, by Brenda Brightmore, and Prairie People, by Marji Hadley and Dianne Ridgley. I have other books with instructions for sculpting faces and using paperclay, but I haven't started that yet. SO much to do and SO little time.


Left: This is Charlotte Emily, made by a pattern from Prairie People. She's the studious one of the group.
Below: Willow, painted brown with paper mache hair, was made by a "Holly Hobbie" pattern except I used cloth for her head instead of a sock. The little prairie quilt (older post) was made for her and she's the character in the story I wrote to go with the quilt. She's the gardener of the group.

Left: These are the topsy-turvy girls, Estelle and Maria. I had wondered and wondered how to put one of these together so I ordered a pattern with instructions. It's really quite simple, but not simple enough for me to tell you here. lol

Left: This poor little doll has been waiting a l-o-n-g time for a body. But at least she has pretty hair! I bought a doll wig on eBay and really liked it.

Left: Now this doll immediately made me think of Whoopi when I finished her face. She looks very little like the doll in the book, but I like her. Those glasses do it all for her, don't you think? This pattern was from Cloth Dolls. I gave her to Lily and she named her "Dollie".

Two of my favorite sites to visit for viewing cloth dolls are http://www.littlejennywren.blogspot.com/ and http://www.ohsewdollin.com/. The dolls featured here are suitable for children to play with; the dolls with painted faces are really just display dolls.

Maybe this could inspire you to make a cloth doll for some little girl to go with that quilt you're going to make. Someday soon I hope to make another doll; more quilting needs to get done first though. No playing today for sure; we worked heifers and calves this afternoon and may work more tomorrow while the weather is so nice, for one day soon, the cold wind will be blowing and then it becomes a "not so fun" job.

Have a good day, friends.
Charlotte

Friendship Quilts

Karen (http://www.karensquilting.com/ ) posted pictures yesterday of her family gathering signatures for a quilt for her niece. It was very interesting and brought to mind the signature quilts I have. We always called them friendship quilts. I imagine they brought the friends together in a social situation and a great time was had by all.



This first quilt was probably made in the early 30's because it contains the maiden names of many of Mama's cousins, and she was married in 1932. Many of the fabrics have disintegrated and the names are no longer even visible. The backing is made from feed sacks.



Some names are still readable and were very well done, such as this one in a beautiful satin stitch. The entire quilt is in really bad shape but I don't want to part with it; someone else can do that later.




Another friendship quilt which came from Mama was this one with blocks pieced by women in the Extension Homemakers club she attended. I knew these women, most of whom have passed away. I'd date the quilt to be about 50 - 60 years old. The pattern is called "Hole in the Barn Door". Women in the group were given a cardboard template and then used their choice of fabrics to make the blocks. By this time most fabrics were purchased ones instead of sacks.

I know the woman who made this block; she is stilling living and is 100 years old. What beautiful handwork on her name.

The next picture is of a top I purchased at a flea market. When I realized it was the same pattern as the quilt I already had, I just had to have it for $20. It is badly stained and some fabrics are fairly thin, but the names are still intact. The solid pieces (white) vary greatly in color.

I especially like how so many of the women dated their blocks or put their hometown names on them. Isn't this one great; it gives an idea of how old the top is.

Now this is a group of blocks for my own friendship quilt which has been in the making since 1999. I gave each "friend" the white fabric so all blocks would be the same in that area, and asked her to include a little history, date, favorite Bible verse, etc. on the block with her name. For those who don't sew, I had extra blocks made up and let them write their names on the center, then I did the embroidery work. The biggest problem I've run into is this: not everyone makes the same 1/4" seam. lol So there will be some adjusting there when it's set together.

This green block was really the inspiration for choosing the pattern. (Please excuse the blurred picture; sometimes I get unsteady while taking them.) It was made by Mama, probably for an EH club quilt, and was never used but put back and forgotten. So when it fell into my hands I wanted to build a top around it. Of course the white sections are not like the rest of the blocks; will that matter? Otherwise it is well made and bright.

Another blurred block; this one was made by my mother-in-law in Jan., 2000. She included her date of birth and her favorite Bible verse, Psalm 46:1. She passed away in November, 2000.

Friendship quilts are to be treasured, not only for their historical value, but also as a reminder of our friends and the impacts they make on our lives. Too often I have to be reminded of this: Proverbs 18:24, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother".

Have a good day, my friends. Charlotte

Beds and Quilts

Now you might think someone my age wouldn't be interested in "playing" dolls, but I love fixing little scenes pretending the dolls are in real life situations. For instance, sometimes in the winter one may have the flu or a sore throat and have to stay in the bed under the warm blankets and quilts. At Christmas I have made a fireplace for them, hung stockings, and decorated a small tree. Having real beds for them make it more fun. I also have a bench. Noel made the bed on the left for me, and one of my sons-in-law made the other one.



Of course with all the to-do about selvages these days, I had to try my hand at it too. Where do people get enough selvages to make a big quilt? A doll quilt makes good use of selvages from fat quarters. I'm saving all I can come up with but I'll never be able to make anything very big from them. This one has a lining made from black with tiny white dots; goes very well with all the black wording.

These are four more of my doll quilts: from left to right, string bars, drunkard's path, bow tie, and another scrap string quilt with red accents and an antique button in the center.

I wish more little girls played with baby dolls now. What a wonderful thing to wrap their "baby" in its own soft quilt. Maybe if you know a little girl you could sew up a quilt before Christmas for a gift; there's still time.

Have a good day! Charlotte

Messy, messy

I just can't seem to get the hang of this posting. I have it all fixed nice, then when it goes out something always is changed. Bear with me; I'll learn.

The picture of the quilting buddy is two posts back instead of one, and she's way down past all writing. Actually it was a surprise to me; how'd she get on? lol

Charlotte