Baby Quilts As Gifts

Next to doll quilts, I think baby quilts are my favorites to make. They're quicker to complete than large quilts and so one reaps the benefits of her work sooner. I rarely sell any quilts I make; can one really ever get paid enough for all the work that goes into making a quilt? The pleasure of making them becomes my reward. So, now and then I will give a baby quilt as a gift to a special someone.

This quilt went to my daughter's sister-in-law; she had said she wanted one of "Mama Charlotte's" quilts. I barely knew her but was flattered to know she respected my work enough to want a quilt. She was using butterflies as the theme for her nursery, so hand appliqued butterflies, flowers, vines, and bumble bees went into the solid spaces. She never contacted me to say a simple "thank you".

I became good friends with the young lady who cleaned my teeth; she was always so interested in the fact that I made quilts. She left the office before her baby was born and so one day I took this quilt and left it for her. Shortly thereafter a wonderful little note came with a thank you card. She sent me pictures of the new baby girl, and since then I receive cards from her at Christmas with pictures of the first baby and a second baby girl. Now and then she sends an email message. As for the quilt, the animals, fence, sun and clouds were hand appliqued with blanket stitches. The distant mountain was made from fabric which was printed with farm scenes.

I gave this quilt to the young lady at the dermatologists office who removed a cyst from my shin. She was so caring and skilled and I was so very thankful it wasn't melanoma! I had known her family for several years so felt confident she would appreciate a hand made quilt. When I gave the package to her I asked her to wait until I was gone to open it. (I'm very shy about my work, but notice it has a blue ribbon on it?) A few weeks later she sent me a thank you card.

Thank you cards aren't necessary; that isn't the reason I give the quilts as gifts. But, I suppose it shows my age; a word of thanks used to mean something. Maybe we get too many things now.

Getting in Firewood

Cold weather has finally come and it's time to bring in firewood. We heat our house with a wood burning furnace. Every year there are trees that die and fall or either are blown over by the wind so Noel never has to cut down live trees. However, we had some dozer work done this fall and rather than pile the trees to burn in a brush pile, he gathered the best ones into stacks for us to heat with. We bring the logs to the pasture near the house, then he can saw them up

into lengths suitable for the furnace. It can take a really big chunk of wood, but not this big,

so it has to be split. Now this is one of the best pieces of equipment on the farm, the BobCat; it has all sorts of attachments from post hole digger, to post driver, spear for loading hay, bucket for loading dirt, a grapple for loading brush, and this log splitter. While watching it at work I thought of how much hard labor it saves, comparing now to the way people used to have to cut and split wood. Just think how long it would take for two men to saw a tree like the one in the above picture, even if the tree was already lying on the ground. And how many swings of a sledge hammer onto an iron wedge would it take to split a chunk of wood that large.

While he is splitting the wood, I load into the back of this little handy RTV, (see, he's the brain and I'm the brawn), we haul it to the house and unload it under the porch at the furnace room. Let me tell you, this is not a job for warm weather! Getting in firewood gives you three chances to get the warmth out of the wood: 1)while loading it; 2)while unloading it; 3)when it's burned. Are you staying warm?

Feed Sack Blocks

I love feed sack fabric! Maybe it's because I remember going to the little country store, and after buying the things on the list of groceries which we needed, Mama, my sister, and I would go into the feed room, searching for a sack of feed that was in a bag with the same designs as sacks we had at home. The sacks were more or less a square yard in size, so naturally it took more than two or three to make a dress. In the feed room there was that wonderful, sweet smell of the cow feed. The sacks were in colorful, flowered, or maybe whimsical designs. Feed for pigs, "shorts" as it was called, came in plain white bags and these were used for quilt linings or dish drying towels. They could be dyed for a colored lining. After the feed was used, the sacks were washed on the rub board, starched, dried on the clothesline, brought in and sprinkled down, and then ironed with a heavy "sad" iron. (I wonder why it was called "sad"; because so many times the iron was too hot and scorched the fabric?)

This is a quarter of a block made from feed sack fabric; still a very bright color despite being probably 70-80 years old. Being a very difficult pattern must have had something to do with the fact that it isn't very well put together; too many "Y" seams! It seems to me the individual pieces weren't cut true to the pattern.
Although the points on the edges of this block aren't in the picture, you can see what a finished block looked like; I imagine it's about nine to ten inches, more or less square.

With this block you see that it made no difference if one ran out of fabric to cut all pieces the same; just add another print

These are twelve little squares from feed sacks. I have a small box full of these and other prints; I think they were meant to be made into four patch or nine patch blocks. Aren't they just precious? I had a blouse made from the third one down on the left and I think I had a skirt made from the one to its right. I don't know what is the best way to use them; keep them as they are, or try to match them up with white sacks and make a wall hanging? No matter what monetary value they might have, they mean more to me than any amount of money. The next person possessing them can decide I guess.

The last four squares have a little story behind them: my sister chose the sacks for a dress, but later didn't know if she really liked them, until we found the same pattern and color on fabric in the Sears, Roebuck catalog when we got home. Then it was alright.

Do you remember feed sack dresses or quilts?

Serve It Up Hot!

So, have you had your fill of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, all the traditional Thanksgiving fare? I didn't crave the leftovers too much today, and with the cold temperatures this morning, I decided to go back to everyday food, and serve up some hot chili. Can you imagine a cuter way to serve chili than in a Campbell Soup tureen?

This collection started as a Christmas gift a few years ago (I know, you're tired of my collections!). Someone told me I should collect them, and I was off and looking. This time I was smart about what to collect and stayed with only one specific item instead of taking anything and everything related to Campbell Soup. Some of the tureens came with at least two mugs and a ladle, with the mugs being just the right size for a medium serving, leaving one the option of having a second helping without breaking the calorie budget.

I have enough sets for each of my grandchildren to get one when he or she starts life away from Mama's kitchen (if they want one); one granddaughter, in law school, has already taken hers. Another has chosen the one she wants and her name is on the bottom of the tureen.

The set on the left, above, smells like potpourri (probably from a shop where it was on display), despite a good washing, and it may not ever be suitable for holding soup.

As I have said before, I love the feel of stoneware, and these little soup pots make a sweet, colorful addition to a country home.

Oh, God...

Oh, God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion.

Make me concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out

for what we take for granted.

Vintage Tablecloths/Another Collection

What can make a table prettier than a vintage tablecloth; such lovely, bright colors to grace the table whether your plate is sitting on it or whether it's just there to be admired in passing. These linens have become one of my favorite collections. I don't remember Mama ever having one until she bought a kit which included the finished cloth with embroidery thread to work the design in cross stitch. We never had one with the colorful flowers and fruits.

About half of my collection came from eBay. As of this afternoon, there are 6696 results found for vintage tablecloths, so as you can see they are still very plentiful. The cloth on the upper left was one of the first I purchased at a flea market. Mama's embroidered cloth is in the lower right hand corner. The others were given to me by a cousin from my Aunt Marie's kitchen. The yellow one on the bottom of the stack has a design which seems to have been painted. The Christmas cloth will go on my table in a few days. I have one so big it fits the table when all three leaves are put in and it gets used for the Christmas dinner.

Most of these are in good condition; only a few are a little faded. For the most part they aren't stained either, considering there wouldn't have been stain removers such as we have now, when these were used. I love to use the cloths; they launder well and iron easily with a little spray starch and steam.

This is one of the few collections I have that I would like to add to in time.

Have a good day, Charlotte

Wearable Art

In yesterday's post I told you what an excellent seamstress my mother-in-law (aka Grandma Daisy) was. She began sewing when she was a girl, and continued, on to age 81, making clothing for her five children and later, the fifteen grandchildren.

My girls were in high school and junior high when she made these pantsuits for them. The blue ones were made out of denim and the tan was some sort of polished twill (?). The embroidery was all done by hand; what machine could match that? Imagine the time it must have taken. They all seem to be a southwestern design. Wouldn't the little tan one be wonderful hanging in a home with southwestern decor?

I'm keeping them tucked away, hoping some day the girls will take them and treasure them as some of the more special things Grandma Daisy made for them.

Enjoy, Charlotte