Hanging Around Quiltville....

Why is it so hard to get out a hammer and nails and actually get stuff ON the walls?

Maybe it's because I'm waiting for the painter. I've got a name for someone who does good work, and I'm calling today to schedule a painting appointment for my inside walls. That means, stuff needs to come OFF the walls, or never goes up ON the walls. But I couldn't stand it so today, with an apron pocket full of nails and a trusty hammer, I hung some stuff just to get an idea of where it's going to go even if I have to take it down when it is painting time.

BTW....any ideas for colors on these overly white walls? I'm thinking kind of a mocha tan on the upper part of the wall above the chair rail (which goes around the whole lower level of the house, except for the kitchen) and maybe a browny brick/barn red for the lower part to warm it up. That tan stripe on the wall? That is where I removed the hideous 1990's floral wall paper border. I can't believe we EVER thought that kind of treatment was great!

I found this really cool quilt hanger at the Kirtland home store in the mall. Marked down to $19.99, it is adjustable somewhat, so you can put different sizes of quilts on it. However, the one I wanted to hang didn't fit, so I just folded it over the rod. Works for me! This is a "hidden spools" quilt top that one of my wonderful blog readers sent me as a house warming. (Thank You, Angela, Daisymum7!) I love the colors in it! I added the borders myself and quilted it, and finished the binding while in Shallotte. Last night I washed it and dried it and I love it's crinkly-old-looking-ness!

See this little stitchery? This is what I'm talking about...I hate to see handwork things go for cheap in thrift shops.
The price? $3.00 I kid you not. I couldn't BUY the aida cloth to make the thing for $3.00. Not to mention the floss. I snatch these up wherever I can. This one says:

A Successful Woman
Who loves life and lives it to the fullest
Who has discovered and shared
The strengths and talents
That are uniquely her own;
Who puts her best into each task
And leaves each situation
Better than she found it;
Who seeks and finds
That which is beautiful
In all people...and all things;
Who's heart is full of love
And warm with compassion;
Who has found joy in living
And peace within herself.

I am just so inspired by this stitchery, and I wonder about the woman who so carefully stitched it. Was it a healing project for her during a hard time in her life? Was it a gift for someone else? What came about that this ended up in the Goodwill bin in Kernersville, NC?! Whatever the cause, it came to me at a time in my life where I really need this. So thank you, whoever you are, for stitching this!



I also finally got my "Laundry Hall Wall" hung semi the way I want it. When you enter the front door of my "cottage"....you can see straight down the hall to the right of the stairwell (and yes, still see the ugly wall paper below the chair rail that hasn't been removed yet)and out the back door to the upper deck.

Don't pay attention to the one lone sock on the stairwell, and yes, that is Oscar's tail at the bottom of the pic, he is curious as to why I'm trying to get the dogs up and out of the way (I failed miserably, as you can tell! *LOL*)I am standing just inside the front door at this point. Nothing like a door that opens up to your stairwell!



I don't have a laundry "ROOM" anymore..I have a laundry "CLOSET" off of this long hall. It's a boring straight shot of a hall. So I wanted to decorate the long boring wall with fun things like old washboards and advertising signs, and some hooks to hang my vintage aprons. I figured before the paint job was a good time to experiment, and if I got holes wrong...no problem! *LOL* I found these hangers at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off. The washboards have been collected here and there. I love the glass one!

Many of the aprons are made from feedsacks. My mom has told me stories of her grandmother's aprons (my great grandma) and how she collected the best feedsacks and made aprons from them.

This was in Brewster, MN in the 1940s and 50s. I feel a connection to this great grandmother. I remember her very vaguely from when I was small. She was a tiny woman with long gray hair very primly twisted up in a bun. She had tiny spectacles in front of sparkling eyes and a warm smile. I understand her heart was as big as all of Minnesota. I like to think that she and I would have gotten along famously! My mom is who she is today because of the time she spent with her Grandma Manuel over the long hot Minnesota summers. This was when my mom's folks would send her out of the city for the summer because of the threat of polio. Less chance of catching it out on the farm! My mom's father suffered polio as a child, so it is understandable that they would want to keep their own children from that risk.

Most of my aprons came from thrift shops for a song, though they are getting harder to find now. :c) I actually DO wear them when I am cooking or cleaning. I also wear one when I am machine quilting because the aluminum rails on the quilting machine leave marks when I "Belly Up To The Bar". This has left many a gray streak across my clothing in the past, and it does NOT wash out, so an apron becomes quilting attire. Not to mention the pockets are great for scissors, seam rippers, extra bobbins, and whatever else I need to keep on my person.

It's raining today. Which means I didn't get out for my walk. It's okay. I can quilt this morning, maybe catch a walk after lunch if it dries up a bit. I love September in Wallburg! I'm also excited that I am home for the rest of the month. I don't go anywhere until October! But watch out, October is going to be nuts, as is November. But I won't think of that now. I'm just going to be enjoying HOME for a few weeks.