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Friday, October 30, 2015

A Puyallup Antiquing Jaunt!

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Mary and I had a great time perusing a couple of antique malls on a drizzly rainy Sunday in Puyallup!

It may be liquid sunshine, but it sure gets you wet and chilled right through – so we took up the hospitality of the antique mall, enjoying their warm spiced cider and popcorn by the bag – and took a long “No hurry at all” browse up and down the aisles!

Now here is one thing that always befuddles me.

When you look at this photo what’s the first thing you see?

Books, books and more books!

How many of you noticed that there is a TREADLE MACHINE hiding underneath these books?

An Impossible-to-get-at treadle machine ---because of ALL OF THE STUFF piled on top of the cabinet!  And oh, yes, there IS a machine in there – I felt underneath…it’s there..but we just were just discouraged enough by all of the unloading we’d have to do to just say – sorry, Charlie! You just might have missed out on a sale!

((And I’ve seen Mary’s treadle collection….they really DID miss the opportunity for a sale here!))

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But there were quilts to make up for it!

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1940s (?) Hands All Around!

 I have always loved this block and I’ve got a couple of antique quilts at home that use this pattern.  On the some day list to make one of my own!

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A well worn make-do string quilt!

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Even the small bits went in!

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A rather large out-of-control hexagon in diamond shape!

This was really huge – I think she just kept going and didn’t know how to get it to be a rectangle! LOL!! I found this funny because I am in the same process with my current traveling hexie project.

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This one I absolutely love!

1930s boats!

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Mabel Dunbar, 1936!

Love how the plaid goes whichever way it wants!

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More names, with wonderful embroidered signatures.

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Such fun prints!

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Times were tough in 1936 ---

This “bleached” stamp never went away, and stayed plain as day – on the FRONT of the quilt.

Also.  The importance of penmanship.  I've mentioned before many times how we are losing our connection to the individuality of our own signatures.  Don't just print that label with a computer or stitch it out with an embroidery machine -- SIGN IT IN YOUR OWN HAND!  It's important.  It really is!

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Maple leaves – perfect for an October day!

See the center of the borders?  Interesting!

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Hanging as a booth wall!

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Old 1930s top, more recently machine quilted with a meander --

But still an interesting design, don’t you think?

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Awesomely bold tulips!

I love how the sashings just end at the sides of the quilt.  It makes the whole thing look like an elongated tic-tac-toe!

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Close up of fabrics.

We are thinking 1950s due to that harlequin diamond fabric that appears in several blocks.

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Happy little Churn Dash!

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Love that blue and pink stripey one!

It’s great how some of the blocks nearly disappear due to low contrast between the fabrics in the blocks.   And love the odd combos.  What’s not to love about a humongous pink gingham?  Or a yellow plaid against a busy floral.

When I think back to when these quilts were made – these makers had no idea what a “line” of fabric was.  They were simply using what leftovers they had on hand to make something beautiful to brighten a room, to warm a child,  to be busy with their hands in making something purposeful and useful.  They weren’t doing it to match their decorating.

And in forcing themselves to make choices based on what they had on hand, they made something original, something unique, something no one else could exactly duplicate.

The only quilt above that was perhaps planned yardage was the maple leaf –and knowing me, I probably would prefer it scrappy.

We had a great time just wandering and touching quilts and discussing and looking at EVERYTHING.

Follow it up with a meal at a near by Mexican restaurant and it was the perfect day!

Thanks again for all of the time you spent with me, Mary! It won’t be soon forgotten!

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Oh the home front here!

Things are down to the nitty gritty with my single pattern release with C&T coming SOON! 

Yesterday a FedEx overnight envelope arrived with my Pages to review and sign off.  This goes to my tech editor today after I’ve gone through it.  EXCITING!  We are scheduled for a February release of this single pattern booklet.  I’ll let you know when it’s in house and in the Quiltville Store.

Today I pack for Peru!!  Tomorrow we leave!  Greensboro to Atlanta to Miami to LIMA!!

Hooray, I can’t believe it’s here!!


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18 comments:

  1. How do you pronounce that: Puyallup?

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  2. I take it none of the quilts made it home with you!?!?!? I love seeing what you find tucked away in shops---and I noticed the cabinet before anything else...I could never understand why they bury things in antique shops.....no wonder they are cramped for space... I am already looking forward to your return from Peru trip :-) because I know what happens the day after Thanksgiving :-) ---have fun in Peru

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  3. Puyallup is pronounced "pew-al-up"!

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  4. Thanks Kathryn. Love the Hands All Around quilt!

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  5. Your comment that quiltmakers of the past had no idea what a fabric line was, got me to thinking. Closest thing they had to a fabric line was at the feed store in printed feed sacks!

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  6. Bonnie,
    It was fun seeing this post. If we could have seen the treadle and I liked it I might have been able to find room in the "museum" 😃.
    Have loads of fun on your Peru trip. Safe journey.
    Mary

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  7. Beautiful quilts. My Favorite is the Thirties Churn Dash. I'm sew glad you took that rainy day to spend with Mary and just browse. I bet she'll never forget that day. Have a safe trip to Peru. What a way to spend Halloween.

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  8. Would love to see a pattern for the Hands All Around, hint hint, maybe in your Addicted to Scraps column

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  9. Love the signature quilt. I think there is a Mabel or Maude on every signature quilt I have seen from that era. Love it! Have a great trip to Peru.

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  10. I vended at the Sewing Expo in Puyallup every year for about 25 years - I think there were a couple that were rainless - the great thing about the Northwest is rain stops NO ONE! One year we had a bad earthquake centered close to the fairgrounds on set-up day - that didn't stop anyone from coming either! I think there are MORE quilters in the Northwest than anywhere in the country - could be they NEED the color from their fabrics to fight against the gray skies with rain!! ENJOY Peru - I'll be watching along with everyone else. Looking forward to the "mystery".

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  11. I was in there on Friday and saw that machine too! I'm looking for a treadle but I didn't want to have to unload the books either. LOL! Maybe I can get the spousal to go with me this weekend and see if it's still there and he can help me.

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  12. Curiosity would have killed me! I would have unloaded the books. 😃💟

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  13. Curiosity would have killed me! I would have unloaded the books. 😃💟

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  14. It didn't rain while you were in Spokane, did it?? You know you are always welcome on the dry side of the state!!! Have a blast in Peru - I'll be having fun at my guild's 5 day retreat in the mountains of Idaho!!

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  15. I hadn't noticed the harlequin diamond fabric, but when you mentioned it, I looked for it. What a surprise! I have that in my stash and I believe it came from my grandmother. It was left over from a sewing project it is odd shaped scraps of which the biggest is around a fq in size I would guess. I have fabric of many different ages from her.

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  16. I love your idea of signing our quilts with our signature! I think embroidering it is good too, perhaps on a separate piece of fabric that is attached at the end. Am not so sure that Sharpies will hold up over time. Thanks for your daily doses of quilt happiness! Have a good trip!

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  17. I have wash tested Sharpies; they are not permanent on fabric. I like a Pigma Micron 05 (005 is too fine).

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  18. I can't wait for the pics you will post about Peru! I tend to live vicariously through others. I can't wait until Feb when you come to Surfside Quilters Guild!! We are going to have a blast😃😃! Safe travels!

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