A Bit of This, Some of That, and a Lot of the Other!

This is a bed with a story.

It has lived many places during my lifetime, and many more before that.

It belonged, as half of a pair, to my Grannie’s parents – their bedroom set back when folks slept separately in twin beds.

I’ve often wondered about this scenario, pre-Victorian times and forward to the Dick Van Dyke show reruns we watched as kids.

Why were people in TV shows in 2 beds?  I think it was all the way until the Brady Bunch came round before I realized that Carol and what's-his-name (*edited to add: MIKE! it was MIKE! It just came to me) were in the same bed together.  Scandalous, just scandalous!

At any rate – my Grannie and her brother, my great uncle Boo (Who’s name was really Charles, but everyone called him Boo.  I have no idea why. It is just what it is…) ended up with these beds, one for each.

And then when Grannie got married and started having her babies, 3 sons in all, both beds came to dwell under that roof, making 3 generations who had slumbered between headboard and footrail.

When my folks married and children (i.e.: ME) started coming along, and the same thing with my Uncle Fred – my cousin Jeff and I were only 6 months apart –the pair of beds became singles again and each family had one.  

I loved visiting my cousin's house and seeing that matching twin under a different roof.  Related.  Just as we were. My cousin passed away at 27, just prior to my Jeff being born.  Jeff carries the name of my favorite childhood cousin.

Home at last!

This bed made the rounds through all of us kids, my two siblings, and even some of the half-siblings up until the time that I, myself got married and started a family of my own.

At that time I stripped the crackling and crazing finish, refinishing the bed as much as I could to bring it back to life.  But the slats underneath?  Those have made it through all of the generations.

My sons both shared this bed, making 5 generations to date.

And now it lives at Quiltville Inn, ready for sweet quilty dreams in bedroom number one!

Yes – bedrooms will have NUMBERS, it is easier for me to remember them that way, I’m just not a prissy room name kind of girl! LOL!

Also in room number one!

Mona sent me a photo of this beautiful tall boy dresser she had found on sale –did I want it?  HECK YES! was the reply.

I want a dresser in each room so that folks can UNPACK and feel at home.  There will be stands at the ends of beds for suitcases too, but it’s nice to have a drawer.

I have ALWAYS had a thing for "high boy" dressers --but never had one.  So happy that I get to enjoy this one here.

And room one is the ONLY bedroom that has a closet.  Not sure when it was added, but its bump-out takes up a small part of room number two.

This is the room number two – see the closet bump?

It actually isn’t bad – it gives a bit of an “entry” into room number two.

This beauty came from Tess in Raleigh!

Look at that wood grain on the front veneer!  BEAUTIFUL! 

This piece will be used as a bedside table between the two matching twin beds.  The height is just right, and every room needs a mirror.  I haven’t oiled these pieces down yet, but I’ll do some scratch cover on any chipped veneer and spruce them up a bit.  Look at those lovely Queen Anne legs!

I also love the graceful curve of the mirror stand.  And how the light from the windows catches that lovely beveled mirror glass.

This room also has another dresser, so there is plenty of drawer space here for quilters to use.

This beauty also came from Tess!

Tess told the story of how she remembered her parents having this dresser for all of her life.  She thinks it may have come down the family line via an uncle.

The graceful curved front and beautiful mirror just set off that lovely tiger-oak.

This is room number five - destined for 3 white iron beds!

There is just something about the blue shiplap walls and light from 3 windows that make this room a favorite.

I’m on the look out for 2 more white beds to go with this one, hoping to find them in all different patterns.

Here you see the results of my weekend in 14+ tubs and assorted boxes.

All on their way to you!

With my travel schedule ramping up for July, I’m glad to have these done before leaving for Michigan on Thursday.

I'm making progress and should have ALL Quiltville Quilter's Date Keepers and Pencil Set orders out the door by Thursday.

The next shipment is on its way.  

When asked why I won’t just open them up for “pre-orders” my reply is that no one but me knows what that does to the invoicing system in the background.  There is no “pre-order” status that will separate these from regular daily orders that don’t contain these items.  I have to print them all and sort through, putting EVERYTHING in processing status (when they aren’t able to be filled yet) and then people start emailing me after about 5 days wanting to know why they haven’t received their order yet, or have I shipped it yet, or just checking on the status of their order.  Answering these emails takes up valuable order filling time.

It’s best to wait.  For everyone involved – but especially me, the person filling orders!

I'm not Amazon.  I am one person and a very small business with a basic online store that does just what I need it to do.

I promise to post as soon as the new batch has arrived and will work them in between what I’ve got going on over the next couple of months which involves Michigan, Hershey Quilt Odyssey, a huge retreat in Louisville, KY, a trip to England and winding up at two back to back weekend retreats at Mary Koval’s Quilt Shop in Bedford, PA.

I can’t thank you enough for your patience, and we WILL get these out to you.

Once I am moved to the Quiltville Post Office in Mouth of Wilson, VA I want to hire someone to come help with mail order.  I would be comfortable with that, and we’ll have to take on pay checks and tax withholdings and all that goes with it at that time – but to have someone come to my HOME, to sit at my dining room table and try to do this?  It’s just too much.  It feels invasive, like I would lose ALL privacy in my life.

And on top of everything else, they can’t sign books FOR me – so I’d have to be here anyway to do that.

Some stitching happened!

I got the binding on my Diamond Tile Small Quilt last night while watching part of Season Two of Anne with an E on Netflix.  SO GOOD!

This red is the same red I used in my Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery (now found in String Fling)  and with 1/4’’ finish, will be perfect to bind this quilt. 

I was going to use a gifted piece of coral from Lisa, but the print was too big for the 1/4’’ finish.  I’ll save that for something else.  I’m happy to see more of this 1970s Crantex print GO!

I’ll be taking this as my evening stitching project to Michigan this week – it’s only a 2 night gig, and one of them is lecture, so I don’t need to take the whole machine project set up.  Quilt, thread, needle, thimble – I’m ready to go!

Oh yeah – and VACUUMING happened!

Not sure how long it had been since this floor last saw a vacuum – but I couldn’t stand it any more.  Funny how just vacuuming the floor, or washing down the back door and getting doggy nose smudge off the doggie door can set all things right in my world.  This was a lovely sight to wake up to this morning!

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Double Wedding Ring shared by Kevin the Quilter!

Good Monday morning!

Here's to a brand new week ahead, focusing on the things we are blessed by, not stressed by!