Just Roll It On Over!

Things quilts teach us about quilters -

Even without words!

Martha and I spent a lot of time enjoying the hunt for quilts, sewing items, machines and other bits and bobs of interest in our jaunty journey to Abingdon VA on Thursday.

One thing that I dearly love about vintage quilts – they are in no way “cookie cutter.”  Most of the scrappy quilts that catch my eye may come from recognizable patterns of the day, but each maker has put their own twist on the making of the top, the choice in backing, what they used as batting – be it cotton, wool, an old blanket, thick or thin.

Even the quilting thread itself can vary – my favorite being those quilts held together with black thread so visible. 

I dearly love seeing embroidery stitches made by hand. Applique turned by hand without the use of today’s freezer paper, glue, fusible, machines and invisible thread – just hands cutting out shapes, turning edges under and stitching down one piece at a time.

Check out the binding – or lack of binding – on this one -

“The quilt is done now – how to finish it?”  “Let’s just double-roll it thickly to the back side and whip stitch it down!”

“Who cares if all the points around the edge are wrapped around to the back?”

Oh, how I love this Ohio Star quilt!  And it is so typically a southern quilt – sashings do NOT surround the edge of the quilt and frame the whole.  The sashings only go “in between.”

Oh Cheddar and Navy – you steal my heart!

This quilt was made solely by hand. Not a machine stitch in it.  Could it be that this maker didn’t own a machine? Maybe thought double-rolling the top to the back to bind was easier than applying a separate binding by hand through all layers?  Maybe she didn’t have on hand a piece of yardage that would do the job after using all she had to pull in the cheddar and blue that ties the blocks together?

There are stories in these quilts that we will never know, but I love reaching out to touch the life of this maker in this way.  Beautiful quilt – lovely dress fabrics, great use of color.

My heart sings!

What do you call a block with 8 four-patches?

Double Double 4-patch??

Quadruple 4-Patch?

(Double-4-patch times four!)

There wasn’t room to lay out this whole quilt and fit in in the photo – but I adore this quilt for the hand quilting that was evidently accomplished with great gusto and ZERO marking.

This quilter was in the “aim and shoot” category, come what may.

And evidently her aim was off a time or two.

Oh well, just go with it!

Why are we so all caught up in things being perfect?

Perfect things leave behind no story.

Strawberry.  Or Caesar's Crown.  Or something.

Another fun scrap bagger best accomplished by hand piecing.

Fun fabric choices and great scrap rescue!

Some stripes and plaids cut off grain – however the template would fit.

But the color combos!

Aqua & grey.

Purple & yellow.

Red and blue.

No fear of busy prints, stripes or plaids.

Circa 1950s – binding was scrappy and machine applied.

Some quilts came from kits!

Applique kit quilts became popular in the 1920s and were available all the way through the 1970s through mail order catalogs.  The fabrics came printed with the outline of the pieces. Simply cut out the pieces and applique them down to the base fabric also marked with the ever-present blue placement lines.

Center bouquet.

The quilting design was also marked with blue dots that never quite washed out.  But still – consider ALL of the hours of applique and quilting that went into a quilt like this.  I have a couple in my own collection that came down from my dad’s mom’s family – no one knows who made them.  An aunt?  A cousin?  I love that they now live within my own family line.

So pretty!

Of course I love the dogwood blossom best – but those periwinkle star flowers run a close second.  Okay.  I love it all!

Another rare find for me!

Cheddar and periwinkle blue double wedding ring with solid arcs!

Some things to notice – the outer edges have incomplete rings.  It’s not often that you see this.  And we can tell which ends were used as “top and bottom” because they are the most worn places on the quilt.

Simple straight line quilting – unmarked.

4 lines per arc.

Crosshatching in the blue – likely also placed by eye.

The stories are in the stitches!

Find a great big bottle – and fill it with buttons!

I love the color and the texture.

Things in vintage boxes.

Martha is a retired college English professor – we had a great time talking about the advertising copy on this box, circa 1930s.  It’s a slippery slope down from proper English to slang right here, right now!

Notice the Mix’em! Freeze’em! Slice’em! Bake’em!  There goes the neighborhood.  LOL!

No Fuss.  No bother.  No rolling pin.

The moulds inside were all “bridge party” shaped – clubs, spades, hearts & diamonds.  “Ice box cookies, the Ace of the party!”  Well, okay then.

And these two “Moonstone” dishes came home to reside at Quiltville Inn!

I’m thrilled to say I got ALL of the major things crossed off my to-do list and erased from the huge white board on the wall at the QPO.  FEELS SO GOOD!  My blog post for the C&T blog about the Garden Party table runners and more was sent off yesterday as well.

One of the things that needed doing?  With a new glasses prescription, I have sent off my Craftoptics to have the lenses replaced with my NEW prescription.  Did you know they offer this service?  I can keep using my Craftoptics  for all of my close work and always have the ability to update my lenses to my newest prescription.

This time I am opting for the whole lens to be my close up reading prescription instead of going bifocal.  It’s going to give me a bigger viewing area that will be more comfortable for my eyes.  Let’s face it, I mostly only LISTEN to the TV as I stitch.  And I love the magnification and the light right there on my work.

This is a shameless plug with no other affiliation other than the fact that I love my Craftoptics and the company and how they stand behind their products –

When I made arrangements to send my Craftoptics in with the new prescription, they let me know that they currently have a sale running and I wanted to pass the info on to those who are sitting on the fence on whether to order or to wait -

“We are having a 10th anniversary (we've been at this 10 years!!) summer sale that starts Monday that will give people $75 off the WOW Package (magnifying eyeglasses, light, travel case). Anyone who  uses the coupon code SUMMER19 will receive the special.”

My craftoptics have helped me keep on doing and loving the handwork and other close work that is such a part of me.  It’s worth every penny.

Meeting up with some dinner companions in Wytheville VA!

I found a message from Elaine aka @messygoat that she, her mom and her daughter were traipsing through my neck of the woods on a search for her brother Tom who was nearing the end leg of his Trans-American bike ride from Astoria, Oregon all the way to Jamestown, Virginia.  This meant they were going to have to stop for dinner somewhere, and of course a stop at Batiks Etc was on the agenda.  I had just finished up for the day and headed out the 45 minute drive to meet up with them and celebrate their finding of Tom, and the Summer Solstice.  What fun!

This morning from the cabin.  Click to Play:

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I caught this just at the right time- I saw the sunlight slanting through the misy post-rain trees and wanted to capture it in a photo and this video. By the time I was done talking the light was gone. If I hadn't have looked I would have missed it! . . Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone! . . . . #quilt #quilting #patchwork #quiltville #bonniekhunter #goodmorning #sunrise #godlight #sunlight #saturday #quiltlife #virginia #mouthofwilsonva #graysoncountyva #swva #virginiaisforlovers #iloveva #virginiaisforquilters #loveva #bonniehunter #quilter

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Jun 22, 2019 at 4:26am PDT

There is only a couple of things left to do this morning and I am out the door and on my way back home to Wallburg, and flying out to San Luis Obispo tomorrow morning.

Seven Sister’s Quilt Show – here I come!

Quiltville Quote of the Day

This is your brain. This is your brain on quilts!

Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone!