What a Difference a Weekend Can Make
I tempted fate with my back still not feeling 100% and decided that I had not sewn in my studio for far too long. I got to spend the whole weekend, or the majority of it, in studio at the sewing machine. It was really great.
These are the weekly quilts for March. The theme is “Historic Lady Collage”. I had envisioned these being more “crusty” for collage, but I lose courage to continue to alter them, so the paint and stamping ideas went by the wayside. Part of the reason to leave that be was that I used some hand-dyed damask napkins I thrifted. There were only 3 napkins, and they were stained, so dyeing them last year was a fun project.
The quotes are what the ladies actually said, usually attributed through letters. I had envisioned Marie Antoinette saying “Let them eat cake”, but that has been since not been attributed to her. So the even more fun “Don’t Worry, I’ll be fine” is somehow better. Prophetic.
I also made these cute Vintage Romance ATCs for a swap I’m in at Atcsforall.com. I made one extra for me, and one extra to swap later. I used some hand made vintage French lace on these that I almost couldn’t cut into. They turned out so sweet.
I’m excited to get more sewing done this week, and next weekend should make progress on “The Road to Home”. I hope to show it in May.
September Family Collages – #4
I traveled so much in September I barely had time at home, much less time to post these lovelies. I knew I would be on the road a lot, so I prequilted the backgrounds, and took along the baggie of things to attach to them in the collage style. I was the perfect hand project to take with me on my travels and I would consider this again for that reason. The fabrics all came from a fat eighth pack of Fossil Ferns all matched in these muted colors, and it was the perfect pallatte for the theme. Additionally, the photos were all fused onto the colored prints, for a texture and added “sepia” effect. 
This particular quilt is all about the wedding I can’t find a record for. My grandmother never celebrated her wedding anniversary, and no one seems to recall when it was. Neither grandma or grandpa are with us any more to tell us. When doing research on this, you have to know where and when in order to get a copy of the record. How silly that I can find a record of a wedding in the 1700’s, but not from the 1940’s. It’s like a big secret I’m not supposed to know.
I ran out of the little burgundy trim, which was supposed to go all the way around the quilt, not just the word “secrets”. The edge feels a bit unfinished in that I had nothing to really match or go with it in my travel baggie. The big key is from some big junk box from my mom’s old house, and the mini keys are to all of my diaries I kept as a kid. I feel that the border still needs something to darken it up, but I don’t want an oppressive color either…
September Family Collages – #3
Here is more of the September weekly quilt project that I did not post due to traveling for work.
This piece has a lovely pair of photographs of my great grandparents, and their children. While shopping in the Antique Center in Savage Mill in Maryland, I live to stop at a booth called the Treasure Trove. They have all manner of antique linens and lace, and this lace was bought from them. It’s Belgian handmade bobbin lace. The piece was the perfect size. The buttons are partly from my friend Amy’s stash, and supplemented with some from The Queen’s Ink. The little baggie of buttons was $2. The lace was $4 or so, which is not bad! It included the littel purple button in the center, so I included it on the piece.
September Family Collages – #2
I did do my weekly quilt project for the month of Spetember, just did not post them due to traveling. Here is week 2:
This quilt represents my 3 grandfathers who were in WWII. (My grandmother on my mother’s side remarried.) On each of the photos was written a little note, which I turned into applique-ed phrases. I beaded and trimmed the piece but had little else to put on it until I went to the Queen’s Ink in Maryland, and found a pack of gears by Tim Holtz’s Idea-ology line, called Sprocket Gears. It was just the righ “manly” touch for the work, and could be easily sewn on.
September Family Collages- #1
I did do my weekly quilt project throughout September, I just had no time to update them due to traveling. Here is the first quilt:
