visiting my quilts

I spent a few days traveling to visit my mother, stopping by my sister Beth.
And, checking out the care of quilts of mine living at their houses!

Here is my Aunt Betty (who sewed on a grasshopper green Elna) and my mom (who sewed on a Pfaff 330 that my dad bought for her when he was stationed in Germany).

 

 I love this coop building. We are losing so many of our agricultural buildings. Barn and outbuilding upkeep is expensive. And many coop buildings are being torn down for larger storage facilities, so I was glad to see this one is in good repair.

 Looking north at the home place fields.

 Plum trees in the fencerows at the Hibma place. Ready to blossom--I'm sorry that I missed that by about 2 days.

taking apart a sewing room

My next door neighbor Laurie called today--the children of the neighbors on the other side of them are clearing the house out. When their mother died about 17 years ago they closed the door to her sewing room, not to open it again until today.
Laurie brought many, many boxes and bags to her porch and started calling the neighbors.
Those of us with sewing friends each took about a third of what was left and brought to our own porches.
My friends will be coming tomorrow. Friend Sharon Sikes refers to such finds as "dead women's notions". A macabre but funny term that comes to mind every time I see sewing items at a thrift store.

Anyway, this is my definitely keep pile from Lorraine's stash. She was an avid quilter in the 80's and 90's and included in this pile are some lovely pieces from the first Smithsonian collection. Also some favorite fabrics from my past that I used up and am delighted to be able to add back into my current works. They will be a wonderful reminder of Lorraine who was a dear neighbor who would grow tomatoes in vast quantities so that she could have an excuse to visit all the neighbors on the block and drop off a few every evening in the late summer.  If we weren't home, we would find them on our porches. I was privileged to do some care for her in her dying days.

My quilting small group has discussed that we need to assist each others families when our sewing rooms need to be taken apart. It is an honor to do this duty.

Saint Patrick's Day is a fine day for a wedding

Andy and I celebrate 31 years of marriage!

A bit ahead of the current fashion, our friend, Amelia Griffin, a printmaking student, made letter press invitations with woodcuts of Iowa wildflowers. She made wildflower woodcuts for each of our children's birth announcements too.

end of the line

I think these are my last two spools of Mölnlycke. I love this thread. It has a mixture of being smooth with just enough "tooth" to it to make it a pleasure to hand sew with. Mölnlycke and Corticelli are both lost to us now, and I like Mettler and Gutterman and Aurifil and the Coats and Clark newer threads. But, I will miss my Mölnlycke!

postage stamp progress

My one or two blocks a week plan went out the window. I am finding myself thinking about this quilt while at work and can't wait to get home to work on a few more blocks.
I have 36 completed. I plan to make the quilt in the image of the block, so 64 blocks set 8 by 8.
28 to go!
All the solids are from my stash. This is using up lots of smaller leftovers. My 1 1/2 inch squares bin is noticeably reduced! But it still has plenty for the remaining blocks.

As with all scrap quilts, there is a lot of thought going into how I select fabrics. I include a few very low contrast scraps in each block to help break up the checkerboard effect. The solids are varied. Just a few clear brights. I am making sure to include light solids and drab solids to keep the "Easter Egg" look in check.

postage stamp

I've been making postage stamp blocks with my bin of 1 1/2 inch squares and cutting down various solids.
Each block has 64 squares, 32 solids and 32 scraps.
If I make a block or two a week there should be enough in about a year for a nice sized top.

emptying a drawer

47 by 69 inches

I had a goal in 2013 and 2014 to move every quilt project one step forward. Lots of bindings and labels got done. Backs got made for a pile of quilts tops and they were taken to my two long arm quilters who were asked to fit them in here and there as their schedules allowed. I will keep this goal again this year--no pressure to have to finish a certain number of projects, just continue to move each project one more step forward. My steps to move forward usually are to add a border, make a back, get it quilted, and do the binding/sleeve/label.

This quilt was made in 2009 from my 1 1/2 inch strip drawer. I was tired of the leftover short pieces I kept picking over for other projects and decided to use the snake method of sewing them into this.
Quilted by Suzette Fisher. She made mostly parallel lines, and added boxes with angled lines here and there. I love what she did.

It reminds me of woven rag rugs. Our neighbor growing up, Charlotte Pals, wove rugs for my mother and others in the community. I still have a few of hers and I buy them from other weavers because they are so beautiful.

Those two long white strips that show up in the middle make me smile--the serendipity of this method gives these wonderful surprises.

I pieced the back from terracotta fabrics--popular in the 1980s and on my shelves too long. I think there are another 6 backs worth of terracotta fabrics here. Bound with leftover green binding scraps.

doll quilts

Fairy Quilt
16 1/2 by 19 inches

Red and Blue Squares
16 by 18 1/2 inches

Made for our church auction supporting the youth work trip--Andy and Seth are going this year.

a quilt! (top)

A very busy start to a very busy semester, but I decided I needed to make something to feel like I am still a quilter.

60 red 2 inch squares
180 assorted 2 inch squares
54 aqua 3 by 6 1/2 inch rectangles
6 yellow 3 by 6 /12 inch rectangles

Finished size 36 by 40--a nice baby size and uses a single width of fabric for back.

My design--use at your pleasure.

the princess and the pea

When I was about five, my Aunt Betty gave my sister Janna and me each a dime to spend at the Hull Rexall Drug Store. I selected a book, The Princess and the Pea, even though it cost a quarter.
Aunt Betty was kind enough to cover the difference, and it became my favorite book.

The illustrations of the stacked mattresses and quilts come to mind often when I look at my work.
I had hoped to uncover my copy when we took apart our parents' house, but it was not to be found.
So, thanks to Alibris (and, this time, without Aunt Betty covering the difference) I was able to replace it and enjoy the illustrations once again.

Both my sisters stack the quilts I've given them in the Princess and the Pea style too!
Here is Beth's stack:

And here is Janna's:

vet bollen for the new year!

Vet Bollen--Traditional Dutch New Years Eve/Day treat!
(actually, Olie Bollen as I don't have a couple of quarts of lard in the house)

Sift together:
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1/4th rounded teaspoon of nutmeg

Whisk together:
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs

In small bowl, mix:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Stir in a bit of the buttermilk mixture into the soda mixture. Then stir into remaining buttermilk mixture. Fold into the flour mixture--you may need to add a bit more buttermilk if too dry. It will be a thick batter.
If desired, stir in raisins or chopped apple.

Drop by teaspoonsfull into hot oil or lard. Turn over when brown to fry other side. Remove to draining rack to cool.
Can shake in sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or leave plain.

Note--this is made with a home made baking powder concoction--the cream tartar and the baking soda and the acid of the buttermilk. This is more unstable that purchased baking powder so you need to use up the batter right away. I like it better than the purchased powder that can give a metallic taste to fried foods.

Happy Birthday to my mother

Henrietta is 85 today!
Both my mother and my mother-in-law have New Year's Eve birthdays.

visiting my quilts (and my family)

A wonderful Christmas season in that I was able to spend time in my mother's and both my sisters' homes. And, was able to visit my quilts!

Merry Christmas!

 In the aftermath of opening gifts.

AND, the An Extravagant Welcome quilt is installed! Two years after it was completed...
My uncooperative children, standing in front, are not impressed. Watch soon for detailed photographs.

cascadia quilt-a-long

As you can see, it is still in progress, but I want to share my version of Lori's Humble Quilts sew-a-long. I am not happy with my quilting of it, so it is being taking out and I will rethink. Come back soon to see it in all it's glory!
There are many quilts posted at her site, so take a look at the wonderful interpretations. Thanks, Lori, for another fun project.

Dykstra family, about 1976

The fashionistas of Northwest Iowa.

visiting my quilts--Christmas village edition

We were to a caroling party hosted by our friends Craig and Lisa this weekend and I was delighted to find them using one of my quilts as a backdrop for their Christmas village.

consumables for gifts

I prefer to give (and get) consumables for Christmas gifts. Here are some of my favorite purchases for this year. All but the last two can be ordered on Amazon, but I bought them all locally.

Stroopwafels, in either the honey or caramel version. Your Dutch friends will love you. Your non-Dutch friends will become ready converts. These are great placed over a steaming cup of tea or coffee to melt a bit. Any brand will do, but I like Daelman's hexagonal packaging! I've been finding them at Marshall's for $4.99.

 Love Crunch cereal by Nature's Path. I give a case to my grad-student son. About $4 a bag, but it comes on sale at our store and I've found it at Aldi for about $2.

Gerolsteiner Mineral Water. I buy this by the case (I prefer the glass bottles) and bring a bottle or two as hostess gifts for every holiday party we go to--a nice non-alcoholic addition to the bar. Costs about $3.60 a bottle at my local market.

Inglehoffer mustard. Also bought by the case and has been our neighbor gift for the past two years. A favorite activity on our block is giving each other small gifts. At $1.89 a jar, (and really cute with a bow stuck on top) it is a fun gift to give and get.

Another case purchase! We give this hand soap to the staff of our mother's assisted living home. $3.99 directly from Mrs. Meyers. I get a variety of scents, but my favorites are Iowa Pine, Rosemary, and Radish.

My favorite local jam, Pear Tree Preserves. Bought the Jam of the (every other) Month for my mother-in-law. Also bought jars for friends. $8 a jar.

Soy candles from Bright Endeavors, a social enterprise of New Moms here in Chicago, where they teach business concepts to young mothers. I was there today to purchase candles and talked with some of the young women as they prepared a big order of custom candles. They cost $4.50-$11.00. A great product from a great organization. And, as soybean farmers, a way for our family to promote our harvest!

I love driving down Lake Street

Happy Thanksgiving

Made 1993, adapted from a Country Threads pattern.