Baskets, Berries and Leaves, by Jan Patek and Alma Allen

 Last night I was looking for an orange plaid homespun for an internet friend, have had this drawer full of all things orange or orange/red for Baskets, Berries & Leaves, a BOM from 1998. 

 I intend to make it someday.  I have been collecting those fabrics since 1998. 

I must have got side tracked, thinking you won't make the whole quilt and made one block into a wall hanging.  The design is one that has to be made, so I hold on to those fabrics.  I will make it.

So I had one more place to look for fabrics, some boxes in a closet. Didn't find the fabric.  Instead I found of box of cards and letters from long ago.  Of course some were from Jim or the cats, he would write for the cats.

I dream a lot. And I often dream about Jim as I did last night. I woke myself up this morning singing the song from Dirty Dancing, "I've Had the Time of My Life."  The cats were looking at me with a strange look that cats can have as I belted out that song, probably because I can't really sing, but it felt good.

Hospitality Sweets by Jan Patek and Sue Spargo

I was happy to find this old BOM from Jan Patek and Sue Spargo in one of my quilting boxes.  I had completely forgotten about it.  It's a very old BOM from the ladies of prim, especially to see the combination of Jan and Sue, goes way back. Will have to keep it out on my ladder as a project that has to be made.

My neighbor brought over this apron for me to see.  She is always looking for a way for me to get back into business making and selling creations.  I love this apron, it's entirely made by some excellent seamstress, the apron is handmade and the giraffe is hand appliqued.  Hope you can see how she made his ears.  The ears are wide strips of fabric that have been folded over.  Very creative.  I can see it made Montana style with bears or cabins.  There is no tag, wish I knew who made it.

I sewed for 4 hours on the third block from Imperial Blooms today, no painting today, I said to myself, relax and sew.  I worked on all the embellishment stitches and still only half done.  I don't know how Sue sews so fast.

Bible Quilt

Silly me, I've never made a Noah quilt, I made the Bible Quilt that you see here. No wonder I want to make a Noah quilt. A pic of the Bible quilt on the ceiling where it hangs now and on the carpet with Mickey at the very edge back in 2005 when I made it. Another awesome Noah quilt, this is from Jan Patek's new book, Country Quilts for Your Soul and this is it hanging at the quilt show in Nantes where she is at the moment.

Feather Star Girl Gang 2004

Finally put the binding on this queen size quilt from Jan Patek's Girl Gang series from 2004.
Considering the triangles, which I hate making and all the hand appliqué and hand quilting, seven years in the making doesn't sound that bad. I used linen thread for the quilting and am just adding a running stitch with linen thread for now so I can use it on Jim's bed. I have moved into his room to be closer to the cats and memories.

OH, DEER

I know there's a Christmas song about Santa and his reindeer and the hooves on the rooftop, need to have children to remember that song.

Anyway, laying in bed this morning with my first cup of coffee, thinking about Christmas and what we would do today, Jim doesn't go out much, to church or dinner. So I'm thinking about that when I hear noises down below on the deck. Loud noises, stomping noises. So I get up and go downstairs, Jim is still asleep and I go to the front door, and behold. A female deer. She's walking around on the deck looking for food. Not great pictures since I had to take them thru the screen, didn't want to scare her and have her break a leg jumping off the deck.

And then a picture of the quilt I had on the table that Fiesta asked about, it's and old Brannock & Patek panel fabric piece that I just quilted and use as a tablecloth. Very vintage piece of fabric.

And a Christmas gift to myself, I found Yoko Saito's book Woolwork 2004 on Ebay.
Thank you Geli.

It was bound to happen,

dropped my digital camera in the snow so until I can buy a new one, good thing it was only a point and shoot and bought it with points, I can't post anything new, would like to show my Irish purse, can't believe I came up with a design, just think green, lots and lots of green. Anyway, I posted one of my favorite Jan Patek quilts, the Bible quilt, I made it in 2005 I think, very prim, Jan's remaking it this year as a Mystery quilt, the mystery is the fabric she's using, and that's Mickey, our now deceased Siamese cat who lived to be 18 years old, came up here with us from Texas.

Another Collector's Block

I finally found the time to cut out the next block for the Collector Series, nice to just do some simple needle turn applique.

The Recipe for Friendship is finished with a label, wrapped and ready for our party at work on Friday, wow, I can get things done when I don't have to work. I think when the weather is snowy, I can get more things done in the house also, but back to work tomorrow. Will be dodging those deer.

Just some new arrivals today

Glad I made a run to the postoffice, waiting for me were two sets of cotton and wool threads I had ordered, was becoming too expensive to hunt out one spool at a time and they just happened to have two books from Sue Spargo that I don't have. And a freebie, So Scrappy magazine that has Kathie Holland's quilt on the front, gorgeous.

And then finally the outside of the sweater purse is finished, the front and then the back is a big flower on the pocket. Can't do wool for awhile, my fingers are a mess, have to go back to work anyway so that will be my break, so back to my needle turn, the next block of the Collector's series.

A Few Birthday Gifts

A few Birthday gifts from friends, gift certificates to buy a lot of vintage Brannock and Patek fabrics, I'm in heaven with these fabrics, a Whimsical book, and a unusual flower pattern by Material Girl Designs, that I liked for the buttons and will change it all to wool. Some beautiful flannels and the large ricrac I've been looking for to add as trim to a pattern I need to make.

QUILTS I LOVE

Some I've made, some I have patterns for, and some I hope to buy one day. I do have all the Patek older patterns, they are so representative of what the older primitive folk art patterns were. Working on getting these of Sue's, don't have the newest pattern of the wonderful little Crow quilt by Lynda and the little funky Christmas tree I just found by a designer by the name of Material Girl Designs, would have to change it to wools. And then Cheri Saffiote-Payne, had to believe I've never made a pattern of hers. And some day, when I'm ninety I will have made one of Harriot Power's Bible quilts.

More Collector Series

I don't have another design wall, so when I'm making blocks for a quilt, I just pin them to the wall, it's my wall so I can pin if I want to, (what I tell Jim), this wall contains the last of the blocks I've finished, I have another wall in the hallway with the other blocks. And then a pic of the next block, this is going faster than I thought it would with all the diversions of life.

And a huge congratulation to Jeni of Woolen Willow who is publishing a primitive magazine. It's about time prim quilters had their own magazine. You can find her blog on my links and see the details and see her shop also.

STARK RAVEN MAD & A MOTHER BEAR & HER CUB

Started the process of another block From Cherie's Start Raven Mad Quilt, using mostly wool with Brannock & Patek fabrics.


And a huge surprise looking out the kitchen window to see a female black bear and her little cub. Was able to go outside without disturbing them to take two quick pictures. You can barely see the little cubs ear coming from behind the rock, the cub is so much darker than the mother. In all our years here, we have seen bears and cubs, but never on our property. Sweet moment for me.

COLLECTOR SERIES AGAIN

Glue basted another 4 segments of another installment from the Collector Series. Love working with these old vintage Brannock & Patek fabrics, have such a different feel to them in your hands, it's hard to explain.

Oh, as I'm typing this a black bear just passed outside the window, is very cool and rainy right now, he was easily scared away when I went to see if I could snap a picture. Looked healthy, but soaking wet.

Another Collector's Block

This time I showed how I start, pick the fabrics, trace the freezer paper, iron the freezer paper, cut out the fabric about 1/4" from the freezer paper, never mark the fabric, saves time, it's prim anyway, glue baste my pieces and off to applique.

LOOKING FORWARD, TO OCTOBER THAT IS

Good to finally have a nice weekend, brain and body feels rested and the ton of appointments that Jim has had to have are all completed. He's on a CPAP now at night and it has done wonders for him in just the few days he has had it. He still feels awkward about wearing it, but I am and he should be well past that "awkward" stage after all that has happened.

So lots of football watching, watched the Farm Aid concert, takes me back 26 years when it first started with Willy Nelson back when we were in Texas.

So I'm finally back stitching on the Collector Series, even if it was a simple block, love the feel of the old fabric and love this block, would make a wonderful lap quilt. And it is as dark as it looks. My kind of prim, needle turn applique, is there any other kind if you are stitching primitive.

The Collector Series

The Collector Series is still available on Jan Patek's website, I bought mine a year or so ago on Ebay.

The next picture is my wonderful win from Minick and Simpson, great pattern, love the horses and a bag of wonderful fabric scraps.