Merry Christmas!

Hoping this holiday season is bringing peace and joy to all, no matter how it's celebrated.

Quilt Reading

One regret from my brief career in a quilt shop was that I didn't purchase more quilt history books when I had the chance. Those state quilt books, most of which were put together by quilt search projects, are beautiful, chock full of inspiration, and unfortunately, usually in print only briefly. And also unfortunately, there aren't a lot of reasonably priced second chances--these don't seem to be the kind of quilt books that turn up at Half Price Books. I know, I've looked.

So I've been trying to pick up a few as I've had the chance and here's the latest addition to the bookshelf. ...In print and available at amazon.com BTW.


This book is a beauty. Lots of gorgeous early quilts with great depth of design and labor-intensiveness--many of these quiltmakers were obviously settled, comfortable, and had some means. They weren't struggling out on the prairie in a soddy or in a covered wagon and making just utility quilts. They were making heritage and were well aware of it.

The quilts in this book are just jaw-dropping, considering they were made without rotary cutters and strip piecing. I've done a couple Lone Stars in my life, but nothing like this.



And this--the combination of piecing and applique adds up to a good deal more than the sum of the parts.

Swoon...


Then after pages of staid quilting tradition, you turn the page to find this exuberance:



Pretty exciting stuff!

I'm anxious to get through the holidays and getting back to sewing quilts and not just reading about them.

The Sweet Tooth

This is the week when so many of us are kitchen-centered. Lots of alchemy--candy and cookies are happening. It's such a delight--what butter and sugar can do. I've been making candies as I've had time in the last few days for gifting to friends and co-workers. I saw this recipe for Salted Pistachio Brittle and had to try it right away. I've loved pistachios since I was a kid and we'd buy bags of them on the way home from school and gobble them up, staining our fingers from the red-dyed shells.

This is a real dancing-on-the-edge recipe--the butter/sugar mixture has to be cooked almost to the point of burning and grabbed off the fire at the last possible minute.


The mixture turns a deep amber as it cooks. Then a fast dance--stir in the pistachios and spread it all on a baking sheet while it's still hot and spreadable.


Once the candy cools, it can be broken into pieces. I love the green of the pistachios next to the deep color of the candy. Very visually satisfying and yummy too.

Happy Spargo Days

Winter has arrived, and with it the urge for cocooning and tending to handwork, especially WOOL handwork. In other words, where the heck is that Sue Spargo project I haven't touched since last summer??

Our Spargo group had its first meeting in a loooong time this past weekend. We stayed at Olive and Me Retreat in Palmyra, Wisconsin, just a quick hop from home for all of us. Olive and Me is owned by one member of our group, accomodating 6 to 8, perfect for our small band of sewists.

With Gingerbread Martinis, chardonnay, cookies, and carrot cake for imbibing, and various family events and drama to hash over, it's a wonder we got any work done at all, but we did. Progress is slow on this project, but joy of joys--I am now working on block 11 of 12! Some stitching is done, other parts are glued in place, awaiting stitching.




The blocks may be sewn, but there is still embellishment to do on most of them--beads, buttons, and extraneous embroidery. I'm sure I can while away another year before I even get around to assembling the blocks.



And then of course there will be the borders to applique... I don't think the Spargo group will be disbanding any time soon.

Snowy Morning

This is the sight from my house this morning--more than eight inches (by my reckoning) of heavy, wet snow. Despite the fact that every school district within thirty miles is closed, our little library is open today.

So this must be dealt with:


And this is my commute!


The good news is the library will close at mid-afternoon so that everyone can get home before dark.

Happy winter...

Thinking Small

Sitting here tonight as the first really big snowstorm of the year pounds my part of the country. Predictions are for up to a foot of snow, and then the big drifting winds will kick in. That's what generally causes the real trouble... But despite the disruption it brings, the snow surely has its own beauty; hope to get out tomorrow and take some pictures.

We all seem to need frequent reminders to take note of the little things in life, smelling the roses and all that. Maybe we need to be reminded to think small and make little things too--the joyful small hand-crafts that make everyday life a pleasure. Maybe the small object is a useful thing or maybe it's just a beautiful thing to look at. Either way--well worth the time.

I made this pincushion as my contribution to the gift exchange at our Seams group holiday bash, which was held last week.

It's based on a pattern called Floral Pincushion in the book You're Invited by Barb Adams and Alma Allen , but of course I had to change it a bit. Mainly, I made it bigger. Yes, the bright flower is a bit more Sue Spargo than Alma Allen,


but when did strictures of pattern or designer ever hold me back? I'm happy to say the recipient liked this small object. It was fun to make, took only an evening or two, and was a very satisfying small project made, I might add, totally from scraps on hand.

And lucky me, I came home from the party with this jewel-like sachet pillow, filled with fragrant lavender.


The maker certainly "loved every stitch".



And I love it too! It will find a home in a place where I'll pass it often and look and enjoy.

I need to make more things like this...

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A big thank you to all those who had such very nice things to say about my Double Ninepatch quilt. We all love a finished quilt, don't we? You've all made me feel like I was walking about eighteen inches off the ground today--the blogging community is pretty special. Thanks again.

The Double Ninepatch!

It took me long enough, but at long last, the Double Ninepatch is completed. Yippee!



This quilt has been underway for nearly a year. It's attended several retreats, as well as the state library conference in October. It patiently languished all summer while I made the wedding dress and was a constant presence on my design wall.

Originally this was to have been a quilt of Subdued Color Scheme, but that orange just kind of crept in. Funny how that happens. It's just hard for me to work with a subdued palette.

And originally, this quilt was to have had an applique border. But once the blocks were made and laid out, the consensus among my quilting friends was that I ought to leave it borderless. So I did as I was told.


As a result, a considerable amount of the fabric that was to have been the borders is still just waiting to find a home somewhere. And it will, eventually.

Lessons learned on this quilt? That orange sashing got BRIGHT and took over. Suddenly the double ninepatch blocks turned into background for the sashing. There are always color lessons to be learned, aren't there?


Maybe I should have re-made the sashing in quieter colors. But I didn't. At that point I had a strong need to just get on with it. It's a whole different quilt now than what was first planned. The quilt showed the way...

Also, I liked the unbordered look. I'll be doing more like this.

By the way, disregard the swoosh of an alien paint color on the wall in one of these shots. Some decorating is going to begin in this bedroom and we've been testing colors. That color did not win.