Sentimental Stitches

This breath of spring block now has a few more layers, some hidden stitches found and a cute cheddar bird but I think it’s complete.


Here’s the center flower with the additional layer outline stitched and the tiny bird.


It turns out the two flowers on the sides of the block are not the same as I first thought. This is the one on the right with the additional bottom layer of green outline stitched.


I was really excited when I took out the magnifying glass to look more closely at the flower on the left. The tiny brown pieces of fuzz looked like they might be more of the purple print fabric originally used for the grapes but I’m not sure.


I did some reverse stitching on one of the flowers to take a look at what might be left of the fabric underneath. It doesn’t appear to have any print design on it.


The fabric seems to match up to the worn away fabric in another block that was used for leaves and stems so I think it’s pretty safe to assume the lower layers were green.
I think I’ll decide on a fabric for the center of the lower left flower when I get to it. If purple looks good – I’ll use it. If not, I’ll go with the green.

You can download the revised block – HERE

Last night I kept looking at the two block pictures I uploaded for this month’s Beyond The Cherry Trees block and darn it all, there were hidden stitches staring me right in the face. It looked like a simple fix of just adding the quilting designs to each side of the block. Not too worry, the block is the correct size with all it’s leaves but there’s a little more to it so I’ve taken the file down until I can make some additions and will post it again later today.


Here’s the hidden flower quilted on the right side of the block.


This is the empty space where a flower was quilted on the left side of the block.

After this discovery I decided I’d better pry the quilt away from Clutch who had claimed it to cushion his perch on the corner of the couch. Not wanting to disturb him I drafted the pattern working from a photo copy I’d made of the block a long time ago. Okay, okay, yes, Clutch is one spoiled Mama’s boy and the lesson learned here is to draft the pattern from the actual block on the quilt because look what I found.


See that little snippet of cheddar fabric? That’s what’s left of the tail feathers on a tiny bird. Need to add that!


I think there is a bottom layer the this flower where the fabric is completely gone. Need to determine the original color and add that!


I think there is a bottom layer to these flowers where the fabric is completely gone. Need to determine the original color and add these!

Sorry guys, I’ll be back in a while with the corrections.

I hope everyone’s enjoying the blocks from the Cherry Tree quilt. It was fun taking pictures earlier this week. It’s amazing what you see when a quilt is hanging and your eye takes it in all at once.

Block 6 is like the breath of Spring we’re longing for in snow covered Michigan. It’s filled with flowers nearly edge to edge with two multi-layer tulips at the top.



The Sally Post Floral Sampler block for March is a fun pink vase filled with flowers that would brighten anyone’s day. It’s actually a block I could make over and over again because it has so many color possibilities.

With all those circle flowers this block would be perfect for a Polka Dot Garden project. I’ll have to give that some thought!



Retired block of the month patterns can be purchased in the Online Store.

As Clutch and I put the finishing touches on Block 6 of our Polka Dot Garden Beyond The Cherry Trees quilt I thought you might enjoy seeing one of the photographs we took today. I got out my trusty adjustable quilt stand, shoved furniture out of the way and took over 150 pictures. Halfway through I decided to start saving for a new camera because I really want to improve the quality of the pictures I take but these aren’t too bad and haven’t made their way through Photoshop yet which will make improvements.

Here’s the first full picture of the entire quilt. No Photoshop work on it yet. I have about 30 other shots to review before I select the final version but it’s fun to look at this one and think about the fact there isn’t a single machine stitch in the whole quilt!

In addition, the first four blocks are now available for purchase in the Online Store if you’re just joining us in making the quilt.

The fabric requirements will remain a free download on the quilt’s page but fabric requirements for the individual blocks are provided with each pattern.

Back to drawing at the light box. This month’s block is a real beauty. You’re going to love it!

This is about as excited as Clutch is going to get over Valentine’s Day


but if you take a trip over to Bunny Hill’s blog you’ll see Chelsea has captured the spirit of the day.



Be sure to tell Chelsea how cute she looks because Anne has a nice give-a-way to celebrate Valentine’s Day too.

Love to you all!

Working on hidden stitches in this month’s block and found the stems
on one side of the block stopped before they reached the center stem.
The ends are finished so it must have been done for a reason but why???

Sometimes I come across something I can’t wait to share with you and I’ve really had to hold myself back as I work on the My Life In Stitches pages.
With my continuing lust for all things polka dot I knew I was doomed when I came across the hand tinted print for the Corsage Bouquet quilt in one of the F. A. Wurzburg salesman’s books.

My first thought was “oh, there’s quilting stencil No. 61″ - which would mean absolutely nothing to you but to someone who wouldn’t dare guess how many quilting stencils they’ve stamped, cut, stickered, pulled, packaged and mailed it made me pause. It really stopped me in my tracks when I looked at the fun appliqué block that inspired the stencil.
I know the colors look funny but they didn’t have color photos when these books were made so the colors were hand painted and detailed to represent the fabrics. Wait until you see some of the other paintings, they’re wonderful.

“Those are polka dot flowers”!


It was a perfect Polka Dot Garden project and I just had to share it with you. How hard can it be to write up instructions for a straight set block quilt?
Well let me tell you how it goes with these very special quilts -
I had the quilt kit name and number Corsage Bouquet No. 3597 which is a great starting point but from there I gingerly begin looking up information in



one of group of very fragile books like these.



If I’m lucky the pages are in order and the kit number appears in the first book with all the information I need right there. Lots of times there’s a gap in the numbers and the quilt I’m looking for is missing or if I find it there’s a notation somewhere on the page that it was issued as one number but is actually a reissue of another number…. and the search begins again.




Sometimes I get distracted by adorable little bunnies like this guy who was resting nearby or I notice a name like Caden listed as the quilter and my mind wanders thinking about two more stories with mysteries of their own to solve and tell you about.

It didn’t help when the laptop started acting up yesterday and I got the bright idea to give you the block sized for what I discovered was called a Lounge Quilt. Who knew in the early 1900s that Lap quilts were Lounge Quilts! I rather like that term and today alone came across pages listing Lounge Quilts. Numbers were there but no pictures. It’ll drive me crazy until I see what those quilts look like ( I know they were appliqué and one had a large bouquet) but I’m getting nervous about how many times I dare search through fragile boxes, envelopes and pages before things begin to fall apart? Each time I seem to lose a corner or two. Tonight is not the time to think about all that.

I think the pattern is finished and as I slip off to dreamland I’ll try to decide if I’m going to baste under the edges of large circles or small ones tomorrow and do I want bias strips for my wreath around the corsage or use green rick rack (how cool would that be!). Do I want all polka dot fabrics or prints?

You can download the pattern HERE

The picture of the gentleman in the last post is my Father, Garrett Raterink, as a young man.

The picture of the quilt is Wurzburg kit quilt No. 3579 Bunnies. I have a top finished, layers basted together and ready to quilt but at the time I made it I didn’t have any of the antique fabrics originally used and there weren’t any reproduction fabrics available so I never finished it because I just couldn’t stand the fabric choices I’d made. The bunnies are bright pink as I remember. Yikes! What was I thinking. I’ll see if I can find it tomorrow and take a picture to show you what I mean.

I don’t know when I first learned what a quilt was. Quilts, quilting and quilters have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Growing up I always in awe of the wonderful, endearing things my Father would bring out from what seemed like magical places. When I wanted a new dress for my baby doll he’d disappear for a few minutes….

only to return with something beautiful like this pink polka dot creation complete with organdy slip and lace trimmed bonnet.

As I grew older and learned to sew, I mentioned I was wondering what to use for hair on a doll I wanted to make.

Envelopes filled with curly and braided mohair in variety of colors appeared….



from a neatly labeled drawer like these. There was tiny rick rack, miniature buttons or a selection of little embroidered appliqués for me to choose from too. Daddy always had something for me to work with and a story about where each thing came from and what it was used for would follow.


When I thought I wanted to make my first quilt, Daddy let me choose a set of little rabbit quilt blocks from a box filled with envelopes stacked, labeled and filled with sets of quilt blocks ready for embroidery.
Inside my envelope were skeins of cotton and rayon embroidery floss to stitch the blocks with. Before long I had them finished. Some of my stitches are pretty big (toe nail catchers actually) but I thought they were perfect. My favorites were the ones with polka dots on the clothes. No surprise there!



I put the quilt together with alternating muslin rectangles and tied it with yarn. I’ve often thought of taking it all apart to do over again but can’t quite make myself do it.
If you’d like to stitch the Little Bunnies, the pattern is available in the Online Store.

I must have been about 12 or 13 when I thought I wanted to make my first patchwork quilt. Special metal dies were brought out, calico fabrics were layered, cut and stacked in neat little piles ready for me to sew.


This was the ambitious project I’d chosen! What was I thinking?


I picked out red prints for the fan blades, a red solid fabric for the handle and a white background. They were small blocks and I got bored after making just a few of them. The whole project was put in a box, taken up to the attic and sadly I have no idea what happened to it. The quilt was Wurzburg No. 4009 Grandmother’s Fan.

Enough storytelling for tonight — I posted another Midget Block for you and I’m going to add the Grandmother’s Fan and bunny quilts to the My Life in Stitches pages.

Let’s start at the very beginning,
A very good place to start.

When you read you begin with:

A – B – C

When you sing you begin with do re mi

Do you know this song? It’s the one Maria used to teach the children how to sing in the movie The Sound of Music. It’s been going round and round in my head since last week when we watched the movie on television. It started to spin even faster while I was sorting through some of my antique quilts on Monday. How many of you remember the words to the song or what year the movie was in the theater?
Time goes by and before we know it we’re scratching our heads wishing we could answer one of those million dollar questions.

Did you ever look at a quilt, wishing you knew how a quilter came up with the idea to use a design the way they did? Don’t you wish you could ask them or just Google that?!

Do you know who this is? Okay, okay, it’s me and Clutch.


How about this gentleman?


Or this quilt?

I’ll bet 90% of you have no idea who he is, the name of the quilt or who designed it. Those are questions I can (and should) answer along with many, many more. I hope you’ll join me on the journey as I document My Life in Stitches.

Let’s start at the very beginning…………..



PS. The Sound of Music was in theaters during the Spring of 1965.

It’s been a busy time around here with all the parties and family gatherings for Christmas. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and were able to sneak a few stitches in here and there.

I think I’ll keep the tree up until just after New Years. I’m not quite ready to pack it all away.




Some of us got caught up in the excitement of Christmas morning opening their gifts.




Only to collapse in a heap by the end of the day!

It was nice to have both boys and Rob’s Mother here for the day but it exhausted Clutch beyond belief. He didn’t want to miss a thing and by the end of the day we all wondered how he was still standing. I think he slept most of the day after Christmas too.

There’s a new Midget Block for those of you stitching and collecting them. It’s Block 90!




I also posted Section 7 of the Shipshewana Amish Quilt.