Revised Beyond The Cherry Trees Block 6
March 7th, 2010 by Gayle
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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. |
March 7th, 2010 by Gayle
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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. |
March 7th, 2010 by Gayle
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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. |
March 6th, 2010 by Gayle
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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. |
March 2nd, 2010 by Gayle
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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! |
February 14th, 2010 by Gayle
![]() This is about as excited as Clutch is going to get over Valentine’s Day
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February 7th, 2010 by Gayle
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Working on hidden stitches in this month’s block and found the stems |
January 20th, 2010 by Gayle
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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. ![]() 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. |
January 11th, 2010 by Gayle
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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. ![]() 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. |
January 6th, 2010 by Gayle
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Let’s start at the very beginning, 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? 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………….. |
December 29th, 2009 by Gayle
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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.
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