The Homestead

                                         The Homestead
 
There are three friends with whom I take turns making Christmas gifts. Each four year turn seems to come around faster each time. We started this craziness in 1987 when I made a wooden "Christmas Tree Napkin Holder". You can see my last gift in the July section of this blog (Garment Bags) http://cottonkapers.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html. We have had discussions as to how long we were going to continue this tradition. We decided we could bow out of our next turn only after the other three had opened your most recent gift. This year I announced this was going to be my last turn. We raised our families and have had many wonderful times in the "hood" and I felt I would leave the exchange with my interpretation of a somewhat primitive rendition of their "Homestead".


When I got the idea for my gift I went out in the car with my camera in hand and took photos of each home. I needed to take repeat photos when I was uncertain about a particular feature. I downloaded my photos to my Kodak software which has a "Coloring Book" feature. This made it easy to get a workable line drawing. I printed that drawing and took it to have it enlarged to the size needed. From that point it  soon became learn as you go.

The sizes of the pieces vary but measure approximately 16 1/2 by 24. The actual sizes are noted with each home.

Fabrics used are 100% cotton, buckram, Heat and Bond and chiffon
.


Techniques used are fused applique, free motion quilting, outline sewing, machine embroidery and hand sewing.

Gingerbread Houses 2011

Every year our Christmas Season begins with my Grandson's and I decorating Gingerbread Houses. Each year the decorations become more elaborate and the boys come up with new ideas. It is always great fun for us to continue one of our Christmas traditions.

The supplies are ready

Candy anyone?

This year they opted for bigger fireplace chimneys.

Front of Zack's House

 

 

 

 

 

Back of Zack's House

House backs-Jake's on the left, Zack's on the right.

Zack's chimney.

House fronts (Zack-L,Jake-R)

Front of Jake's House

Side of Jake's house.

Fireplace chimney on Jake's house.

New Addition

I received a surprise gift in the mail today. A "new addition" to my quilting studio. My friend Chesapeake, from the Norfolk Eagle Cam Open Chat, must have known just how desperately  my studio needed an official name with proper identification..

Thank you, Chesapeake LOL

Americana

Americana

Eagle Applique on back of quilt

Label

Block with eagle quilting

 This quilt began as a "Block of the Month" from the Byrne Sewing store in New Britian, PA following 9/11. I kept up with the blocks but never completed the quilt.

My grandson was in need of a quilt to replace his "I Spy" quilt which was well worn, although he did not think so. I decided to give him this quilt for his eleventh birthday.

After 9/11 there were many patriotic prints available and I collected many of them at fat quarter sales. I decided to use many of them in finishing this quilt. I believe I have 103 different prints in this 87"x 102" machine pieced and hand appliqued quilt. The quilt was machine quilted by Ruth Stonesifer.

The back of the quilt features a hand appliqued "Eagle" that I found in a old quilting magazine. The original eagle can be found on a quilt now in the Smithsonian Museum. http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&gkey=169&objkey=9552

This quilt is reversible although I think my grandson prefers the more colorful side.

Carrot Table Runner

This small table runner was made for Easter 2010. I also made two more for gifts. The body measures 14" x 24 1/2".

Broccoli Costume

So...... just what do you do when your grandson asks you to make him a "Broccoli Costume"? Well, you put your thinking cap on and get to work. I believe I bought 15 yards of green tulle and sat and made hundreds of individual poufs by hand. I remember him coming home from school one day and I had many of these poufs in a brown grocery bag. I asked "What do you think?" His answer- "Looks like brussel sprouts to me"! I told him it would be OK in time. After a few fittings we had a broccoli costume. The white store receipt embroidered on a piece of stabilizer to prevent tearing, reads Mr Millers Market complete with the price for broccoli.

This costume was made for Halloween 2009.

I asked him "why broccoli?" He explained that everyone in the school has been told by Mr Miller, the music teacher, how he hates broccoli. His teacher says his mother made him eat it too often as a child and he hated it. My grandson thought it would be funny to go as broccoli. The second photo shows my grandson and his teacher. Mr Miller has this photo as his screen saver and he tells my grandson it will remain on his computer forever. My grandson continues to take guitar lessons from one of his favorite teachers.

My grandson also wore the headpiece when he ran his "Mean Green Broccoli Machine" car, complete with broccoli on the top, in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby race. He certainly did not win for speed but he did win first prize for "originality".

More Provence and More

This small 36" x 42" wall hanging was made from the remainder of the Doreen Speckman fabrics.

It was machine pieced and machine quilted. It hangs in my studio.

My Dollies

My Dollies

Clothing and bag

Bag

Detail

This was a fun quilt to make. It brought me back to my childhood as I loved cutting out paper dolls and playing with them. The jumbo rick rack on the edge adds a wonderful old feel to the quilt.

This 100 % cotton quilt was hand appliqued, machine pieced and machine quilted. It was given to my friends granddaughter as a baby gift. I so love this quilt that I am going to make two more to leave to my grandsons in the event that they someday have a daughter.

Buds and Blooms

Buds and Blooms

Block

This quilt is one of my favorites. It is on my bed. It is made from many 1930 reproduction fabrics. The 100 % cotton 79 1/2 x 83 quilt is made by hand applique, machine piecing, trapunto (buds) and machine quilted by Ruth Stonesifer.


This quilt was chosen to be part of the "Quilts of the Delaware Valley" exhibition at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XVI held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks, PA held September 17-20, 2009.

 

Halloween

                                                                        Halloween

Under construction...........................

Provence and More

Block

Center Bloc

 This quilt started out as a hand piecing project. I did hand piece the nine blocks but decided to machine piece the remainder of the quilt in order to complete it faster. It measures 58" x 58" and is 100% cotton. The methods used in this quilt are hand piecing,machine piecing, machine and embroidery machine quilting. The quilt was made almost entirely from the late Doreen Speckman fabric line. The quilt was finished in April 2007.

The quilt was chosen to be part of the "New Quilts of Pennsylvania" exhibition at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XIV, September 6-9,2007 at the Expo Hall Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.

The information sheet attached to the quilt at the show read  -"This quilt is made primarily from Doreen Speckman's "Provence! and Provence II " fabric lines. Most of the fabric was bought at a "Fat Quarter Frenzy" a year after Doreen's untimely death (9/18/99). She was well known as a quilt teacher, lecturer, traveler, a humorist and also for "Peaky and Spike". Now that the "Provence and Provence II fabrics were added to my stash,what quilt was I going to make? I was unfamiliar with utilizing such bright fabrics. This project was going to be a challenge! When I saw Marti Mitchell's "Memories of Provence"I had my answer. The quilt was started using Marti Mitchell's templates. The smaller sunburst blocks were fussy cut, hand pieced and hand appliqued. Those blocks were them machine pieced to construct the quilt. The quilting was done by embroidery machine and conventional machine quilting". 

Garment Bags

                                                            Garment bags for three friends

 

                                                                  Hanging Garment Bag

                                                                      Backside of Bag

                                                                         Monogram

                                                                       Bag Interior

                                                     Bag Interior showing two tie down belts

                                                                  Small Hideaway Bag

                                                              Gusseted Outside Pocket

These three garment bags were made for the ladies with which I exchange Christmas gifts. We are each responsible for the gift every four years.

I was lucky to find this Vera Bradley fabric at a discount house. So why not make my own bags out of it?

I found an appropriate border print and I was off and running. I spent much time looking at and reviewing garment bags. The end result was my interpretation of all all that I felt important in a bag.

The front has a heavy duty two way zipper. The opposite side has a large gusseted  zippered pocket which is large enough to hold two pairs of shoes. The handles are large enough to put on ones shoulder for carrying. There is a loop on the one handle to twist around the hooks of the hangers so that they do not slip down into the bag.

The interior has a large gusseted zippered pocket made of see through mesh. There are two straps with parachute closures. There is also a ribbon at the top to use for tying your hangers together.

The little bags on the shelf were also Christmas gifts. One is a drawstring jewelry pouch and the other a toiletries bag.

The little bag shown lying on the interior was given at a later date. It is used while traveling and can be used under clothing hung in a closet to hide small valuables. That bag actually has a Vera Bradley printed stripe on it. I bought a piece of that fabric and it has many of those stripes down the length. The entire bag is made in the embroidery hoop.

Can you see the fabric on the shelf behind the bag? That is only a peek at what lives in my quilting room!

Simply Delicious

Oh, how fortunate was I to be able to make this quilt. It had been offered as  BOM by the Country Quilt Shop in Montgomeryville, PA. I did not subscribe to it at that time as I was not aware of it's availability, although I had seen it finished at a later date and loved it.. Some years later my sister called to tell me that all but one pattern was available at a garage sale. The original fabrics were still in eight of the eleven available patterns. She asked if I wanted it. Well, you bet I did. It was even at the bargain price of $8. Another of my sisters friends donated most of the blue and white checkerboard fabrics. One of my friends graciously let me borrow the missing pattern. I used scraps left over from other BOM's and fabric in my stash to finish the quilt.

Now, this is what I call a very beautiful inexpensive quilt!

The hand appliqued quilt is 100% cotton, hand appliqued, machine pieced and machine quilted.
I finished this 51 1/4" x  67" quilt in Spring 2007.

This is another Piece O' Cake Design.