At my last 2 events I have been taking pictures of my display.  It is amazing that the things you see in real life just don’t strick an idea until you see it later in a photograph.  I need new tablecloths for my display.  Something all one color.  A more attractive look - instead of the hodge podge of unmatched tablecloths, linens and doilies that I have been using.  My first instinct was to run to the store but I did not want to spend money.   So I have been pondering this for awhile.   Last night the idea came to me….stash management.  Why not shop the collection that I already have?  I remembered the eggplant color fabric that I had plans to make a jacket and slacks.   Today the search began.  I found it quickly.  The bag from Joann’s was still holding all the items I had purchased that day.  It had been moved and relocated many times over the years but I always seemed to have a special place to keep it safe because someday……someday I was going to use this beautiful linen fabric.   So here we are 11 years later and someday never came.  The 4 yards of fabric will now be transformed into covers for my tables.  The bonus is I also purchased the matching thread.  Perhaps I will keep the pattern since I still think that style will look good on me. 

So I shopped at home.  Fabric and thread I purchased on December 1, 1998 is finally going to see the light of day.  It will no longer be preserved in a plastic bag.  It felt kind of good to finally make a decision.  There is plenty of the shantung fabric to make 1 long tablecloth and 2 smaller ones custom fit to my display tables.  It will preview on July 11th at the Om Baby Art Show and then again on July 18th at the Handmade Faire “Summer of Love” at Freedom Park in Medford.  It’s gonna be a fun and artistic summer and I love that!

This was the 34th year of the quilt show held at Kirby’s Mill.  I was pleased to have many of my quilts on display throughout the rustic old Mill.  My Christmas star quilt somehow ended up right inside the entrance.  This quilt was from an advanced collaborative class that I took in 1992.  The center star is the one that I made.  Each month we all made a block from the same pattern – some included cathedral window, crazy quilt, fine applique.  At the end we all got the squares for a quilt and I was so thrilled that this one was mine.  It remained unfinished for many years.  If I was to do the hand quilting it would still remain undone as time just does not allow such things.  My machine quilting is not very good.  So it sat in a pile until a solution finally presented itself.  Kathleen Johnson is a machine quilter who was recommended by another member of Love Apple Quilters.  She quilted in stars and holly leaves and swirls.   It was perfect and finished just in time for the LAQ Quilt Show which was held back in March 2009

The night the quilts came in to the Mill there were not quite enough to reach our goal of 100 quilts.  At 9:45 PM I called Carole and asked her if please could I pick up some of her quilts to bring to the Mill the next morning.  Being a great friend she scurried throughout her house and had a bunch of quilts for me, including Sarah’s “Bob and Friends” quilt (from Veggie Tales).   Carole’s quilt was hung directly below mine near the entrance.  This quilt has such meaning for Carole so I was glad to see that it had a place of honor. 

“Bob and Friends” was on the 2nd floor atop a display case so everyone could see that kids can make great quilts too!!!

This is one of my very favorite people.  Betty to the 4th power as she calls herself.  Bad Betty Brown Black has been lighting up the quilt show at Kirby’s Mill for many years.  She is an avid quilter and shares her joy with everyone around her.  She was demonstrating quilting by the doorway all day on Saturday so it was fun to sneak up into the “Authorized Personnel Only” area to catch a picture of her.  I assured her I was not authorized but doing it anyway.  She liked that!!!

Here is Charlie delivering my chocolate milk.  That was exciting!  Always nice to see men in kitchen.  When business was slow in the kitchen I would walk through the Mill telling all the ladies “men cooking in the kitchen”.  Charlie & Bill wondered why suddenly there was a line for hot dogs – hehehe!

Dawn Heefner, and AQA Certified Quilt Appraiser was on hand and I brought my charm spools quilt for her to give me a verbal appraisal. The binding is not yet done on it and I also got to ask for her opinion on how to finish it.  I was really pleased with all that she told me.  It was so neat to see that many of my quilts made over the years and on display inside were included in the spool shaped pieces that I had been hand piecing together for many years.  My nephew Josh is 21 now and there are fabrics included that I used to make him clothes when he was just a toddler. 

The Museum Shop looked great.  The Kirby’s Mill “Feedsack” collection was a big hit.  I took some old barrels from the cooper area and made a little display of the tote bags, towels and t-shirts.  Abbie Galie (official screen printer for the Museum Shop) did an awesome job.  The best part was she screen printed the design onto a paper towel.  I put little notes to explain – the paper towel is “not a green item” and the feedsack towel “is green”.  A few people got the joke – LOL!!

Even less people got this joke.  I made up little “logs” and put them inside the wood burning stove.  The Museum Shop is not too big so I figured I would use every available space for stuff.  So I got some piney power inspired fabric and cut it into fat quarters.  The fat quarters were placed inside toilet paper tubes and wrapped with old sewing patterns.   I had flashlights inside and red plastic flames attached to the door.  There were signs directing people to “See What’s Hot” and “Open the Door” and “Disclaimer:  Not a real fire – do not call 9-1-1″.    Hehehe – Well at least I had fun and a few people got a laugh out of it.  I gave the leftover “logs” to the ladies of the Berry Basket Quilters whose help was so appreciated.  Their boutique was awesome again this year and I added another chicken to my collection.  But that will be something to blog about another day.  My chicken collection doesn’t get out of the coop as much as they’d like.

Hope you enjoyed my tale – maybe it left you in stitches!!!

A few weeks ago I had feed sacks on the brain and I posted a bunch of pictures into my Flickr account.  Actually I often have feed sacks on my brain.  I am a quilter and hear so many stories of how feedsacks were used and see so many examples.  So I went to the Mill and took pictures of all the feed sacks that I could find.   Those pictures were following up on the inpsiration that had been rattling around in my brain. 

I take care of the Museum Shop at Kirby’s Mill.  The Mill was finished being built in 1778 and was in operation until 1964.  Surely feed sacks were a big part of what happened there.  So in trying to keep new items coming in and people interested in stopping into the shop each time they visit the historic Mill I try to find items that are historic but useful.  The purchases benefit the preservation of the history.  Not always an easy task to top last year’s new items but this year I think it’s a real winner.  When people came to the Mill to purchase grain, flour, cornmeal or whatever it was carried home in a sack.  Feed sacks became a widespread way for women to gather fabric to make quilts, clothing or other household items.  Kirby’s Mill is a gristmill and there are many chutes throughout the Mill of many different sizes.  A sack was placed underneath when the customer made a purchase.  Can you picture getting your 10 pounds of flours that comes barrelling down a chute into your waiting sack to be taken home to bake bread?  So it seemed the perfect addition to have some feed sack related items that tell a historic story as well. 

So I shared the photos that I took with my creative and artistic friend, Abbie.  She has turned my idea into an awesome graphic. OriginalAbbie.com will be screenprinting some cool new merchandise for the Museum Shop at Kirby’s Mill. Very exciting!!!

The grand unveiling will be the Quilt Show on May 30th and 31st……  see my events page for more info! 

http://www.originalabbie.com/

I signed up for a retreat called “Sewing At The Farm” to be held at the end of April 2009.  I am really excited about it and looking forward to a week in rural NJ with my sewing machine, new sewing and quilting friends and learning new tricks.  As part of that retreat, a mystery quilt is included.  Each month we received another 1 of the 6 steps.  Of course, with the LAQ quilt show recently behind me I was still on step #0.  So I ventured into my stash to find fabrics for the mystery quilt and move closer to step #1.

The primary fabric is a gorgeous dark mustard fabric with pines cones all over it.  This 3 yard piece was purchased a few years ago and saved for just such a special project.  It was one of those fabrics that jumped out at me and screamed “take me home for no apparent reason but just cause you have to have me”.   Of course that means that it was carefully put away and now is missing somewhere in the stash piles in my house.  Searching was required but at last I found it.  Then the search continued for 2 other fabrics  – a light and a dark were selected to go with it.  My fabric stash pile is a little less, found a few things that could be put away and I feel better having straightened things out a little.

It’s good for me to follow a pattern and read instructions.  Uses a different side of my brain since I don’t often do that.  Like Mary Ellen Hopkins I have my own kind of PPM (personal private measurement).  My method is more of a MIOND (mistake is opportunity for new direction).   I try it, then modify it, then try it again.   Sort of a comedy of errors but eventually something comes out of it.  Rarely does it get thrown in the trash but that is always an option too.

I promise to post pictures as soon as my mystery quilt starts to look like something.  Currently I am on step #2 and catching up fast.