New Venture

A friend and I have been talking lately.  She inherited a lot of collectibles from her mother.  And like I have so often seen and heard, it's just not possible to hang onto everything that you inherit.  Some people say you should just be happy with the memories that you have.  Anne inherited a lot of Lladro figurines.  Although nice, they are not something she wants to store. 

I got pulled into collecting by working my brother's estate sales and buying items that were left after the sale.  Those that were too pretty to let go, so I would buy them and then started selling at a flea market.  But this was a poor summer for doing fleas for me.  In June alone I had my trip to Ireland, the next weekend taking a bus load of women to Chicago for the international quilt show and then the next week my niece's wedding.  But that hasn't stopped me from buying at area estate sales.

So push has come to shove for both of us.  So this weekend we went to the Mega Mall and rented a show case.  We are hoping for a pretty reasonable monthly rent and secure space, maybe we can start getting rid of things.

 

 

Ann loaded in some items on Sunday.  I went and took measurements for the spaces to make a couple of display boards for smalls that might be in bags.  I hope this weekend to take a few things in as well.  We will see how this goes.  We have a 3 month contract and after that it is month by month.

Story of a sad little quilt...

About a year ago my brother was doing an estate sale in Grand Rapids.  This house was in terrible shape, but needed to be emptied.  In a pile of sheets and blankets I saw an edge that I recognized as a quilt.

 It was in terrible shape.   It had large rough stitches holding the back together.

 It was a full size quilt that had been folded in half and the edges sewn together with large running stitches with the thread that was heavy like crochet cotton.  It had lots of hand quilting, triangle shapes with 4 rows of quilting and it was well done with small stitches.

 

So I was hooked. I had to know what was inside.  So I bought it for $5 and brought it home.  I decided I couldn't hurt it any worse than it had been and it was filthy.  So in the washing machine it went for 3 washes.  Then I hung it over a couple of lines in the basement to dry.  It has hung there for about a month.  Got busy with other things.  But I finally I decided to take it with me to quilt appraisals.  I figured I would have time between morning and afternoon appointments and could have a look.  It had a very worn indigo polka dot binding, good clue.  Once I pulled the stitching out, this is what I found.

A circa 1880's strippy quilt.  Little 3.5 inch nine patch blocks set with polka dot indigo fabrics with muslin strips between.  Although the indigo held up wonderfully all but about 2 nine patches are complete gone.  But even in this state it is pretty graphic.  Here are a couple of closeups.

I think it has a little more to tell me with closer inspection, and I think I would like to reproduce this quilt.  Once reproduced I will probably cut it up and just save one section of it after all there is only so much I can keep.

So here is another quilt rescues from the trash.  I'm glad to have has a close look at it and find myself thinking of the woman who made it.  It would be great to find a name quilted in or written on although if it was on any of the white, almost all of that is gone.

Your in stitches,
 Jackie

Tailgate treasurers

This was another good week for sales in Lansing.  One was a quilter and her husband who were downsizing.  For that one I even took 2 hours off work Friday morning to be in the first 10 in the door.  Bought and still got to work on time.  Of course then I had to go back on Saturday to see what else was left.  These are just a few of the finds.

 

The little sewing basket went into my flea market merchandise. The white vase is identical to one I got in the same neighborhood 6 months ago, so now I have a pair.  Will keep them for now. And the little couple is a wedding cake topper, bisque, from abotu 1900.  It also will navigate between my collection and flea market merchandise.

 

All of these items I got at the quilter's downsizing sale.  The little dishes, sewing kit and pear make do pincushion will go in the flea market merchandise.  The rabbit thimble holder, down front and the elephant pincushion will stay in my collection of sewing items.  The glass dome with the spools may go or stay, not sure yet.  I'm trying to accumulate enough sewing items to maybe vend at a quilt show.

This is a large set of old dominos I got Sunday.

These were some salts I bought.  The white one is like a little crock and I love the wooden pair with the spoons.  They are amazing in the workmanship.

Mom found all of these "french Ivory" pieces in a box.  Evidently they got emptied out of a dressing table that someone bought.  There were also button hooks and manicure items, but these 3 caught my eye.  The box was full of rubber bands which got thrown away immediately.  The little piece it like a tooth pick holder, metal base with a ivory slide top.  And I love the little wind up alarm clock.  I may hang onto these items for a while.

Lastly here a a couple of the blocks made out of Betty Smith's scraps.

Only about 30 more to make to make a lap quilt.

Coming up the story of a sad little blue and white quilt.

 

Scraps... of all sorts

I home everyone has a great holiday weekend!  I woke up Saturday morning to find my battery had died in my truck.  But brother Mike to the rescue and by the end of the day I was up and running the roads again.

Yesterday I was at my mom's sorting through 4 boxes of fabric that a friends daughters brought over for her.  Betty Smith used to be a member of my mom's quilting circle, "What you see is what you get!".  The piecing gene seems to have passed my mother.  She will quilt and embroider but doesn't like piecing, and doesn't believe in having a stash@#!?  She has always bought just what she needed for a quilt  and then can't stand what's left over. 

So yesterday we sorted through the boxes.   We found enought pink and/or blue for at least 1 girl and 1 boy baby quilt.  Enough red and green christmas prints to make something with and also enough patriotic.  Then there were the "others", feed sacks, 60's or 70's prints, some much older that must have belong to Betty's mother or grandmother or mother-in-law.  Here are what I brought home.




Even some funky cheaters cloth.

I have been enjoying Bonnie Hunter's blog lately, http://quiltville.blogspot.com/.  A friend is using Bonnie's pattern, Scappy Trips Around the World for her block exchange.  And I had noticed it a while ago as well.  So yesterday we began cutting strips to just see what happens.  I brought them home to sew them and see what comes out.  Whatever comes out we will probably donate the items to the VFW for their holiday craft show/sale in November.  I will post as things move along.

 

Something else my friend Carol has been doing was "deboning mens shirts", which Bonnie also has a video on.  Carol has does a demo on cutting a man's plaid shirt up into usable yardage for scrap quilts.  Well, I did pretty well at the flea market with my designer fabric samples, so why not try this.  I might want some of the yardage but I really don't need it all.  So I bought 5 shirts this past weekend and took them apart.  I plan on ironing the fabric and then putting it in bags at the flea market for sewers/quilters to buy.  I will probably label it "deboned shirts" and sell them for about $3 with pieces from several shirts so they get a good selection.  These are the shirts I got this weekend.

 

Now for the final scraps.  Yesterday I took lunch with me to my mom's.  I did chicken on a skewer and separate skewers of vegetables (green peppers and cherry tomatoes off my plants, summer squash, zucchini, sweet onion and mushrooms.). Tonight I'm taking the left over veggies roasting them in the oven with sweet corn added and a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  It smells soo good right now I can hardly wait to tuck in.

 

 

 

Well, smells like it is just about ready so I have to go.  Have a good evening.







Tailgate treasurers

I have been reading on some blogs lately about recycling canvasses.  At the cost of new canvas people are buying used ones, and painting over them.  So last weekend I have the opportunity to pick up these 4 canvases. I may keep the ship one but the others may get sold at the flea market or painted over.  Have a look.









Tailgate Treasurers

These are a few of my purchases over the last few weekends.  Before I headed to the quilt retreat I hit an estate sale.  More glass for possible garden whimseys and items to resell at the flea market.  The variable stars are going to get together and try their hand at making garden whimseys. 

Got this small metal folding chair at GR sale.  It's perfect for setting a pot on on my deck.