finished string quilt!

It's done! (If you don't count the fact that I need to label it and attach a sleeve.)
It's definitely complete enough to take to quilting today and hang for show and tell.



After a little research I found that many string quilts weren't layered with batting, but with flannel or something thinner because of all the thick seams in them. I used an old flannel sheet we had and backed it with unbleached muslin. The finished quilt top was exactly as wide as the muslin I had on hand. -No room for shifting.

Some of these blocks had been hand pieced and some were pieced by machine. I was so happy about that because I didn't feel bad about machine quilting it. I have no idea how I would have pushed a needle through some of those seams by hand and how long it would have taken me to finish it. I know I wouldn't be posting it any time this year if that was the case.

The feather stitch used is a decorative one that's on my machine. (For those who want to know - my machine is a Bernina 150 and I made the stitch as long as the machine would allow. I wasn't able to widen it due to the width of the opening in the throat plate.) I simply outlined all the blocks with it. Because some of the blocks weren't cut to exactly the same size, I had to jog the stitching a little at a few interesections. It seems to add to the charm to have a few wavy lines on the back. Black Kona cotton was used to bind the quilt.

The wall it's going to hang on has been prepped. I need to paint it and get a sleeve on the quilt soon so I can walk past it everyday.

This one might rival Trixie's tent for my favorite thing.

beatrix's* gift

"They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree."



Jan gave me a great pattern for a child's play circus tent several months ago. She'd picked it up when her daughter was young and like a lot of the patterns I've bought for my girls - it never got made. I doubt I'd have made it in the manner suggested on the cover of the pattern (it looked very much like a circus tent complete with clowns on the fabric), but inside there were some variations suggested. A rocket. A clubhouse. Why not the base of a fir tree?

The actual artwork in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny reads "Josephine Bunny licensed to sell TEA & TOBACCO". This is my pc version - we all know lavender is rabbit tobacco anyway, don't we?

For tassels I used some twine or jute that I had in the stash. I have absolutely no idea why I had it, but it works. I think they're suggestive of pinecones.

A quick shot of the back. It took me weeks to make a decision about how to handle the applique elements. I knew the technique I'd use - just cut out the shapes and zig zag the raw edges to the base fabric, but I had a hard time deciding what to applique. I had visions of a bird's nest on the roof and a robin flying nearby. Flowers were going to surround the base of the tent. Then I came to my senses and realized that I could never do justice to Beatrix Potter's artwork in applique - at least not on this project. Simpler was better. I used the grass appliques from this project as my guide for the grass here. Scraps from the roof were used. Kona cotton in a deep brown was used to create the illusion of crevices in the root of the tree. I have a Peter Rabbit illustration on cotton fabric sold for applique work that I intended to put on the tent near the front flap, but have left it off for now. I couldn't get the placement right in my mind and liked the idea of Trixie pretending to be one of the rabbits more. The only thing I tried to copy as closely as I could was the sign on the base of the tree for Mrs. Rabbit's livelihood.

The pattern wasn't hard at all, but it does use a lot of fabric - about 3 yards of the green and 5 yards of the beige. A hula hoop provides the round structure. It's enclosed in a casing on the interior. What I liked most was how well the pattern was designed (by Judy N. Johnson in 1983). All the raw edges are enclosed at some point during construction so if you didn't have a serger, the finished project looks neat both inside and out.

The pattern also calls for more involved hardware than I chose to use to hold it up. I found that some office rings I had on hand slipped through the tabs at the top nicely. We had another hook on hand (again, I have no idea why) that worked to gather them all and provided a way to hang it off the playset in the yard.

It's surprisingly roomy inside. I had my doubts when I looked at the size of the hula hoop, but then again, I'm not 4. Both girls fit inside quite comfortably. The height from hem to top of the hook is about 6 feet.

It's my favorite thing I've ever made - for now.

*Yes, Beatrix is Trixie's full name, but I don't think she knew that until recently. No, I don't have a problem foisting my Beatrix Potter obsession on my children.

the kids

Glenn's turn.



He's officially twelve.

Taken on opening night a couple weeks ago. My friend, R, and her daughter, A, came to see him perform. It's so hard to believe I've been taking pictures of these two together for twelve years.

The cane is part of his costume. He played an older, disabled man. Note the pen. It's for autographs. ; )

the kids

Happy Birthday Beatrix!

Four years old today.



We make our own birthday cakes around here.

A birthday hat from Glenn and a present from Ellie.

Calls must be taken from her adoring public.

I worked all week on her present and it was well worth it. -Can't wait to show you. I'll post it on Monday.

thrifty thursday

Look what my neighbor put out on the curb:



After a lot of sanding, priming, painting and decoupaging:

Trixie has a new dresser.

The paper was left over from her walls. (Disty in cowslip by Laura Ashley - pattern is about 8 or 9 years old at this point.) I'm extremely happy with how the pattern lined up on the drawers. I did it by using one piece for both drawers and lining up the edges that meet with the outside edges of the paper which are designed to match the repeats when they butt up against one another. That sounds totally confusing - if you need more information, email me. I used regular modge podge to affix the paper to the drawers and the side panels of the dresser. (Those are really hard to see in the second picture, but they're papered as well.) A few more coats of modge podge over the top of the paper will protect it as well. The paper also lines the drawers, but isn't glued down.

The knobs are the only thing I'm not sure about. I'd planned to use milk glass and repurpose some I had in the house, but Restoration Hardware has stopped carrying them and I didn't have enough on hand. These are glass and came from The Great Indoors. I ran to several stores this past weekend and these were the best of what I could find, unless I just go with painted white wooden knobs. I had originally thought I'd put tiny knobs on the top two drawers and then use a larger size on the bottom. Any thoughts?

These may be permanent though - when Trixie saw the dresser she was thrilled that it had "jewels" on it.

scout's honor

I've been wanting the skirt with girl scout badges in the Sew What Skirts! book for a few years now.
Despite rummaging through piles of junk on every thrifting mission, I've yet to run across old badges.
Carol came to my rescue:

These belonged to her mother and probably date back to the 50's (am I right on that estimate, Carol?).
No doubt I had the sewing badge on the top on my own vest. The cooking badge at the 2:00 position, I'm not so sure about. I also have no idea where my own vests and sashes went, which is sort of killing me now.

Best part of this sewing project: I didn't make the skirt. It came off a J Jill clearance rack. Fastest clothing project ever.

word to your brother

Because plastering her bedroom door with signs isn't enough, this greeted us on the kitchen chalkboard:


Listen up, Glenn.