Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Is it a Christmas Cactus or an Easter Cactus? Maybe both?

 





These beauties were brought in about a week before Thanksgiving and look what they did!  We keep them outside during the spring and summer and they do great, even in our brutal heat of summer.  But when I see buds developing I bring them in and put them in the foyer for a while and lo and behold!  Cacti flowers. 

Now the question is:  Are they Christmas cactus or Easter cactus ... because these beauties will continue to develop blossoms and bloom from now until Easter.  


Some Vintage beauties

I may be a geek/techie but there's another part of me that is a traditionalist and in this vein I truely love anything vintage.  I've had the wonderful opportunity to quilt several vintage quilts recently and here are a few.  Just sit back, enjoy, and remember "MeMaw" sitting and piecing these wonderful quilts.  Remember that MeMaw didn't have all our wonderful rulers, templates, patterns, etc.  She probably used newspaper for her patterns, and a pair of scissors that may have been used by everyone in the house, and a canning lid for a template for making circles.  So give reverence to these wonderful piecers who moved us to where we are today.  OK, now off my soapbox ...




Bobbie had me do this one and it is called Double T.  It is a BIG quilt!  I did Swirlz on it and it came out great.  We decided to piece the back with a blue/red/blue piecing and these two fabrics were found at Kiwiquilts in Powder Springs.  Thanks, Tracy!  Isn't it a beauty?


Kim came with this quilt and several others.  We were laying them out and found that one of the quilts was paper-pieced with newspaper and all the paper had not been torn out.  We searched and finally found the dateline of the newspaper - April 1948!  So we figured that all the quilts she had stored in a cedar chest were probably made in the same time period.  This is a big quilt also, and I didn't get a full-size picture of it but even from this small photo you can get a sense of this oldie-but-goodie.  Look at the randomness of the rectangles!  Just so cool!  I did a Baptist Fan on this one, trying to keep with the vintage look.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of the back.  It is a vintage  small floral in red/blue/yellow/green/white backing and it is absolutely perfect for this quilt.  I had a great time quilting this one.  Thanks, Kim!


Hooray!  Kim sent me a picture of the quilt with its backing folded over the top.  It is just so perfect!  You really have to see the whole quilt top to fully appreciate just how perfect this backing is for this quilt.  A big Thank You to Linda at Little Quilts here in Marietta for helping to choose this backing.  


It's just so pretty ....
















I have to give both Bobbie and Kim wonderful credit for taking such good care of these family heirlooms.  I believe both kept them in cedar chests/closets, out of plastic bags.  They came to me in wonderful shape which made my job so much easier.  

So remember to pass on to your customers/quilting friends the importance of storing your quilt tops properly.  And I know you have some quilt tops laying around, right?  Don't we call those UFOs??  Keep them out of that plastic crap - wrap them up in a clean pillow case, so that when your daughter/granddaughter pulls them out for her quilter to finish up, she'll be proud of YOUR work.  

Have a great evening!  

7 days to baking frenzy!  want to join me?