Fabric Goodies from Amish Country (Ohio)

I’ve posted before about the beautiful Amish country of Holmes County, Ohio.  My oldest daughter and I made another trip just in time for the peak colors and gorgeous landscapes.

This area is also a shopper’s paradise, particularly for quilters.  My three favorite quilt shops are Helping Hands (Berlin), Gramma Fannie’s Quilt Barn (Berlin), and Miller’s Dry Goods (Charm).

Although I buy a lot of fabric for specific quilt projects, I especially love to find a bin filled with bags of remnants.  I found three this trip – a 75-cent bag…

…a $2 bag….

…and a $5 bag.

The little Amish lady behind the counter told me the remnants in the $5 bag were from a quilt she had just completed.  I would love to see her quilt with all those pretty fall colors.

We always stay at a cottage set in the middle of Amish farms – very quiet, picturesque and charming.  There are plenty of restaurants serving Amish-style, hearty meals and lots of fun things to see and do.

I would highly recommend a visit if you’re ever in this section of Ohio.

Quilted Hospital Cape

When I was in the hospital a couple of months ago, I was surprised at how chilly it could get at times, particularly when I was sitting in a chair or doing my laps down the hall hanging onto my IV pole on wheels.  I had my daughter bring over my favorite warm sweater but I couldn’t cover up the IV tubes with the sleeves and it kept slipping when I put it over my shoulders.

I had plenty of time to think and started designing something in my mind that would be pretty,  lightweight yet warm, easy to put on and take off, and would leave my arms and hands free.  I thought a short quilted cape might be the answer.

When I got home and felt better, I got out some nice pastel fabric and found a relatively simple block I liked called Good Luck Token on my quilting software.

I used a very easy Halloween cape pattern and cut it so that the bottom edge ended at my wrists.  I pieced the blocks and sewed them together to be the right size to cut out the pattern (two front sections and one back) and seamed them together.

I made another cape of plain fabric for the lining, added low-loft batting, fitted the layers together and did simple stitch-in-the-ditch quilting.  A binding around the edges finished it off.  I used Velcro for the closing so it would be easy to remove.

I hope I won’t have to take my cape to the hospital soon, but meanwhile it’s nice to wear when I’m sitting in the front of the fireplace, watching television.

Quilted Scottie Table Cover

One of my Christmas gifts from my oldest daughter last year was a hand-appliqued red table cover.  She has been winning awards for all types of needlework – crocheting, tatting, embroidery, bobbin lace, etc. – since she was 12 years old, but she had never tried needle turn applique.  She let me admire the table cover then took it back to hand quilt it, which was also a new art for her.

This Christmas, I received the table cover back, completely bound and finished.  It’s gorgeous.

Every inch of the cover is filled with beautiful hand-stitching.

This piece has been transformed from a really nice hand-appliqued item to an heirloom and my daughter has two more areas of expertise to add to her list.

Hens and Roosters

I spent the first 11 years of my life in a downtown Cincinnati apartment and had very little acquaintance with chickens, but I was always fascinated by them.  Our Grandma lived in rural Vandalia outside of Dayton, Ohio, and she had lots of chickens.  When we weren’t trying to avoid getting pecked by them or trying to chase them from the outhouse before we went in, we sometimes got to feed them.  I notice in this 1942 picture that Mother had made my little sister and me short sets for the summer.  This was very unusual because although my parents married as teenagers, my 20-something father went back to the early 1900s for his rules and he didn’t like to see his women in slacks or shorts.

We saw chickens in wooden crates in the butcher shop at the old Sixth Street market but otherwise, our only contact though the years has been at  county fairs. 

For Mother’s Day in 1994, my oldest daughter made two handpainted aprons for me which featured my favorite morning glories and a flamboyant rooster. 

After the aprons became worn, I cut out the painted portions, not being sure what I would do with them.    The remnants surfaced this past week and I made a wall hanging from one section – fusing the rooster and flowers onto a background fabric and adding borders. 

I didn’t want to put the other section back into a box for another 4 or 5 years, so I made a table cover with it, fusing and using a blanket stitch to sew it down. 

I like the bright colors and cheerfulness of the two pieces and especially like the idea that I’m able to get some more enjoyment out of this beautiful painting.

STAR SPIN QUILT BLOCK/PILLOW

When we visited Amish Country in Holmes County, Ohio, last fall, I noticed so many quilts and wall hangings with a spinning star design.  I had never seen this particular block before and was happy to find a pattern for it in one of the many quilt shops in the area.  They call the pattern #124 STAR SPIN QUILT OR WALLHANGING.  I finally had a chance to try out the block in a smaller size which I made into a pillow. This is by Oregon Treasures, 4790 North Road G, Vale OR 97918.  (I received word on 5/13/08 that their phone has been disconnected, so this address might not be valid.)   UPDATE:  I received an e-mail on 7/17/08 (thanks, Jeanne) that a free paper-pieced pattern is available on the Quilter’s Cache website under the name, “Spinning Color Wheels”.

UPDATE:  On 2/5/09 received word from Dan that this is the correct phone number:  541-473-3754.

I like to make backings out of my huge pile of scraps.

It’s an interesting block to make and not that difficult although it’s easy to get the various colors mixed up.  The quilts on display in Amish Country used a very large version of the block in the center of the quilt and then smaller blocks (such as I used on the pillow) to accentuate the center.  I may try a large quilt some day but for now, I’m glad to have another interesting block to add to my files.

Gift Bags from Orphan Blocks

Most quilters seem to have a big stash of “orphan” blocks – blocks they made that turned out too big, too small, too difficult, too simple, the wrong color, pieced wrong – you get the picture.  I’ve made a few quilts and throws from blocks like these but don’t really enjoy putting together a lot of misfits.  My youngest daughter who has been a recycler, “go green” person since she was a child, had come up with a plan to make all of her gift bags which could be recycled rather than using throwaway paper.  She doesn’t like to sew and came up with an easy bag that is basically a piece of fabric folded in half, sewn along two sides, edge-stitched along the top and with a tie of some sort sewn to the back of the bag so it’s readily available for the next gift opporunity.  In our family, it’s understood that the bag can be kept by the recipient or given along with a gift on the next holiday.

I thought this might be a way to use up some of the unwanted and unappreciated quilt blocks.  The first step is to wrap a tape measure loosely around the largest part of the item to be wrapped and add 1/2″ (two 1/4″ seams) plus another 1″ for a little leeway in the bag. 

Example:  A typical American CD measures 12-1/2″ in width.  Using a 9-1/2″ unfinished block, cut a coordinating strip of fabric 4-1/2″ x 9-1/2″ (3″ plus 1/2″ for two 1/4″ seams plus 1″ for some extra leeway).  

Stitch a 1/4″ seam joining the strip to one side of the block.  Press.

Cut a 20″ piece of ribbon, rickrack, seam tape, cording – anything you might have in your sewing basket.  Place the center of the ribbon on the center of the 4-1/2 x 9-1/2″ strip, about 3-1/2″ down from the top and sew a few stitches to secure it for the tie.

Stitch the other side of the strip to the other side of the block, using a 1/4″ seam.  Press.

Keeping the pieces right-sides together, fold the strip in half lengthwise, centering the strip in the back so there is a nice view of the block on the front, and stitch along the bottom edge, using a 1/4″ seam.

Press the top edge down 1/4″ and zigzag a close stitch along the raw edge (.90 x 3.1 stitch).

Turn the bag and press.  Bag is ready to pack with the CD and tie with the ribbon.

Of course, any block can be used with strips  added to make the correct size.  Also, blocks can be sewn together to make the size you need.

Example:  Two 12-1/2″ unfinished blocks can be used to make a bag big enough for a book, a small toy or small pieces of clothing.  In this case no extra strip is needed. 

Cut a 20-22″ piece of trim for the tie, and stitch it to the center of the block that is to be the back of the bag, about 3-1/2″ down from the top. 

Place the two blocks right sides together, being careful to keep the tie out of the way and stitch along the sides and the bottom edge with a 1/4″ seam. 

Press the top edge under 1/4″ and zigzag along the raw edge (.90 x 3.1 stitch). 

Turn bag and press and another bag is ready to pack with a gift…..two less blocks in the stash and no big piece of wrapping paper in the trash.

Copyright Infringement – Sewing & Quilting Projects

I recently wrote a blog post about donating some items to a charity.  Included were five small wallets (Sewing) which I photographed, closed, with no details shown.  I included nothing related to the pattern in my post and linked to the website of the pattern maker. 

The pattern maker posted in comments that I was infringing on her copyright by donating the items I’d made to charity.  I was totally surprised and didn’t realize that donations of a finished article infringed on the copyright of a pattern (for which I’d paid a decent price).  In researching on the Internet, I found several websites that were very informative on this matter, especially for people who sew, quilt or do other handwork and then exhibit, sell or donate the items.  My research shows the pattern maker is correct as far as her copyright is concerned.  It seems to be a matter of whether the copyright owner chooses to enforce the law.  Here are some helpful links I found that shed more light on the issue.

• Quilters Newsletter - Copyright for Quilters – answers to quilters’ questions
• Get Creative Conference Center - Copyright and the Sewing Industry
• Intellectual Property - Sewing Pattern Copyright

I also found some pattern makers who don’t mind what sewers do with their patterns so long as they don’t copy the patterns themselves to distribute or sell.  Those pattern makers, though, do appreciate a link to their websites.  

This was an eye-opener for me.  I apologized to the pattern maker for contributing wallets made from her patterns to charity, and I told her I would not be donating items from her patterns in the future, nor from anyone else’s patterns.  It saves a lot of time to use a purchased pattern, but I’m not incapable of designing my own and have done it many times when all the features I wanted weren’t included in available patterns.

Just wanted to share as this is something for all of us to consider.