Quilts in the Sanctuary

Just a quick post today. This has nothing to do with Autumn or Fall or food! Sorry. I wanted to share with my blog friends a beautiful sight that I was fortunate enough to take in the other day. 

I went to our local church "Quilts in the Sanctuary"... just out of curiosity. I do love quilts and I love making quilted things (only one full quilt made by me so far, but lots of little things).... and I needed a dose of some pretty quilts, to get me inspired.

I just wasn't prepared for this gorgeous sight as I walked inside the doors, into the chapel. Wow is all I can say. What a stunning effect! I didn't have my camera, only my little cheapy cell phone, but you get the idea.  I didn't really take pictures of each wonderful quilt (which I usually do), just one (down at the bottom of this post) that I think maybe I can make. 

There was ALOT of history here... many many old old quilts, with the stories to go along with each one, some from the 1800's.

I DO love those strippy Christmas trees!

I love the one on the top left.. such pretty Fall colors  (oops.. I guess there IS some "fall" in this post). 

Here's one that is so cute and cheerful.. maybe I could make this one???

I mean, I've been to MANY quilt shows, but for some reason, I just loved the look of these quilts hanging everywhere in the chapel. Something very spiritual about it. Don't you agree?

Fall.....yard, neighborhood, mountains.

It's such a "normal" Fall day here in central Oregon. Gray, cloudy, windy, but warm out.. leaves scuttling down the street, and wind in the trees............ an occasional sun break to warm your back. It is so strange to live in town after 25 years of living in the country on acreage! And I mostly lived in the "wet" climates, so the dry is much different. But "town" is pretty too, in many ways.


Views from my front porch....

A close up to the south of us... in the "real" picture, you can see houses!

Across the street.

 My front yard is so "fallish" now! Love it.

Mums cascading over our rock flower bed... they are HUGE!..... and B.K. (black kitty).

Geranium still hanging on! 

Maddie.

Nasturtiums. (oops... lawn needs mowing again... tell hubby.....)

I LOVE my front walkway right now!

Oh the beautiful burgundies!

Thought this would be a nice time to share a little mountain journey I took 3  years ago with my sisters........to Camp Sherman, Oregon... about 20 miles west of Sisters, Oregon (a quaint western town in the mountains). Sisters is about 40 miles west of Bend, Oregon and about 60 miles southwest of where I live.

 

This adventure was in October of 2013. I would sure love to go again this year, but don't know if I'll make it as I've been sick, and we have out of town plans next week...... and by the time we get back, there may be snow on the ground there!

Tamarack trees - the needles turn  yellow in the Fall and then fall off until the following spring.

Bye for now!

 

Eye Candy.

Since I'm on a roll today doing blog posts, thought I'd just share a little "eye candy"..... something I made for my cousin a couple of years ago, and just love looking at it!........... my favorite colors of course and so darned cute.

It was the sweetest little box that holds 5 cards and envelopes - little mini box, little mini cards and little mini envelopes that I made using the WRMK (We are Memory Keepers) Envelope Punch Board.

I used a magnet closure.. pretty pink bow with little dots of silver glitter blue on it, and of course, lace.

Here are some of the sweet little cards:

The papers were from Ki... Doilies Paper Pad by Hampton Art. The stamp is from Close to My Heart (retired).

Cute little envelopes:

I just loved these papers!

I think I could put five cards and envelopes into this tiny box. 

If you would like to make this sweet set, you can find a video by Dawn's Stamping Thoughts on YouTube here - Part 1.   She also has a Part 2 that she filmed the following day.

Enjoy!


 

40 year old pillows.

I have many times wondered what happened to those quilted pillows I made 40 years ago! I knew I had kept them, but in all of my (many) moves, they got tucked away somewhere, never to be seen again............ until now!  I found them in some tubs my son had been storing at his house in Washougal.. and he brought them down last Thanksgiving... .and I just recently went through them...... and found my beloved 40 year old pillows.....

(and don't ask me how I got on the subject of pillows today..... it just popped into my head that I should share them with you...... )

These were among the VERY first things I ever quilted. I think I had made a "hoop art" hanging thing for my sister, where I appliqued some hearts onto some muslin and then hand stitched around the hearts. That was my very very first attempt at quilting. Wish I had a picture of that, but I don't.

My girlfriend and I (she had never even sewn before!) decided we'd try our hands at quilting. I had made hand sewn clothing for years (I was in my mid-20's then) but had never quilted. In the 70's, I was making alot of long granny/hippy dresses!  .... and of course, loved decorating them with lots of lace.

1973 - one of my long hippie dresses that I made. See all that lace??

I don't even remember what got us on the kick to try "quilting". I think it's because she discovered lace when I wore one of my long dresses to her house... she loved it. We both became addicted to lace! We would follow the "Lace Ladies" around in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, as they set up their movable "store" at many different venues, and buy TONS of lace. We were trying to figure out what else we could use the lace for. She wanted to learn to sew, so she could use lace.... so maybe I suggested pillows.. or maybe she did. It seemed quick and simple........ and turned out to be funaddictive.

I think she had also seen a Cathedral Window pillow at a bazaar. She bought it and showed me. Swoon........ we both fell in love with the Cathedral Window design (do you remember it?).  And I think she also got the pattern/instructions from the lady at the bazaar.  Our forms of quilting were more "hand piecing" as we made mostly designs where you sewed a few squares together, and then made some sort of design by turning edges, etc.

Cathedral Window.

We spent MANY happy weekends sewing and making mostly pillows. We became addicted to pillows. My friends got pillows for gifts.. my family got pillows... I kept pillows for me. I wish I had pictures of every one I made. I think at one time, she had at least 25 pillows lined up on the back of her couch. I know I have a picture somewhere buried deep in a tub somewhere.  I wish I had that picture. Unbelievable.

Anyway... here are the five that I've kept all these years. They don't match any of my color schemes now... and I don't know what to do with them... but they are like old friends and I can't part with them.

"String patch" pillow - see the tiny lace around the green ruffle? Sigh.....

"Radiant Star" as it was called then. It's now making a resurgence and is called the Folded Star. I loved making those! And I have MANY more that are made and ready for pillows... or???

Cathedral Window - more lace!

Soft peach full Cathedral Window - peach lace! Swoon.......

Close-ups:

I even started a "string patch" vest and never finished it. It's STILL stuffed in a bag in one of my tubs of fabric!

We hand-stitched everything. See (above). This pillow making phase did NOT help my fabric addiction. It was so fun to go to the many fabric stores and pick out different gorgeous fabrics for our pillows. I mean...we went crazy!....... we made the Pineapple Design, the String Patch, the Radiant Star, the Flying Geese, Grandmother's Flower Garden........ the Cathedral Window.... and many more. 

Traditional "Pineapple" pattern. I used some really neat black velveteen with flowers... loved the effect. I think I even made a velveteen jacket out of this black!

Grandmother's Flower Garden. I still have this block but have never made it into a pillow.

I tried my hand at tracing a design onto some muslin, coloring it and then quilting around it. Made this pillow for my mom way back in the 70's.. see all that lace? Oh yes... love it.

Our sewing bees continued over a period of probably ten years... in the 70's and 80's. We had weekend sewing bees, even though we lived 75 miles apart. What fun and what memories........ and I'm glad I have a few old friends pillows left.

Here are some of the Radiant Star blocks that I have made over the years, that are still waiting to be used for "something". Every now and then, I'll pull out my pattern and little bag of pre-cut Radiant Star squares, and take it with me on a trip for some  hand sewing. Sigh.... the Radiant Star is probably my all-time favorite design. I even inset one onto the back of a denim jacket "way back when".... wish I still had that jacket. Maybe one of these blocks will make their way to a denim vest now. What do you think?

I loved pink and green even then.

I was thinking of putting these blocks in my Etsy shop.. but just don't know.... kind of hard to part with these blocks old friends too! See the "2014" copyright? Still haven't made up my mind whether to keep or sell.

If you are interested in making the Radiant Star, I have discovered some good videos and tutorials on YouTube for them. Just search for Radiant Star or Folded Star.

Shabby Fabrics has a great tutorial, How to Make a Cathedral Window Pillow. 
Her method is a little different than the way I made them (but hey.. I don't really remember now how I made them anyway!).. and she uses more machine sewing.. but the outcome is the same and just gorgeous! 

FOR A FUTURE POST: Another really really fun and neat quilted item my girlfriend and I used to make, was a fabric bowl... very unique and very different.... and I have searched far and wide on the internet, blogs, Pinterest, and Craftsy for the pattern, without success. I couldn't remember how to make it... and of course, I love a challenge.... so have been searching for the pattern for at least the last two years. I'm happy to say that I finally found a pattern (in Japanese) on some obscure website! I'm so happy. Now I just need to make one. That will be a future post hopefully.

OK... that's my trip down memory lane for today. I sure enjoyed it and now am inspired to  make some more Radiant Stars and Cathedral Windows! How about you???