~*~ "Happy Trails" Quilt ~*~

A few years ago a fabric company came out with a "Happy Trails" collection, and I was so delighted to find Roy, Dale, and Trigger on fabric!  This quilt took a long time to complete since I got a little carried away when I was making it - it turned out much bigger than I had originally intended when I started. Therefore the quilting also took what seemed like forever.  But now it is completed!

Roy and Trigger!

 The words for both verses of "Happy Trails are embroidered around the edge. :)

Now I need to find a large wall to hang it on.... :D

~Alyssa

Way Back When-sday: Redwork on Feedsacks...

We found this red work piece at a garage sale this past weekend. It was 25 cents!

On some of the blocks we could see wording from an old feed sack.

At first I assumed it was a quilt top, but when we got home and I looked at it closer....

...I realized that all the seams are finished (they look like flat-felled seams) and all the edges are hemmed. Maybe it was used as a tablecloth...? Any ideas?

~Alyssa

New and Improved!

The "Sense and Sensibility Pattern" website now has a new look!!
This is a one of my favorite websites. Not only does it have lovely original patterns for sale, but it also offers online sewing classes, sewing tips, eBooks of vintage fashion catalogs, plus a section of vintage images to get inspiration from. Wow! Oh, and be sure to look through the show and tell pages! :)
Check it out HERE!

~Alyssa

A Find!

When I was staying with Grandma, I found this ironing board at the thrift store. It is a very unusual one - it has two parts that can be folded up or down, changing its shape. In the above picture there is a triangular piece folded down to make a point at the front end, and a rectangular part on the left side is up to make the board wider.

In this picture the triangle is up and the long part is folded down on the side to make the ironing board into a narrow rectangle! This will make ironing yardage much easier. :)
Has anyone seen anything like this? I really like it!

Edited to add a few more pictures...

Here is what it looks like up-side-down.


Close up of one of the rectangular side piece's hinges.


The triangular piece folded back...

..and laying flat.
I can't find a brand or company name on it anywhere. But it doesn't seem to be homemade either.

~Alyssa

The March Meeting

Last week was this month's Block of the Month quilt meeting. My favorite part is always the show and tell time. These ladies are so creative and make some really lovely quilts!

This is the quilt for this year. Each month we make a new block; this month's block is the one on the bottom left. All the fabric for the finishing kit (borders, sashing, and large setting triangles) are an extra purchase though, so I think my version of this quilt will look different. I really don't want to spend $50 for the finishing kit if I can help it!

~Alyssa

Quilt Club Meeting!

This morning we ladies made the trek into town to go to the 'Block of the Month Club' at the quilt store. I always enjoy the show-and-tell time, and below are a few pictures I took:

A variation of the Log Cabin pattern.

This lady used up a lot of scraps!

An old-fashioned butterfly quilt. (The butterflies are made using handkerchiefs.)

A doll quilt. Isn't it cute?!

One of the ladies made these adorable doll dresses for her granddaughter!

~Alyssa

A Tote Bag

A couple weeks ago I got out the bag of Home Decorating fabric remnants/scraps that a friend had given us, (I posted about them HERE ) and sewed up this tote bag. I wanted a smallish sized one to carry my Bible and notebook when we went to church, or a few books when we went on a car trip. Well, this ended up being way bigger than I had originally intended! However I have found it to be very handy. (Although I'm not using it for books - I think that would be too much weight for the handles.)

I used McCalls 5283 view B. It called for a lot of different pockets, even one with a zipper. I eliminated all but the one on the outside of the tote - on the side, and one inside that I made up with what I had left of the raspberry striped fabric. One other change I made was to lengthen the straps quite a bit. Now I can carry it over my shoulder, which I like a lot. :)

Now I just need to make a smaller one for my books!

~Alyssa

A Winter Dress - or "Overcoming the Woes of Long Sleeves"

We were going through our winter clothes a few weeks ago, and I realized I had very few good dresses for winter.  I have a lot of summer dresses, but I think I've somehow been avoiding making winter ones because of the sleeves.  I seem to have a hard time getting long sleeves the right length, and then there is the hassle of plackets, cuffs, buttons, and buttonholes to slow everything down!  I was feeling a little discouraged about this when I remembered that the sleeves on the Regency dresses don't have all those a fore mentioned encumbrances!  So I modified my favorite sleeve pattern making it a bit more fitted along the forearm and then flaring out a little over the wrist and hand, coming, (when my arm is down) almost to my knuckles.  One thing I love about the flare is that I can still roll the sleeves back out of the way for baking or dish washing.  (That was one part of straight, placket-less sleeves that I never liked - I couldn't roll them back.)

 The teal plaid fabric was from our stash - something we had bought on sale at JoAnns.  The black lace was also from JoAnns. :)

This in now my favorite winter dress!  I am hoping to make a few more this winter.   

~Alyssa

Quilts, Fall Colors, and Pies

A friend from church told me about a block-of-the-month club that one of the quilt stores in town has each year. Yesterday was their first meeting for a new quilt, so Mom and we girls went to see what it was like. There were well over 60 ladies there, most of them over 60! The lady in charge told us about the first block (see picture above) and explained how to sew it. Then there was a time for show and tell. That was a lot of fun, and reminded me of the quilt guild we were in when we lived in Vermont. Exclamations of delight went up from the crowd as people showed their creations!

The lady on the right made this quilt and hand quilted it too! She is donating it to a raffle. It was so beautiful!

Tulips!

This was the quilt top one of the ladies made with last years block of the month blocks. I like the colors in this one, very old-fashioned looking.

If I remember right this was a quilt top someone bought at a garage sale and had borders added and then quilted it. It has so many little pieces!

We enjoyed the time there and being with ladies who love to quilt and sew. It was nice to have some encouragement in a homemaking skill. :)

The sky was very blue and clear on the way home. When we drove into our driveway I got out of the van and walked up to the house so I could take some pictures. I love the bright leaves!

In the evening there was a men's meeting at church so Amy and I went to help serve food. Mr. B., who used to be a cook in the Navy, made all the food for the supper meal, the ladies just made the pies. :) These are just a few of them, there must have been over a dozen pies!

~Alyssa

Why Study Historical Fashion?

Mrs. Chancey recently wrote an excellent article about the study of fashion throughout history and the story it can tell us. Below is the first part of what she wrote:

"While we were in England, I had two different people (both of whom I met while on the tour but who were not in our group) ask me why we’d bring over a group to study clothing, of all things. Weren’t there far more important things we could have devoted our time to? Clothing just seemed, well, frivolous–lacking any real depth.
Naturally, I beg to differ. And so allow me to give you the philosophical underpinnings of my lifelong passion for the study of historical fashion (particularly women’s clothing) through the centuries.".....

Go HERE to read the rest!
~Alyssa

A Dress in Progress...

~Alyssa

Vintage Patterns!

Mom found this box of patterns at a garage sale when she was out with Dad one Saturday. The older lady having the garage sale gave the box to Mom! Mom had asked her how much the patterns were since she had a daughter who loves to sew, and the lady said Mom could just have them since "no one sews these days". :0 Well, I was delighted to have them, and found many lovely old patterns in the box:

Now I need pick one to try!

~Alyssa