Another finish - The Farm Folks

Again - you have seen parts of this quilt before - and here are the blocks, finished , with the embroidery and set in the red gingham sashing

And here is the completed quilt. The outer border is scraps of all the tans and beiges that make up the backgrounds in the blocks. I think the binding will be gingham - cut on the bias.

Finish Number Two

This quilt some of you have seen before - it is one that Peg and I had worked on together. Peg finished hers long ago and has been using it - mine has taken me a bit longer. All I had to add was the last borders and I finally found the perfect fabrics.

Here it is before I found the border fabric . . .

Some close ups . . .

And here it is with the borders finally added . . .

I added a dark gray, thin inner border and a wider brown leaf print border. Just the thing for an autumn quilt.

What have I been doing, you ask - - -

Well, I've been finishing up UFOs. I had 7 of them, and I decided in June that I would work non-stop until I had them all finished and ready to send to Peggy for quilting. So this is my journey of finishing - one quilt at a time.

Some were finished quickly, they only needed a border or two, and some were finished slowly, blocks were finished but they had to be set together and borders added. I sometimes struggle with the design of the sashing and borders on quilts. I love how the quilts eventually turn out, but there are twists and turns and ponderings and changing of mind along the way.

The first one I finished was a 70s Dresden Plate. I had found the blocks at a thrift store in Lynden, WA - and they were priced at 2.95 - not 2.95 a block - but 2.95 for all the blocks. Several were already finished and attached to the backing and there was enough backing to finish the rest of the blocks - all for 2.95 - total. Well, being frugal (cheap) I certainly couldn't pass up an opportunity like that - so they came home with me.

This is how most of them came - pieced and ready to applique to the backing . . .

I know this is a 70s quilt, because I recognize several of the fabrics in the blocks - I used them in my kids' clothes back in the 70s, so I have a reminder of those times, in blocks that someone else made.

Some still had the paper on the back from the English Paper Piecing . . .

Some didn't match with the others . . .

Some had the center appliqued on - but I wasn't crazy about that choice, so those were removed.

Since the predominant color in most of the blocks was green, I decided on a simple green sashing. It is a bright Kelly Green.

And here it is - ready to be quilted - I love the idea of blocks that someone made and then wasn't able to finish. I feel like I have helped them along to make these blocks into a wonderful quilt.

Another Vintage Quilt to Repair

My good friend Julee and I spent a fabulous day going to thrift shops yesterday - and having lunch at Dutch Mother's in Lynden.

At the first thrift shop I spied this old quilt from the 30s and when discovering that the price was only 12.50, I knew it had to come home with me. (It could have come home with me for a whole lot more - but I was tickled to get it for 12.50). Julee is not a quilter (she's a fabulous painter) so we both didn't covet the vintage quilt.

The background is that wonderful 30s green. It has circles hand quilted on it - and in between the circles are triangles of YoYos.

Most of the YoYos are no longer attached and some are in bad shape - but since my favorite fabrics are 30s reproductions, I know I can redo this quilt to its former glory. I have two medium sized plastic boxes of 30s fabrics - the only fabrics I buy without having a specific project in mind - I just adore the 30s reproductions.

This is one of the few diamonds of YoYos that is still mostly intact . . .

The edge of the quilt has a row of solid color YoYos, and as you can see, a gentle washing is going to be needed for this quilt.

The hand quilted circles in between the diamonds made of YoYos. Someone put a lot of work into this quilt.

I think it was made for a young girl's bedroom. Can't you just feel the excitement as the mother lays the new quilt gently on the bed. The young girl dances and twirls about her room, so excited about the lovely quilt her mother has spent hours making for her. The little girl touches the YoYos, remembering the sun dress made of the same fabric, or a bit of fabric from Grandmother's apron. Each fabric tells her a story of her family and she will cherish it forever.

And now it is mine - to cherish and redo so it will be remembered once again. The stories of the quilt will tell themselves to me as I work on the pieces, getting them back in place, or adding new ones that match. And once again the quilt will have more stories to tell.

What stories do your quilts tell you?

What I am working on - Farmer Quilt

I started this quilt last year, it is machine appliqued. My friend Susannah made this quilt, and I couldn't wait to make one too. It is called the Farmer Quilt - with activities that you might find on the farm.

I still need to do some hand embroidery on some of the blocks - like the clothesline on the block below. It is a lot of fun to work on - the thing that took the longest was picking out the many fabrics for the blocks.

For the background I used several different tans.

Farmer's wife hanging out the laundry . . .

An occasional rest and some hot tea . . .

Sweet summer bride . . .

Making a quilt - once I embroider a needle and thread in her hand . . .

Learning in a one-room-school . . .

Iron on Tuesday . . .

Milking the cow - every day . . .

Apparently two different breeds of cow . . .

Taking turns on the swing (when the rope is embroidered)

Checking the corn crop . . .

Feeding the chickens - those tear drop shapes will become chickens with some clever embroidery.

Rocking the baby in the afternoon, under the big tree in the yard . . .

A portrait in the barnyard . . .

What are you working on these days?

Why did I name my blog Pieceful Afternoon

If you stop over at Sweet As Cinnamon you will find a wonderful list of blogs, all telling how they decided on the name of their blog (plus a give-away).

The reason that I named my blog Pieceful Afternoon is because I love nothing better than to have a whole afternoon, sitting peacefully and working on my quilts. I like to do handwork, quiet and still, and I thought of a peaceful afternoon - but then I decided to use "Pieceful" because I am doing quilts on these quiet, soft afternoons. I also thought of how quilts (pieces) bring peace when they are given as gifts, or slept under on chilly nights. So Pieceful Afternoon it is.

And I do love a Pieceful Afternoon with quilts freshly washed and blowing in the breeze. . .


And sometimes I get to enjoy those Pieceful Afternoons with our grandson Ben (this was taken when he was 2)

A Farmer Quilt

My friend Susannah makes the most wonderful quilts - and I often succumb to the desire to make one "just like hers".

Her farmer quilt is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time and so of course I had to borrow the pattern from her (as far as I can tell it is not commercially made) and make my own Farmer Quilt.


These are my blocks - fused and ready for machine applique. I will also add hand embroidered embellishments - like stems for the flowers on each side of the girl - and flowers on her bouquet and in her hair.

There will also be a rope hanging down from the tree to attach to the swing seat, and a bill for the boy's cap . . .

And a needle in her hand - she is quilting . . .

Don't you just love her "fuzzy" slippers?

Handles on the milk pails . . .

Ma is feeding the chickens - have to embellish the chickens so you can tell what they are - and put a pan of chicken feed in her hands . . .

And add an embroidered clothesline - isn't that basket fabric fabulous?

This is Susannah's finished quilt - I want to be Susannah when I grow up!