Faux Hawks since 1865

I've been scanning family photos, graciously loaned to me by mom's cousin Mary Ann. Some are from the Civil War era, some are Kansas family life in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. As I scan I notice details in clothing, hairstyles, etc.

Watching TV the other night, I was startled by a young man's hairstyle. It was like the ladies in the photos I'd been scanning, a roll or topknot on the very top of the head. Note the similarities:

David Beckham today (they call this a mini mohawk haircut or faux hawk).


Unknown relative (left) in Momence, Illinois in 1865














Great Grandma Lillie Tunison in Wheaton, Kansas 1926

Improvised quilts at market

I took a new digital camera to market. it's smaller and even more user friendly than my old one. Instead of taking notes, I took pictures of things I liked. When I reviewed my shots, I was surprised at how similar some of the quilts I liked were. One was made of Japanese Daiwabo fabrics. One was at the Moda booth. One was made by Kaffe Fassett. (You'll be able to tell which is which.) Notice how similar they are to the Log Cabin quilt in the show, a log fence reproduction by Francine Pons. Her inspiration was a quilt in Barbara Brackman's book Quilts of the Civil War.

Market Tidbits

There is a lot to see at quilt market. I tend to focus on little things I like:

Pups in quilted flower petals (courtesy of Michael Miller fabrics):


A marketing wonder's new tat:










Some fun fun authors:

Market before/after

An inviting feature for photographers at Pittsburgh's Convention Center is the skywalk above the center of the exhibition space. As we crossed it to attend schoolhouse presentations, we could watch (and photograph) quilt market take shape. Here are a few before and after shots. One is an overview of the convention hall. The other is the Kansas City Star booth (before and after) home of many good books.

To market, to market

Today we're heading to spring quilt market in Pittsburgh, PA. I'll be talking about my book to shop owners on Thursday afternoon and scouting the market Friday all day. Market is always amazing. Overstimulating....

Peonies, Iris, Swallows.... and more

We're enjoying a lush spring here, thanks to soaking rains in April. Look at our peonies, they just opened up. The colors are almost garish! You'll also see an Iris card I made from my beloved scraps. Our Iris are in full bloom too. And graduation is this weekend....
The garden is sprouting and we planted new trees in our yard: 2 redbuds and 1 cherry. mmmmmm. Dad's tomato plants go in the garden today: Snow's lily bulbs too.
Our barn swallows are back. There is a pair that take up residence on our front porch every spring and stay through the summer. They are already sitting on the nest so we will have chirping babies soon.

My William Morris Adventure

So, if your fabric designer friend gives you some of those precut bundles and tells you to go to town, how far will they go? For me they produced 5 sides of small quilts (4 quilts total) = not bad!
Barbara Brackman’s new Moda fabric line, The Morris Workshop, is her second featuring William Morris prints. She gave me 1 jelly roll (2 1/2” strips), 1 honey bun (1 1/2” strips) and 1 packet of turnovers (6” squares cut in half diagonally). Yum. And she let me play in my unstructured way. Here’s what they produced:
Improv (above): 37” x 47”
Turnovers: 30” x 49”
Rail Fence (a 2 sided quilt): 22”x 44”
William mini: 8” x 24”
I love the colors in this line, they are rich, rich.

Rosemary's Shirt Mania

In the past year Rosemary Cromer became obsessed with SHIRTS.
She bought shirts at every thrift shop she passed. She made several quilts with shirts. She lent one for the gallery of my book. Another became part of the Country Living Classics Exhibit. Scraps became postcards for our guild exchange.
When I was at her house the other day she showed me the REAL reason she started working with the shirts: to make a quilt for her bed. It's so cool, look at the great setting triangles she is using. She opined that she was through with the shirts so I called her bluff. I said, cool, let me put them into a rug for you. OH NO! She wasn't ready for that. She instantly thought of a few more small projects she wants to use them for before she lets them go.
Rosemary got obsessed and has stayed obsessed. Good for her.

Brookside Art Fair full o found objects

I got to trot through Kansas City's Brookside Art Fair yesterday and was pleased at the number of artists including found objects in their work.
My favorite was art by Sarah Kargol. She makes monsters! Many of her monster bodies are fabric gleaned from none other than thrift stores. And she is from Bath, South Dakota. who knew!
check out her web site to see many found object wonders.

Ah, May

I looked up May Day and found this:

…The beginning of May was a very popular feast time for the Romans. It was devoted primarily to the worship of Flora, the goddess of flowers. It was in her honor a five day celebration, called the Floralia, was held. The five day festival would start April 28 and end on May 2.

My husband’s mother was named Flora. Flora Ova to boot. Floral names were popular the year of her birth, 1912. My grandmother, born the same year, was named Thelma Iris.

Enjoy this funky basket, one of 25 on a funky quilt I found In Hutchinson, Kansas. The baskets are set on a rough, faded background fabric. One side only is bordered in black. It’s an odd quilt and I love it.