A Scrappy Thing

You might remember a quilt we made this fall, the Crossroads quilt that went to the local AIDS project auction.....

Well, thoughtful stitcher A scooped up all the silky tie scraps after we finished putting the blocks together and put them in a bag for me to take home. You might remember I love scraps and proclaim there are no scraps too small to save.

I like to make little gifts for my friends this time of year. I stitched together the scraps and made a coaster for everyone in our stitch group, so we would have a little remembrance of a very good quilt.

I will give them out today - here is one I am keeping. It measures 5" square and is backed with a bit of upholstery fabric.

Ho Ho HO!

Just in time for the holidays.....

If you have an extra quilt top laying around, you still have time to complete this gift for someone special for the holidays.

Make your quilt into a cozy robe. I found this one several years ago at an antique shop in Texas. Notice the simple kimono style. The front closure can be completed quickly too - just take a snap closure off an old robe and stitch it in place. Do some blanket stitching to finish the seams and voila! You have a dandy one-of-a-kind present. Mine is lined with a nice white sheet.

You probably will not believe that I had this out at several of my garage sale this year and it did not sell. I will admit I had a bit of a high garage sale price on it if someone really wanted it.

I think I wanted to keep it. It is a thing I truly love.

One More Thing

I LOVE this thing. I love how folky it is, how unique it is and how incredibly thrifty it is.

It is a Christmas decoration, a tiny tree only 9" tall. A cardboard back is the base. Bottle caps were carefully arranged and glued to the back, then little ornaments are glued in the center of each of those.

I found it at an antique shop in Missouri, in a backroom filled with heaps of junk. It looked like one could find something wonderful there - and I did. I remember the clerk gave me a bit of a quizzical look (like do you really want that?) and charged me 25 cents.....it WAS a bit more bedraggled then, several ornaments were broken and the cardboard truck was bent - easily fixed! Martha Stewart will be all over this one, don't you think?!

Merry merry!

Thing #3

Cats from Yvonne's Noah's Ark quilt

The work of Yvonne Wells = and anyone's whose work vibrates with creativity and energy.

Check out this quick video of her speaking at the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln last month:

http://www.quiltstudy.org/exhibitions/online_exhibitions/yvonne_wells/ywells_video_tech.html

The thing I like most is her quote:
"I get energy from disarray."

Thing #2

My newest face potholder! I love these wierd little potholders and they are small enough that my collection can grow forever.

This one was a surprise, a gift from someone who saw my display of these potholders at Do's Deluxe in January. It was passed on from an anonymous woman named Mary and isn't it wonderful. A lot of stitching went into making this one - I especially love the french knots and little stars in the bonnet. And she has naturally curly hair, like me.

Things I Love......a series to entertain you

For me, so much of 2011 has been about THINGS.
as in

How did I get so many things?

Why is it so hard for me to throw out things?

and

What things do I want to keep enough to move to a new spot?

Right now I'm at the tail end of getting rid of all the extraneous things.

I still have plenty, don't worry. I thought I'd show you some of the things I love. Series style, on successive days.....

Here is #1. Looks like a battered tin box from our Germany days, right? It is. The contents are the things I love. I have kept photographs, many that came with Christmas cards over the years in this box. 18 years plus. Now it is full and the memories are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Many very hilarious photos, and sweet ones like this from 20 years ago....

My Betsy and Kate in Germany, 20 years ago

In Cuba, Missouri

Alert stringer Kathe noticed this wonderful quilt in an antique shop in Cuba, Missouri. Isn't it thrift at its best! I'll show you several views of it - this one is the top of the quilt.....

Kathe thoughtfully got a photo of the quilt's left side that was peeking out from behind everything. Good thing I was not along or furniture would have been moved and we could have gotten into trouble.....

Here's a detail shot of the ties. They look like string. And they look very close together. They are definitely a design element of this comforter.

One more detail shot - it's not perfect, right? And that is why we love it.......

Have you ever noticed how many towns in Missouri have odd names? Here are a few I love: California, Peculiar, a quick web search found these (and it doesn't include Weaubleau, one of the best):
Anutt, MO
Arab, MO
Archie, MO
Ark, MO
Bacon, MO
Beulah, MO
Blackjack, MO
Bland, MO
Blue Eye, MO
Boss, MO
Butts, MO
Chamois, MO
Clever, MO
Climax Springs, MO
Competition, MO
Conception, MO
Cuba, MO
Dagonia, MO
Dent Ford, MO
Dissen, MO
Doe Run, MO
Elmo, MO
Enough, MO
Fair Play, MO
Fairdealing, MO
Folk, MO
Gipsy, MO
Gobler, MO
Green Castle, MO
Grubville, MO
Gumbo, MO
Half Way, MO
Humansville, MO
Ink, MO
Jack, MO
Japan, MO
Knob Lick, MO
Knob Noster, MO
Liberal, MO
Licking, MO
Limberlost, MO
Lone Jack, MO
Loose Creek, MO
Low Wassle, MO
Moody, MO
Neck City, MO
Nile, MO
Novelty, MO
Oscar, MO
Peculiar, MO
Plato, MO
Polo, MO
Pumpkin Center, MO Roach, MO
Sarcoxie, MO
Service, MO
Shibboleth, MO
Shook, MO
Skidmore, MO
Solo, MO
Strain, MO
Success, MO
Tea, MO
Tiff, MO
Tightwad, MO
Triplett, MO
Turtle, MO
Village of Four, MO
Vulcan, MO
Wolf Island, MO
Many thanks to KatheD, one of the best that Missouri has produced.......