Some of my WIPs

While I am not getting a lot of projects finished right now, I do have a few Works in Progress (WIP). So until I can get some more blocks ready for you, please enjoy these few.

Fancy Princes Feather

This is one of Mrs. Danners patterns. I have redrafted it and will offer it as a published pattern when complete.

There are nine of these blocks plus a border for a beautiful modern version of an antique quilt made in 1825.

This is the beginning of a block of the month from my quilt guild back at home. I was so going to keep up with this one this time.

I am making two of each block and making them 12 inches. So, I think it will make a nice size bed quilt. But alas, I am already behind due to the interuption in my life. Put it in the UFO pile!

I have a good friend at quilt quild that is getting my patterns for me while I am away, so I WILL get back to it and complete this one.

Thanks Helen!

I actually have started making this quilt twice now. I originally bought it as a block of the month from a very nice quilt shop in Golden, Colarado. Part way through, I lost my home to a fire and all my quilts too. So, one day I came across a new line of fabric that looked a lot like the fabrics used in the original BOM. So I searched out the pattern online and began again. This is done with needleturn applique and piecing is done by hand. I also plan to hand quilt this one.

And here is one that I actually did complete recently.. It usually hangs on my living room wall.

Do you hang your clothes on the line?

I was hoping to get a lot of patterns loaded up here by now, but my Mom suffered a stroke and I have moved to her house to take care of her. This dramatically limits my available time for quilting. So, in the mean time, I will share a few rememberances with you.

My Mom does not have a clothes dryer. So here I am in December having to wash at least two loads of laundry a day and HANG THEM ON THE LINE!

I was in the back yard doing just that and my mind began to wander. The act of hanging the clothes brought back some very long fogotten memories.

The first one that hit my senses was when my daughter was a new born. I too didn't have a dryer. Boy the memory of hanging all those wet diapers on the line in the winter time came over me hard. Hands red and freezing by the time I came in. But along with it came memories of her as a baby and all the great times we had then.

Next came the time when I was just a little girl. I remember my grandmother hanging clothes on the line in Mississippi. I remember dancing all around her singing a little song... now what was that song? Nope, can't remember the song...OK, speed up to the next day, again Im hanging out the laundry..OH the song! It was "Where is thumb man?" Anyone remeber that song.. I think I sang it until everyone was ready to pack me off for a while. Get through all the fingers and then, start over again with thumb man..

Where is thumb man, where is thumb man,
Here I am, Here I am.
How are you today sir?
Very well I thank you,
Run away, Run away

Where is pointer, where is pointer.....

OK, back to the clothes line. I remember clothespin bags that would hang on the line. You were supposed to put the pins in the bag so the line was free of pins the next time you hung out clothes. It would slide along the line so to be convenient to put the pins in or take the out as needed. Well, those have long gone by the wayside.

Now the pins are all lined up on the line at various positions. And there is invariably one in the way of where you need to pin or too far to reach when you need it.

Ouch, I got a splinter from the clothes pin! And one snapped and broke apart.

As I was in this little part of my Mom's yard hanging out my undies, I recall too that she once told me there was a law against hanging your undies on the line in this town. Now when did THAT happen? I mean really...

I am thinking that I love my mondern day conveniences. They help us get a lot of stuff done in a much timelier fashion. But, when you have time, hang a few clothes on the line.
Boy do the sheets smell good when you make the bed with line dried sheets and pillow cases. And you might just bring back a few memories of your own.