Vintage hankies inspire me

A friend who used to attend the quilt group we helped to organize at Shaler Library gave me some vintage handkerchiefs from her collection. She was in the process of making a quilt as you go method handkerchief quilt when she moved away.  She had the sweetest story about her collection of hankies -- she and a close friend had exchanged hankies for birthdays and Christmases for many many years.  
In the box that she gave me, were about 5-6 hankies that had initials, and 4 that had the name "Betty" embroidered and/or appliqued on them.  This friend's name wasn't Betty so I'm not sure of the origin or these particular ones.
Of the two with the initial "M," i used one to make a little decorative pillow for a friend who is ill.  I thought of it as just a little pillow, but a friend told me it would be called a "boudoir" pillow - sounds kind of charming, doesn't it? Or many kind of racy? 

I used two that had an "R" monogram to make my sister-in-law a hankie scarf.  I'd never made one and didn't find any tutorials on line - nor many on Pinterest.  But Maria Wulf, a woman who write a blog that I read makes them, and I felt inspired by hers. I say inspired because I had trepidation about the various differences in fabrics, sizes and styles of hankies.  From looking at hers, it looks as though she just goes for a "boho" look -- and I decided to not stress over those differences. The hankies are vintage, and fragile to some extent, and perfection in meeting corners or exacting sizes almost seemed insulting to this pretty little pieces of happiness and sadness - oh the history those hankies must have!  Held in women's hands, absorbing tears of joy and mourning (or simply drying the drips from a bad cold!) - each one as different as the women who owned them.
I liked having this scarf draped over a hanger on my bedroom door for a couple days - and decided that if my sister-in-law doesn't want to wear it - it would make a sweet decoration to hang on a wall or door.  
I had to futz with it a bit to get it to hang in a way that both "R"s show - but I did try it around my own neck as well as on the hanger - and it does work, with just a little tucking and pulling.

I plan to use the 4 that have the name Betty to make a throw quilt for my college roommate - guess what her name is?

Wallhanging donated to Lawrenceville Library's annual art auction

My Happy Villages obsession continued (and I think may have culminated -- see previous post with 4 others featured) with the creation of a donation wall hanging for our local library's annual art auction. The library is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, so I wanted the hillside to specifically represent that neighborhood. When I enter that area, I must cross the Allegheny River via the 40th Street Bridge. The blue fabric in the bottom right corner represents the river, and the gold uprights in the fabric represent the bridge. I titled the work as a Twitter Post - Stuck in Traffic on the 40th St. Bridge -- so that the view would be the hillside ahead. Children's Hospital is dominate at the top left, with a tiny portion of the historic Allegheny Cemetery to the left of it represented by some fussy cut tombstones from my Halloween fabric stash. I was excited that several people bid on the quilt and it sold for a nice profit to help the library. I've been a member of the Friends of Lawrenceville Library for about 8 years, and have donated something all 4 years that we have sponsored the show. The sale of this one is one of my proudest quilting moments.

Happy Villages quilts

Over the last six months or so, I have been obsessed with making fabric collage landscapes or villages. Karen Eckmeier's book, Happy Villages inspired me, and I've made five, each about 22 inches square. Each is made on a background of felt, and once the village is completely built, I cover it with glittered tuille, then free motion quilt around the pieces to complete the village.  Some of the fabrics are fussy cut to suggest fences, crosses, steeples, etc. I use metallic threads, and embellish with some crystals.   

This one represents a typical Pittsburgh hillside -

I made this one to suggest a typical Israel hillside. We've toured Israel in May 2014, and I made this
 as a memory from that trip.

The first Halloweenscape that I made was for my daughter who lives in Texas. I liked it so much and hated to give it up, so I just had to go ahead and make one for our house too.

Sending some Autumn to Arlington (Texas)

Daughter, Bethany moved to Texas a couple years ago and misses the fall colors, so I sent a few things to her to hang as reminders

feeling fallish

Cooler weather motivates me to quilt more! Got out some old wall hangings that I hang every year in the fall.

I made this hanging the year that we spent 4 weeks in October and November in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. I missed the fall colors of home, so I made this bargello type hanging, with embellishments of "silk" leaves to hang on the balcony next to some palm trees at our ocean front condo.

I loved making this hanging because it was so different and "freeing" -- I used velvety poly for the borders and a silky fabric for the sashing, and each leaf is created from some non-traditional fabrics - no quilting cotton fabric at all. It makes me think of Fall Freedom.

I really can't decide which is my favorite leaf!

It's sure been awhile since I visited my own page here. and this could be why! Tried to upload photos - and this is what I GOT! grrrrr - must get back to it some time later. own page here. We have been busy visiting other places - and as always, we take photos of visits to fabric stores.

Last year, my friend Betty admired a wall hanging I'd made for our house, so as an early Christmas present, I made a similar one for her. This was made from one large invisible 9 patch block. Tiny jingle bells accent the snow people's hats, and white snowflake buttons and blue and white "gems" embellish the blocks.