Snoodle

Sewing Holiday

It was 68 degrees here yesterday.  A treat for November in Vermont.  In some ways I'm glad that it was a more typically cool, gray, and drizzly day today because I had no intention of playing outside.  With a rare showing of some forethought, I took the day off to start sewing Christmas gifts. 

On my last trip to Nido, Phiona introduced me to Growing Up Sew Liberated.  All I needed was the suggestion.  It's a fabulous addition on my quickly growing collection of sewing books.  I especially like the "big kid" projects.  I was starting to get a little nostalgic for my baby looking at diaper bags, bibs, and booties in my other books.  While I'm rather smitten with the Little Amigo doll in this book, I'm being realistic that it's not going to happen by the end of December.  I opted instead, to make the naturalist's messenger bag. 

I've been holding on to this lovely red Japanese fabric with little houses for a few years after getting it at the Vermont Quilt Festival.  The info on the selvage is "D's Selection Tip-top DT11227s produced by Junkl Matsuda Made in Japan http://www.daiwabo-tex.co.jp  It really like the scale of this fabric for this cute little bag.

The green is a soft, heavy twill from the now closed fabric store where I used to work.  I don't know the manufacturer, but when I worked there we always called it the "Kermit" fabric! 

The directions in this book are quite easy to follow.  The strap was a bit more complicated in its sewing as it is adjustable, but if you're sewing for a child, being able to change the length of the strap is important. 

I made a couple of alterations to the pattern.  First, I made the pocket a little bit larger and made it slightly more square on the bottom.  After the bag was sewn, I discovered that the larger pocket isn't as well hidden under the front flap.  I really should have placed it closer to the top/ opening of the bag.   I also found that the bag wasn't closing as securely as I wished, so I added a hair tie into the seam of the flap and a button to secure the flap down.  This solved both of those problems.

My grandmother told me that you should never gift a wallet or purse without money in it.  Inspired by this, anytime I make a bag or pouch or wallet-like thingie, I've got to put something in it for the recipient.  In this case, I made a little zipper pouch/ change purse.  I made one that turned out a little smaller than I intended.  I was going to toss it, but decided to make a second larger one instead.  She can organize her money, library card, band aids, etc. however she wishes.  Not to leave an empty pouch, I tucked a dollar and some coins into on pouch and a free Ben and Jerry's ice cream coupon into the other.  I also made a little tissue pouch for the inevitable drippy nose!

I finished the last of these accessories just in time to tune into Sari's internet workshop this afternoon.  (the real reason I took the day off)  It was a well-done,  informative talk on fabric.  I was pleased to realize that I already knew most of what she discussed, but there were some ideas about drape and heaviness that was helpful to remember.  It also solidified my thinking that using natural fiber fabrics is totally worth the expense over synthetics.  Though I'm often miserly, if you spend 10+ hours perfecting a garment from sewing a muslin to adding details, a few dollars per yard shouldn't keep you from buying the fabric that will best suit the project.  And now, would someone go and explain this all to my husband...

The fun-filled day of sewing was bound to come to an end, and I did have to step out into the post daylight savings time wet gloom to pick up Nora.  She's been fighting a cold and didn't greet me as heartily as she usually does.  I thought it best that we spend a little more time chatting and walking.  So, we headed for the thrift shop.  Her attitude can change quickly with a twenty-five cent book.  (Today, it was Meet Kaya).

It was as if there were some theme going on for me today because there were four great sewing books waiting for me when I got there.  The first was Nancy Zieman's The Best of Sewing with Nancy.   I didn't even look inside when I picked it up.  If it's by Nancy, I get it.  She pretty much has all of the answers!

There was also this fabulous book of interior decorating from 1950.  Irresistible!

Chapter thirty-three  How to Make Use of Attics, Basements

Attractive Studio-Bedroom takes advantage of wasted attic space:

I have no idea how "easily installed wood paneling may solve your space problem."  Clearly, I have some reading to do.

A groovy Coats and Clark's Sewing Book from 1967:

But this is my favorite!  (1949!)

I'm totally ready for the next color palette sewing challenge!

Fabulous edge treatments:

Topstitching:

So much shirring!

I also picked up a couple of sewing patterns.  One for me and one for Nora.  Those are some fierce green pants! 

 

The Night of the Gypsy Princess

If you had asked me a couple of months ago, I would have guessed that my evening tonight would have been spent with a Revolutionary War Era lass or even a large rabbit, but this wasn't the case.  Instead we spent the night with a gypsy princess.  Now, I'm not sure where the gypsy idea came from.  I don't actually know if my darling daughter knows much about gypsies other than their fabulous skirts made for twirling and a knack for the tambourine.  So, I drew my inspiration from where most of my inspiration seems to be flowing:  Mad Men! 

I thought I would buy a vintage pattern, but it wasn't necessary for this project.  I had my eye on the one below from New Vintage Lady on Etsy- which is still available. 

Instead, I took inspiration from it and set to make do with what I had.

The top is white quilting fabric from my stash.  It could serve as a future underdress layer this Fall/ Winter.  I used the same pattern that I used for her Easter ensemble and beloved green dress that I wrote about here. 

I just gathered four tiers of colorful fabric to make the skirt- fast and easy!  The bottom tier is over 200 inches and the others decrease to the top tier which was the 45" width of that fabric.

The head scarf is folded in a half triangle and tied in the back.  The striped waist scarf is just tied at the hip.  We borrowed both of these as well as numerous other options from our local Front Porch Forum.  Thanks, neighbor!

Grandma loaned the shawl which was essential as it's dang cold on Halloween in Vermont!  She's also wearing a leotard and a long sleeve tee and fleece pants under there!

The necklace and clip on hoop earrings were the only items that I purchased.  I got them at Claire's on a rare mall trip.

Thanks to my friends in music and theater, we borrowed the perfect gypsy tambourine from a local high school theater department.  I tied ribbon streamers into a jingle-less slot.

 

Overall, it was deemed a very successful costume.

I Heart Colette!

 

My heart always does a little flip when I find a vintage sewing notion on my thrifting adventures.  On more than one occasion, I've found boxes (sometimes actual sewing boxes -Yea!) full of notions.  Some of them I keep in the package because the sweet buttons on the card are so dear or the packaging is so vintage-cool.  A lot of it, like the binding, elastic, and snaps just get used.

One day, I was rifling through my newest box of treasures, wondering if I got my $3 worth, when I found a little metal... thingie.  It had the name Dritz embossed on it so I knew it was indeed a sewing notion, but I hadn't any other clue as to what it could be used for.  Also embossed was the patent number which I searched on the interwebs. 

...and I found that it is a bound buttonhole attachment.  How exciting!  A bound buttonhole provides such a finished, professional look.  It's not one of those details that you see in ready to wear clothing; at least not in my price range!  It's one of those things that makes vintage clothing so desirable.  It's these kind of details that makes sewing your own clothes special.  So, I thought I would try to find out how to actually use this little device.  Granted, I do have a lot of vintage sewing books, but I was on the internet anyway.  I came across a blog that had the answer:   The Coletterie!

Not only did I find the perfect answer, but also the perfect blog.  Okay, now click on the link, but come back eventually because I must warn you:  There is A LOT to look at.  The blog is filled with the history of fashion, tutorials, sew-alongs, and oh, the patterns!  Colette is actually the name of Sarai Mitnick's pattern company- the finest patterns I've ever seen.  I've just found the perfect fabric for the Violet top and can't wait to plunge in.  There's a whole sewing lesson in there, and if you do follow the blog, you'll discover lovely little details to add to your patterns.  Today there was even multiple styling options for one of their dresses.  

Reading the Colette blog and forum is blissfully inspirational and also provides the means to make that inspiration become reality and see how others have been inspired ... which is inspirational!  *Sigh*  If I can't go fabric shopping with Sarai herself, at least I have the Coletterie.

And then there's this:

Yes!  What I imagine to be a sewing course between two covers!  I'm so excited about the release of this book in November and available for pre-order now.  I'm feeling confident that it will be not only informative but also beautiful!  This, along with the new Fall patterns that have just been released (Hello, Peony!)  I think I'll be quite busy until Spring... when I might actually complete my Colette Spring Palette Challenge!  Does it really matter what year?!

*************************

So, I picked a name out of a hat and the winner of  

Singer Sewing for the Home is:

Aimee!

Please email me your address and I'll ship it off to you soon!

The Make Do Desk

Our little compartment, I mean apartment, is small.  Really, really small.  Exacerbated by a seven year old who likes to dance, a mama who uses the kitchen floor for basting quilts, a daddy who tinkers with computers, and a whole family who collects books, this place often feels like it is shrinking around us.  We've had to "make do"  a lot:  laughing at the idea of a queen sized bed and sharing a dresser, a loft for said seven year old to make room for dance and play, a dining/ sewing table - one which often pushes the other aside...

One thing, however that I was not willing to "make do" with is going without a place for Eleanor to do her work: school, art, newspaper writing, mad-libs, jewelry making, sewing, whatever it is that she does; I feel it's important for her to have a space of her own and certainly not add to the dining/ sewing table usage!

It was clear that she needed a desk.  We had an old school (literally) desk with the flip-up desktop and inkwell, but I was always worried about her pinching her fingers, the angle always caused the writing utensils to roll off, there wasn't space for anything to be left on the top.   It never really got used.  So, I was thrilled when I found a child-sized desk at my favorite thrift shop, ReStore.

It certainly did NOT look like this when I got it.  It was painted white and appeared to be left in a garage as the top sustained a lot of damage and was quite rough.  It was so rough that I thought twice about getting it, but I checked out the drawers, gave the chair a good shake and all appeared intact and sturdy.  I coughed up my $25 and brought it home.  Fast-forward a few months and it's done!  Much of the time was spent just picking out a color.  I had no preference which might have made the decision harder.  Nora chose green and we got many, many paint samples and observed them in different lighting throughout the day... for many days. 

Nora finally decided on  "Little Apples" by Pratt & Lambert.  (a semi-gloss acrylic latex).  It makes me think of jadeite but brighter and a bit cheerier.  Thanks to David for finding time to do this.  I can't paint. 

After the paint decision was made, it was my job to come up with a lovely coordinating fabric.  I was struck with the jadeite/ 30's inspiration. I thought I would use something from my small collection of reproduction fabrics.   Though, anything would be better than the original:

Now, I don't fault the previous owner for the fabric choice.  I'm guessing it was fine 80's fabric... in the 80's.  And you've got to expect a fair amount of wear and filth, but what I don't understand is why the fabric was pieced.  It was clearly sewn together before the chair was upholstered and not a repair.  Kudos to the person who sewed it because the pattern matched up perfectly. But for the small amount of fabric needed to cover a chair, why not use a continuous piece of fabric?  Which makes my ultimate fabric choice so ironic:

Yup, that's a lot of piecing!  The paint color choice was not the only area of indecision.  I couldn't figure which fabric I wanted to use the most, and when I did, I only had scraps left.  So, I crazy quilted the scraps that I had.  So, now I am the  woman pieced the chair cushion.  I did, however, use fusible fleece to hold it all together.  I think it will last until I get tired of looking at it and want to reupholster it again.

To make the actual cushion, I used nap mat from work that had ripped and was going to be thrown away.  Because it was covered with vinyl, it was easy to use a marker to trace the wooden seat's base and just cut it with strong shears.

The drawer pulls that were originally on the desk looked like this:

They're not horrible, but needed cleaning that I wasn't going to do.  The knobs that I used also came from the Restore.  They are wooden knobs that I painted with white craft acrylic.  They're fine, but I'm noticing that arty-y fingerprints are appearing on them at a steady pace.  I might replace them with vintage milk glass or porcelain knobs. 

Being unimpressed with the inside of the drawers which were (almost) painted in a previous life, I told David not to paint them green and that I would figure out "something."  Once again, the ReStore came to the rescue!

I always peek at the wrapping paper/ wallpaper section there, but have never taken anything home with me.   Maybe I was looking with a different eye that day, but I found the perfect wallpaper (from 1979 according to the paperwork in the roll).  I put the good ol' Mod Podge to work and papered the inside of each drawer.  It looked quite antique when the glue was wet (sort of tea stained) but also looks lovely when dry.

I'm loving Nora's little desk accessories.  The toadstool eraser/pencil sharpener was in her Christmas stocking, the toadstool stapler was a lucky garage sale find.  The caterpillar is a wind-up toy and apparently essential to homework completion.  The bulletin board in the first photo came from (surprise) the ReStore.  It's Melissa and Doug and was still in the original packaging.  Score!

Eleanor is really enjoying it.  I think she's writing more ow that she has her own space. The typewriter really pulls together the whole 30's theme!  I'm happy with the depression era thriftiness that made the whole project quite economical!

*************

I'm really excited to be giving away a copy of  

Singer: Sewing for the Home.

All you have to do is leave a comment on my last post.

 

 

The Robe

Our door window used to have a little curtain on it.  It got faded and dirty past the point of "dusting" in the dryer.  So, in a moment of cleaning frenzy, I tossed it away thinking I'd whip up another in the next couple of days.  That was some time in the spring.  Considering my Colette Spring Challenge was a bit of a failure of in-completion, I'm sure it goes without saying that the little window curtain still hasn't been sewn.  I'd been living with the nasty green faded curtain for so long that its been kind of nice allowing the sun to shine through.  However, I've felt a little weird as I dash from the shower to my bedroom, my towel-clad self being exposed to the view of our neighbors... granted, they'd have to be across the street, looking at a funny angle, at the perfect moment (and even then, would surely be disappointed!)  You'd think I'd solve this problem by sewing the darn curtain.  Nope.  It was clearly time for a bathrobe!  I've been looking forever for a great bathrobe pattern.  I knew I wanted something vintage.  I have this pattern (Butterick) 5152 already, but it seemed a little fancy for summer.  So, I was thrilled when I looked through my big ol' box of patterns and rediscovered this pattern that I found at a thrift shop sometime last year:

McCall's 5940 (1978)

I used vintage sheets for the fabric.  The tags were torn off, but I imagine that they were contemporaries with the pattern. 

 

It was super fast to sew partially because the pattern was precut by its previous owner.  It also needed no adjustments except that I raised the pockets which were not used by the last person who sewed this, so the seam allowances were cut off.  A quick glance at the directions made it clear how to make it work and voila!  My first inserted pockets:

I was also thrilled with my zipper which went in correctly the first time I tried and I didn't even swear at all!  Unfortunately, I discovered that my zipper foot has a ding in it where the needle hit it and left a burr that kept catching on the thread.  I finagled the sewing to stay on one side of the zipper foot and it turned out fine.  I'm going to have to get a new foot though... and an invisible zipper foot while I'm at it because I need a new challenge!

 

And how about that 1978 collar?!!  It's so much fun.  I thought of reworking it to round it out or at least shorten it, but that would have pulled the character out of this robe.  No.  This housedress.  A term that totally makes me think of a chain-smoker, hair in curlers, fuzzy slippers, fryin' up some bacon, and dishing out the latest gossip.  Not me, but I kind of want to hang out with her- She makes a great Bloody Mary.  I wonder what my neighbors will think of the robe.  Maybe I will get to work on that door curtain so I don't have to find out.

Uniform Stitches

I love uniforms.  I must not be too traumatized by the navy blue polished polyester tunic and bell-bottoms with Peter Pan collar blouse that I had to wear as a child. (What were they thinking?!!)  We've never had an argument about what to wear in the morning, and because our school does uniform exchanges, we didn't have to purchase any clothes for school.  Nora has never really been into self-expression through her clothing.  She's more concerned about her clothes being comfortable so she really likes her uniform, too.  Yes, I realize that this is subject to change, but I'm pretty sure that I can defend the attributes of uniforms to my future ten-year-old.

Nora has been spending a lot of time playing school at home lately.  We've gotten out the easel chalkboard.  Occasionally, she dons a bonnet and a slate and literally plays 'old school.'  Mostly, though, she specializes in teaching art, music (with a whole lot of recorder), and math. Jane is one of her most attentive students.  So, I thought she should have her own little uniform.

I walked into Nora's room and found her reading the Three Bears at Jane's desk -a favorite gift from Gramma and Grandpa.

I cut up an outgrown (already?) short sleeve uniform top to make the shirt.  It made it though at least 2 students and a doll so that's a pretty good run!  I used the collar to make the doll's collar and finished it with bias tape.  The buttons are the uniform buttons, but it closes with velcro because, with Jane's huge head of hair, the shirt needs to be able to open all the way.  I cut out the top crown portion of the logo and appliqued that onto the little shirt with a zig-zag stitch.  All of Nora's uniform pants are in good shape so, I used a pair of David's old khakis.  Total cost: $0.

I also made Jane a Little Flowers Girls' Club vest!

 

Sweet P-jamas

While the case for a Valentines tree and an Easter tree "we could hang eggs on it!" was well argued, the brown branches of our beloved Christmas tree had to go.  I do, however, anticipate sweeping pine needles from the cracks in the floor until Independence Day. 

It was a good tree. It smells like the woods and provided just the right amount of cover for a rabbit.  That bunny watched the whole crazy season lounging beneath the branches.  She's sulking now that it's gone.  Nora insisted that we save a bowl full of needles for some undefined project, but that Sweet Pea would need them.  She's plotting the creation of a cardboard box rabitat with pictures of trees on it.  I can't wait to see it.

It's all about bunnies over here.  So, naturally, the annual Christmas pajamas had to represent.  I found this lovely, thick vintage (?) flannel at a local thrift shop.  Honestly, I wanted to use it for my own selfish self, but that whole "season of giving" thing won over.  I wasn't sure how the large print would work for the applique, but I quite like it.  And in the tradition of my mother, I had to make Jane a matching nightgown.  Super snuggly.

 

 

Just Like Me

Oh, duct tape, what can’t you do?!  Being the size and shape that I am... under 5 foot and fed by a fantastic chef who knows his way around butter and bacon (sigh), I’ve never been able to find clothes off the rack that fit me the way I would like.  I’m so very short that the area on a shirt that should be at the waist actually falls at my hips which are generous (yet another fitting issue)!  With my love of sewing, it just made sense for me to make my own clothes, but let’s face it, patterns can often have the same issues that retail clothes have.  Armed with some great books about fitting, I started shopping for dress forms.  While they are adjustable, I found that they don’t necessarily adjust appropriately for my figure.  In fact, my measurements fall between two different sizes of forms!   Then, I remembered an article that I read in Threads magazine about cloning yourself a “fitting assistant.”  While being able to get clothing to properly fit is worth a lot to me, I was delighted to discover that I could do it so inexpensively.

If you are tricky to fit or short on cash, I totally recommend it.  It was almost fun to make!
Before you start wrapping yourself up, you’ve got to prepare a little!

You’ll need:

• A REALLY good friend who can bite her/his tongue while wrapping (I opted for my husband)

• A bottle of wine/ scotch for above

• Old turtleneck and t-shirt

• Duct tape - I used 3 rolls, barely using the third to clean up the final layer

• Batting - A LOT

• Shoulder pads

• Heavy cardboard

• Tripod stand - ours was $3 from the thrift shop

(Bunny -optional)

• Wooden coat hanger

• PVC pipe that just fits over the rod of the tripod

• Sharpie

• Strong scissors that you don’t mind getting a little sticky

• Directions.  I bought the PDF from The Duct Tape Double Studio which was very helpful especially for properly wrapping.

Okay, you’re almost ready!

• Make a date with your wrapper.  Plan on having them on hand for about 3 hours... some of that time will be spent on that wine later!

• Schedule the sitter - Really, you’ll literally be stuck and unable to parent!

• You’ll need to make something to keep you from actually getting stuck to the duct tape (ouch!)  I cut off the bottom of the t-shirt and sewed it to the bottom of the turtleneck to lengthen the shirt.  The more form-fitting, the better. Bulk from a too-big t-shirt affects the shape of your form.

• Put on your best bra

• Pop in a movie that you and your wrapping partner have seen before because the wrapping part can get a little dull, I don’t recommend a comedy because you can’t really laugh (but you will anyway!)

• Go to the bathroom

• I stood on an anti-stress mat, but wear something comfy on your feet that you can stand in for awhile.  You’ll stand with your normal posture.

Wrap

• Start wrapping “across the heart.”  This is the most important wrap.  Mine could have been a little tighter.  It is the first wrap, but try to make it as perfect as you can.

(Have I mentioned that I need a new camera?!!)

• Wrap horizontally, vertically, and horizontally according to the directions.  The length of your tape will vary, some pieces will need to be snipped into a dart.

• Using a weighted string, mark the center front, back, and sides with marker (you’ll cover it later, so you don’t need to be fancy)

(Check your marks when you're done to make sure everything is level)

• Bend slightly to determine where the waist falls and mark

 

(This photo was actually taken after it was cut in the back so it looks a little loose)

• Thank your partner and hopefully, they will release you.  (remind them to watch out for your bra with those scissors!)

• Stretch!  It took us until the Fellowship made it to the Mines of Moria.  That’s a long time of standing!

Stuff

• Tape together the back of the neck and the upper back of the form.
• Using a flexible ruler, shape it around your neck and cut out a piece of cardboard in that shape.
• Poke a hole through the center and put the hook of the coat hanger through it.
• Fit the cardboard against the top of the neck and secure with duct tape all around.
• Cut a U-shape into the larger-diameter PVC pipe just wide enough for the cross/ “pants” rod of the coat hanger fits snugly
• Start stuffing.  You’ll use up lots of batting filling it snugly.  Be careful not do misshape the form by over stuffing.
• Use shoulder pads to fill in curves: shoulders, breasts, (I even used them for my hips!)
• Keep taping up the back as you go.
• Keep the rod straight!
• When you get to the arms, cover them as you did with the neck.
• The bottom is done the same way, with a hole for the rod to fit through.  You’ll need to give it a little pressure to squish down the batting against the cardboard.  Get some help!

Make a Stand

• Cut the PVC slightly beyond the bottom of the form.
• Slip it over the rod of the tripod.
• Adust the legs of the tripod to make the height of your shoulders

Git Er Done
Sorry, it was the duct tape!

• Now that she’s on a stand, she can spin around!  Use this to help you finish wrapping.
• This is the layer that should look pretty.  So, use scissors on the tape rather than your teeth!
• As you go, remark the lines of the center, sides, back, and waist.  You could add more lines, too.
• I covered my ugly sharpie lines with 1/2” tape.  1/4” quilters tape would look nice, too.

Voila!

• Get sewing with incredibly accurate results!

First Quilt

The other day when we were at the thrift shop, we found a gallon-size bag of cut square samples from a quilt shop.  Honestly, I don't need little squares of fabric, but they were so pretty that I had to at least look at them.  Nora spied me and declared that they would be perfect for her to make a quilt.  Pleading, "Mommy, let's get them.  I can make my first quilt."  First?!  Like there wold be more than one?  Tell me just how I could say "no."  Good-bye to-do list.  So, we brought them home, and I put together a little sewing basket.

Included are:

* Lots of precut flannel squares.  I like that the flannel sort of sticks to itself so no pins are needed, but the fibers come apart a bit at the raw edge.   We'll see how well this works.

* Thread

* Beeswax Candle to prevent tangles.  We had a broken candle so this is its second life.  It smells nice, too!

* Needle book made from Martha Stewart's directions circa 1998. 

* Needles

* "bird" scissors

* Leather thimble.  Though, Nora said she didn't want to use one.  After a little while of stabbing herself, she opted to use one after all! 

* Tiger tape  to keep stitches evenly spaced and 1/4" from the edge.

She's okay with it taking a long time to finish.  She estimates 11 months... or a year.

Thrift Thursday: Quirky Quilt

I found this lovely quilt at the thrift shop recently.  I barely opened it up once I noticed it was a *real* quilt.  Like a bandit, I folded it up and shoved it into my pile of books and nonchalantly pushed it toward the cashier.  She looked at it and said, "it's a blanket?"  "Um, yeah.  A quilt..."  I replied.  After she rang me up for $6 and some change and I paid it, she put it into a bag and noticed that it was a handmade quilt.  I tried to hold in the squeal I'd been suppressing.  "I KNOW!!"  I blurted out and she seemed appropriately amused by my ridiculous excitement.  She wished me well and I'm pretty sure she was laughing at me as I left the shop, but I don't care.  SIX DOLLARS!  and that included those books!

I will admit, it's kind of a strange quilt-- full of mystery.  It makes me like it even more!  Myster #1 would be how old is it?  With all of the reproduction fabrics, it gets hard to tell.  It's all made with quilting weight cottons with the exception of the solid pink fabric which is woven.  There are some areas that is hand quilted.  By peaking into the small tears, there is no batting.  There is white cotton fabric in the middle.  My great-grandmother used to use old bedsheets for batting.  This has almost the same weight to it - just about heavy enough to contend with the wind that was blowing while I was trying to take photos!

Someone also did some machine quilting over the quilt in a very quirky pattern.  Lots of folds were caught in it.  I wonder if it was quilted to keep it together.  There are certainly a lot of places where the stitching is coming undone.  I think I'll do some repairs.

But the quirkiest part of this quilt is the back.  Yup, that next photo is the back.  A wedding ring cheater cloth!  I love it!!  Though, it really has nothing to do with the front!  The colors are lovely on both sides, but I don't know what brought someone to bring these combinations together.  I so wish I had the story of this quilt. 

The back is tacked onto the front.  So, there is no quilting on the wedding ring.  I am quite tempted to take it apart, quilt the wedding ring, and re-back the pieced top.  Is that crazy?  Oh, but then I would have TWO quilts!  I'm sure the creator would approve of a little extra warmth.

Oh, and yes, that is my backyard.  Shoveling snow one day, mowing the lawn the next!