iPhone-O-gram! Evening Florabunda Style!

Watching the DaVinci Code and sewing Florabunda blocks! It's cold and wet outside and I'm so grateful to be tucked inside warm and busy!

Only thing better than this?? Sleeping in a bit in the morning before meeting up with Pennsylvania friends for brunch at Cracker Barrel!

We'll all head over to the guild trunk show together--I'm thankful for quilts friends far and wide!

Bonnie

Sold, Sold, Sold!

I sold EVERYTHING that I had listed, and wow I wish I had the time to list more…..those of you who shopped, and those of you who listed….did you find this to be a fun thing?

Here’s the run down of who got what from me…..or who spoke up first!

Just because I have sold everything, doesn't mean that everyone else in the linky has, so be sure to double check what everyone else had going at the bottom of my post HERE!

In fact, *I* haven't had a chance to make the rounds yet and see what I missed out on because I have been teaching a class all day and just got back to my room.....

The shirting fabric went to Barbara who snatched this up almost as quickly as I posted it! I can’t wait to see what you do with it, Barbara!

Betsey G was first to claim the plaid and shirting blocks…..These are going to make such a cool cool quilt!

I’m holding the shirting samples quilt top for Carolyn O who just asked if it was still available…which means, if she has changed her mind, it will still be up for grabs….I’ll let you know on this one.

The 25 patch blocks were snatched up by Tanya S ----so as soon as her check arrives they will be winging their way to wherever she is. These blocks and the other plaid blocks received the most attention --- I’m so glad they are going to good homes!

Judy M was first to BEG for the Double T quilt top, and there were several of you who wanted it! Now that I know I have a way to find new homes for some of my vintage goodies like this, I think another Yard Sale Saturday might be in order.

What are your feelings on it for those who participated? Leave a comment below to let me know if you would like to see this happen again, if you found it a fun and valuable resource for whatever you found that you couldn’t live without – and how often would you like to see us do this? I think every week is too much. I think once a month is still too much….but maybe every 2 or 3 months?

I want to remind those who participated that this was not a place to charge retail prices for new things. This is not a place to link to your full blog where you sell things all the time. This was to be page specific on just a few items you’d like to clear out ----and FUN for EVERYONE!

I am back to the room after spending the day with the Le Tort Quilters and a Sister's Choice workshop!! We had a great day --- there is more to write about. However, it’s cold and rainy and nasty out there and it can’t decide whether it wants to spit rain or get cold enough to snow. I’m going to tuck into my room, have a jammie sewing evening -- perhaps have pizza delivered.

Pardon me while I take time out to sew my brains out!

Yard Sale Saturday!

I thought this might be such a FUN way to clear some things out, find them new homes and deal one on one with each other, instead of dealing through a service like ebay where you have to give up part of your proceeds to pay the piper.

I know that this first one of 2012 might not get as much participation as I’d like ---but the idea could grow, and it’s worth a shot! I did find a home for a set of vintage blocks last time around, and I hope that SOMEONE will want to adopt my antique goodies today!

***UPDATE!!*** I have sold ALL of my items below! It's been a terrific day....but still be sure to check the links in the linky below, other people have stuff to sell too!

First up..

I have a beautiful Double T top, with the blocks circa 1900! There are wonderful indigos, mourning prints, dress prints and shirtings. the blocks measure about 8.5” each. Machine sewn.

The blue border and outer border could have been added at a later date. The blue has a bit of a different feel to it, still cotton. Look at these prints! There is a great space within the plain muslin alternate blocks to do some really gorgeous quilting!

More of the blocks

This top is just so sweet but at this stage of my life I know I’ll never get it quilted the way I want it to be…..

The quilt measures 64.5” X 81”. I paid $50.00 for it when I lived in Idaho. I’m offering it for the same price. If you want it, it’s yours! Just email me. The shipping is not included, and will be added to the purchase price upon determining the cost of shipping it to you.

Next up! SOLD TO BARBARA!! This item has SOLD --- For vintage fabric lovers! Here is a great antique fabric piece that dates to the latter part of the 1800's into the early 1900's! It is in crisp unwashed, unused condition. It is 36” wide, and 2 yards long, lots of great Victorian era fabric! There are a few little spots and a darker area on the fold line shown in the pic above. If you repair vintage tops and quilts, this fabric might be a great investment for you --- this is the real thing, not a repro. Price for the whole piece: $25.00 shipping not included ((I have seen other ads on ebay selling vintage shirting fabrics for $15 per half yard…this piece is a bit over 2 yards.))

Now this is fun! It came to me this way with patches removed! Seems it is a quilt top made of old shirting samples, and someone sampled them right out of there to use in another project! LOL! You can tell this is a LARGE piece – it’s over my machine table so it’s about 6 ft long, many many patches that could be used in repro quilt making, or as repair pieces for vintage quilts.

My hand is showing you the average size of the shirting pieces..this one has an adorable vintage print in with the stripe!

I have no idea on the age of these…stripes are hard to date. THere are a few printed ones that give a clue….can you see the stripe with the doo-dads next to the purple in the bottom center?

There are some yellowing spots and age marks, but this has not been washed…much of this stuff may wash out…GREAT stripes for vintage quilts! I’m selling the whole piece of shirtings in patchwork for $15.00. Drop me an email if you want it!

These vintage blocks were once part of a quilt. I wish I could have seen the quilt when it was still together, but evidently someone thought it best to salvage the blocks and separate the layers. They are all hand pieced of indigos and mourning prints with a few surprises thrown in! There are 34 “whole” blocks…and some that have had patches cannibalized out of them..maybe someone was using them for repair?

The blocks measure about 6” each ---and I think they could be used for doll quilt replicas or other crafts. I find the fabrics in them fascinating! Lots of shirting prints and fun stuff! The whole set goes for $12.00

And then there are THESE! I bought the whole set wanting to set them with other shirting fabrics, but there just isn’t a whole lot of variety block to block….and I know I won’t get around to it! These are great fun, though, look at those plaids and stripes!

The tag that came with them said 26 blocks, but there are only 25 --- I just counted! They measure 9.5” and would make an instant antique for someone who wanted to set them together! I’m charging the same $20.00 that I paid for them. If you want them, for $20 they are yours…shipping not included!

I’m sure I’ll dig up more vintage fun in the future! If you wish to purchase any of the above items please EMAIL ME instead of leaving a comment so I can reach you. I am traveling this weekend, Teaching in Pennsylvania and Maryland, so be patient with my ability to reply. I’ll answer all emails as I have a chance to --- the first one to say they want it, gets it ---- if the transaction for some reason falls through, the next person in line is next runner up, etc!

If you wish to participate in our Yard Sale Saturday, simply write your blog post about your quiltie items and link your blog post below! Remember we need the whole address of your individual POST, not just the address to your blog…it’s post specific. If you use the wrong address and link it to just your blog, I’ll have to remove you and have you try again as I can’t fix that for you.

You can sell books, magazines, tools, gadgets, fabric, patterns, UFOS, blocks, quilt tops, quilts, sewing machines, machine cabinets, etc -- but all must be second hand at second hand prices – this is not for “newly made for the craft sale or retail” type of item.

Have fun with it, and let’s clear this stuff OUT!!

Evening Edition! Free Kindle Book!

First off, an announcement!

Tomorrow morning starts YARD SALE SATURDAY! If you have something quilty you would like to sell, gently used, unwanted by you, needing to find a new home --- be it patterns, books, fabric, kits, fat quarters, UFOs, block sets, tops --- whatever it be...even machines, bags of thread, notions, etc -- tomorrow is the day! Write your post, list your prices and descriptions, take pictures ((Lots of pictures!)) Set your post to go live, and come back HERE in the morning and link your post to mine through the linky! This should be fun!

***End of Announcement!***

Now for the freebie book : I said I don’t do horror things, vampire things, sci fi things ---- but I remember being a kid and loving Bewitched, or the Ghost and Mrs Muir. Remember those? Those were fun….I wonder what those who thought how “cool” the special effects were in those days feel about what technology has done to special effects now?

Ghost a la Mode (A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery) is free today in the Kindle Store.

From Publishers Weekly

This delectable first in a new paranormal cozy series from Jaffarian (Booby Trap) introduces Ish Reynolds (aka Granny Apples), a charming turn-of-the-20th-century spirit and pie maker, who asks Emma Whitecastle, her great-great-great-granddaughter, to prove her innocent of murdering her husband, Jacob Reynolds.

Strung up by vigilantes in retribution for the crime, Granny Apples first tried haunting Emma's mother, Elizabeth, who couldn't handle her visitations. Emma, who's in the midst of divorcing her obnoxious TV talk show husband, is ripe for a diversion.

After getting advice about her new clairvoyant and clairaudient abilities from psychic Milo Ravenscroft, Emma goes to Julian, a former mining town near San Diego, Calif., to research Ish's story.

Emma's fluttery feelings for Phil Bower, a crusty rancher and lawyer who owns Granny's old property, add zest to this appealing ghost story. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

A new series debut from Odelia Grey mystery author Sue Ann Jaffarian!

Granny was famous for her award-winning apple pies-and notorious for murdering her husband Jacob at their homestead in Julian, California. The only trouble is, Granny was framed, then murdered. For more than one hundred years, Granny's spirit has been searching for someone to help her see that justice is served—and she hits pay dirt when she pops in to a séance attended by her great-great-great-granddaughter, modern-day divorced mom Emma Whitecastle. Together, Emma and Granny Apples solve mysteries of the past—starting with Granny's own unjust murder rap in the final days of the California Gold Rush.

Along with a sprinkling of history, this spirited new mystery series features the amateur sleuth team of Emma Whitecastle and the spirit of her pie-baking great-great-great-grandmother, Granny Apples.

"A charming tale, as appealing as apple pie. I predict a long life (and afterlife) for Sue Ann's latest series."—Harley Jane Kozak,
Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-winning author of Dating Dead Men

"Take colorful characters in a charming setting, mix in a dash of romance, add a pinch of the paranormal, and serve it up like one of Granny's famous pies.
I guarantee you'll be back for seconds."
—Deborah Sharp, author of Mama Rides Shotgun

Sounds like lighthearted fun, and that’s the kind of thing I can go for. Please double check before purchasing that it is still free, as things can change without notice!

We had a great day sewing “Blue Ridge Beauty” with the ladies of the Le Tort Quilt Guild in Carlisle, PA today! Pics to follow probably Sunday since tomorrow is Yard Sale Saturday. As for me now……I plan on doing some of this:

iPhone-O-gram!! Lunch Time!!

This lunch is brought to you by the talented ladies of the Le Tort Quilt Guild in Carlisle, Pennsylvania!

Pull up a seat and join us---there is plenty to share!!

Dan River Mills!

**Notice!** This is a long post warning ---lots of vintage quilt goodness all the way to the bottom, so grab a cuppa, sit down and enjoy!
I made a stop on my way up to Pennsylvania ---in Danville VA! ((Yes, and this was BEFORE The speeding ticket incidence that ruined the rest of my day! HA!))
I’ve always wanted to stop here, but time was usually an issue…Danville is a bit off of VA highway 29, and was the home of Dan River Cotton Mills ----I posted about a quilt that was gifted to me recently that was made with Dan River plaids. You can read that post HERE --- scroll down to the Rail Fence quilt! I love that quilt and wanted to do some exploring to see if I could find other evidence of Dan River Mills fabrics here in this area….
Here is a picture I took of one of the remaining mill buildings ---many have been torn down and demolished, which is SO SAD! This one also had a “condemned” sign on the door --- but as I walked by to go over the bridge across the Dan river – so I could look back and get a photo of the back side of the mill, I was able to take a picture of the historical landmark sign:

This was the view of one of the remaining mill buildings from about the center of the bridge looking back toward the mill and town:

Here’s a little run down on the mill history: ((Or a little run-down mill history! :c) ))

Time Line

• 1895 - Five of the six original founders of the Riverside Cotton Mills establish the Dan River Power and Manufacturing Company so that they can develop the waterpower of the Dan River.
  
• 1909 - The Riverside Cotton Mills and Dan River Power and Manufacturing Company merge to form the Riverside and Dan River Cotton Mills.
  
• September 29, 1930 - Seeking higher wages and more autonomy, workers at the Dan River Cotton Mills join the United Textile Workers of America in walking out on strike. After four months, the strikers return to work, partly because the union runs out of funds to feed them.
  
• 1941–1945 - Dan River Mills thrives during World War II by fulfilling orders for the military, employing 14,000 workers, and operating twelve weaving and spinning mills.
  
• Spring 1951 - When the Textile Workers Union of America calls for a strike across the South, Dan River Mills refuses to grant the union's demands for a 12 percent base pay raise, exposing the TWUA's weaknesses and ensuring that it largely loses the ability to influence wage levels in the region.
  
• 1960s - Imported textiles gradually begin to take away market share from American textile makers.
  
• 1990s - The American textile industry begins to collapse, hit by a surge of imports from Latin America and Asia. Ignoring the industry's calls for protection, U.S. policymakers sign a series of free trade agreements with developing countries, insisting that these deals will help exporters and lead to cheaper prices for consumers.
  
• March 2004 - Dan River Mills enters Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, a move that leads to the closure of a number of its facilities, including the finishing and sheet-sewing plants in Danville.
  
• 2006 - Dan River Mills is bought by Gujarat Heavy Chemicals, an Indian chemical firm that closes the main mill and moves the remaining 1100 jobs overseas.
  
• November 2008 - Dan River Mills' smokestacks are toppled by an implosion, removing one of the main physical vestiges of Danville's long textile heritage.

To me the saddest thing of all was the selling of the mills in 2006 ----closing the main mill here and moving the 1100 jobs back overseas. This area used to be so vibrant in the textile industry…and other mills around NC as well --- it’s just a dying industry.

Here’s a video I found of one of the mill buildings and smoke stacks coming down…what’s funny is that the people speaking have such a deep Danville drawl, that they had to put sub titles so that you could understand what they are saying. Hehehe.

So what did I find? OODLES! It seems like scraps of mill fabric were ample! Quilts were made quickly to be warm..some just out of samples being sewn together:

Plaids and checks and stripes! Those ginghams are a Dan River Mills standard! Look at this old ad I found from the 1950s:

Love the impossibly skinny waist and the big voluminous skirt!

This utility quilt was simply sewn from sample cuts of Dan River Mills fabrics….it’s been used hard keeping loved ones warm and comfy over the many many years of use!

How about a Jacob's Ladder sewn in all Dan River Plaids?! These quilts capture the same feeling I get when I’m sewing from recycled shirt fabrics….and just because it’s a “PLAID” quilt doesn’t mean it has to be a masculine looking quilt either! Don’t you know those ginghams came in pink, yellow and purple too? :c)

I loved the simple 9 patch out of Dan River plaids……some of the 9 patches are scrappier ……see the one on the bottom left? The eggplant sashing is a great color!

This is my favorite Dan River Plaid quilt of all! STRING STARS! Wooooo! And I love the ones that have that tan gingham as the background, and didn’t pay attention to which direction the plaids were turning. Aren’t those fun? And if you look close at the stars, you’ll see the some have the strings going ACROSS the star point diamonds, and some going the long way…..

Some across the middle, and some the long way! Great fan quilting in black thread! She did a pretty good job keeping the star points in tact, and the center matches pretty dang good for having this be such a quirky quilt!

Crazy Crazy……love the blue striped background!

This poor quilt has been used to SHREDS! But it still shows evidence of lots of those Dan River plaids ---Turkey Tracks blocks! Look at these:

Blue gingham, tiny check pink background!

Loved this one……some mint green print, some gingham triangles, on that same pink background!

The BEST part of this quilt was the two great Dan River Plaids on the BACKING!! Love that huge one --- it reminds me of the big plaids that lined the inside of our big heavy sleeping bags growing up.

Here’s a great Double T ---- also very heavily used and worn through to shreds. That beautiful bright blue must have been gorgeous when the quilt was new --- see the fun stripes mixed with the great florals?

Every where I turned were quilts that focused on Dan River plaids and other textiles!

How about some BIG CHUNKY BASKETS…look at that yummy aqua mixed with that same eggplant color for the baskets and the cornerstones! You might not see the Dan River fabrics right off the bat --- they did a lot of “feminine” florals too, even if they were greatly known for their men’s shirting fabrics, ginghams, stripes, plaids, oxford cloth, chambray and denims. Open up the quilt, and then you’ll see the “obvious” ones!

Ooh…just love those sashings and the eggplant solid!

What I wouldn’t give for a big string bag of Dan River plaid scraps! What a great variety in this crazy quilt comforter!

I saw just as many tied comforters as I did quilted quilts…..Loved this economy block alternated with rows of scrappy squares in a strippy set! Yellow Gingham has to be the happiest ever!

Dan River Plaids in a “mexican star” block! I had a hard time even FINDING the block design in some of these blocks as the value changes area to area within one block to the next --- the extra wide sashing and cornerstones over power the blocks……This one has quite the history as well. Who made this quilt? Who slept under it for years and years?

Another Dan River Mills Scrap Bagger! Just when you think its’ going to be a strippy quilt..the color on the strippy parts change and you lose the columns! This one was VERY FUN, but very worn, only cutter status…but look what a great time the maker must have had turning her saved bits into this creation!
((Side Note --- and it’s not lost on me that the rug is a gingham check too! LOL!!))

This was a “GOOD” corner of the above quilt. Love the block that looks like it’s a Tonya “A” block!

Cute little dolly quilt with Dan River 4 patches! I loved the use of the “fancy new zig zag feature” sewn in red thread as top-stitching/quilting and the stitching that holds down the back side as binding to the front. CUTE!
And before you think that ALL Dan River Plaid quilts were hunky, chunky, stringy, crumby and crazy --- there are some with such precision they’ll knock your socks off! How about a hexagon??

At first it looks like random placement, but it’s not. Each “solid” color center is surrounded by two fabrics in alternating petals ----often times the “alternate” petals are a Dan River Plaid!

Check out the red ginghams! If you follow those and look to the next blue center…you’l see how the “flowers” have alternating fabrics.

Table full of Dan River Fabrics!

This side-trip was just such a treasure trove of inspiration and a good peek in to the past of a Mill Town area and it’s long history as an area landmark. When mills stop producing, and move away – it really is the end of an era. So many people here had family members that worked in the mills going back generations. I don’t know who these quiltmakers were, but I see the evidence of fabrics in their quilts proving them ((to me at least!)) to be from this area, Dan River Mills artifacts, as much as an important landmark as the plaque on the side of a condemned mill building.