Who's Your Poppy?

Sorry - couldn't resist!  (I should have timed this for Father's Day)  I mentioned some time ago that I would show you my new poppy quilt and I just realized I never did!
(Do not hesitate to 'remind' me about things like that!)



Browsing an antique shop in Arizona, this striking poppy applique caught my eye. I  got a very good price on it, probably because it had one small hole needing repair - but even with that it was a steal. I love the gentle wavy edges. 

Rosie Werner, of Quiltkitid.com has thirty-two different poppy kit quilt applique designs on her website -  not including this one!

What company produced it?
What publication was it in?

A friend found this image in her files and it is exactly like mine. Sold as a kit, the white fabric would have been marked to indicate where the appliques should be placed and the kit would include stamped fabrics in dark red, light red and green to cut out and place as directed. Fabric pieces were numbered to correspond to the numbers stamped on the white ground fabric.The design for quilting stitches would also be marked. The maker would provide the backing and the cotton batting

Reading the details and directions on old patterns gives us information about how things were done in the past. In this case,  "No 50" thread was to be used for the quilting....the weight of regular sewing thread. 

These are examples from a different, unfinished, kit top. The poor construction on this one means it will never be finished; not by me, anyway.

Advertising of the day assured women that it was simple to make a quilt with all the pieces prepared for you ....sort of like 'paint by number'. By the way, kits drew criticism from some that creativity had gone out of quiltmaking.)

Many women who didn't even know how to sew were persuaded to give it a try but all were not successful!  Many projects were surely abandoned in frustration, like this one! 

My quilt is not soiled but I want to wash it - it smells and feels like someone got carried away with liquid fabric softener. But first - I need to fix that rip.

The damage - does not go through to the back

Searching my stash for the
'right' white

I clean up frayed edges ...
 add a little cotton batting

Cut an oval - match grainlines and applique

I was going to do reverse applique but the damage goes right up next to the vine so a traditional 'patch' worked best.

The quilting is rather sparse so it was not as easy to camouflage the patch with quilting....but I added a swirl line from the nearby vine to blend it in

Can you find it?

It washed beautifully and is ready for use. I have done very little quilt repair so I consider each project a way to learn and improve my skills. I can't say it's my favorite thing to do, but I know I'm giving the quilt an extended life. You know what they say, "A stitch in time...."



 Quilt Restoration: A Practical Guide by Camille Cognac is a great book with down-to-earth methods of quilt repair. Though out of print, there are some copies available on-line from time to time and both our county and local textile library have copies. If you have quilts to 'fix' it's worth looking up.

Peace and Quiet and Quilting - 'Up North' in Minnesota -

I recently returned from five days 'up north' at our cabin in the woods. Here we find respite from phones, airplanes, and all the trappings of the real world and experience a quiet that makes your ears ring and a serenity that we crave.

The lake is small - no motor boats or jet-skis. We have an old red Coleman canoe and a row boat - which I believe leaks - no one has used it in a long time! The kids used to fish but these days we mostly swim or sit on the dock and read, take walks and enjoy the smell of a fresh pot of coffee brewing in the morning.

Relaxing to me includes quilting. I don't seem to need a break from that. In fact, with no other obligations I sew totally guilt-free in the woods! I always bring more than enough sewing projects. Here's what I brought this time:

..... the Tumbler. I love this project!  I am using those rectangles from the c. 1900 top I ripped apart - (see three entries last May) 

...my growing pile of yo-yo's - I'm now in the assembly stage.

...my little crazy quilt - the project I put off the most...not sure why....

....an old Log Cabin quilt that needs some repair. 

I brought some pre-cut strips to applique over the worn ones. Didn't get much done on that. It will be on-going!

...some Flying Geese strips. I leave my old SewMor mechanical machine at the lake. No photos of the boring strips but how about this machine!

 I call it my Cadillac!

We have a small 'fat' tv which is only good for movies. If we get really desperate we watch one - or a DVD of old Alfred Hitchcock episodes.
If we think of it we turn on the radio once a day - on the hour - to hear a bit of news....usually they cover one or two stories briefly plus local weather - sometimes a baseball score.
Mostly we prefer the sounds of the woods; the loons with their many vocalizations from peaceful to frantic but always somewhat haunting, owls who-who-who-who-ing, hummingbirds - you got it - humming (and squawking) as they dive bomb each other for the sugar water in our feeder, the breeze gently ruffling the leaves above, grey squirrels scurrying below, and if we're really lucky the lights flicker and a loud clap of thunder warns of a coming summer storm.

By the way, my husband may not quite agree with the idyllic picture I've painted. Turns out there IS some work to be done now and then!

I hope you, too, have been able to get away from it all for at least a little while this summer and that you had your quilting and a good book along for company ....and maybe someone to do the heavy lifting.