In my previous blog, I talked about my hobby of scouring through antique shops and yard sales, looking for vintage embroidery. Hand-embroidered dresser scarves, tablecloths, napkins, and even clothing were trendy during the early 20th century. Many of the crafters of those days have since passed away, and their families don’t know what to do with these items. They often end up in the corner of an antique shop and are always exciting finds for me!
In my earlier blog, I presented what I did with some of the larger pieces, but now I’ll show you how I dealt with those little leftover odd-shaped pieces. I wanted to use the crazy quilt concept, but in trying it out, I found that all those little pieces of various sizes and colors going in every direction made it way too chaotic for me. I needed to simplify it. I searched for ideas for ‘organized chaos’.
I found a suggestion that appealed to me:
Using 2″ strips of fabric and embroidery that have been cut to have 5 sides, place a strip on each side going around counterclockwise (think log cabin). Repeat until it is at least 8″ wide and 8″ long (or whatever size you are making). I made mine 7″ finished so I then laid my 7 1/2″ template on the block and trimmed.
There is a lot of waste, so if that bothers you, this isn’t for you. (One commenter said she sews all her scraps together to make extremely busy placemats.)
I should mention that I added an iron-on thin interfacing since many of the embroidery pieces were thin, and the backs had many seams.
Now, how to put them together? I placed about a dozen blocks side by side, making a solid piece, but I immediately saw that the embroidery had disappeared, and the result was busy. I wanted each piece to stand out, so I used 1/2″ sashing. I then chose a darker border, which I felt made the whole thing pop. (The border has a navy blue background).
Ready for Judy, my quilter and friend. Then Sandi or Sharon, my binder friends, will sit across the table from me while we bind by hand. As much as I dislike hand sewing, sharing the task with friends makes it a fun activity!
So that’s it for my embroidery activities so far. I have a few pieces left that I would like use on tote bags, but that’s for another day. Most of my quilting time is spent making donation baby quilts, and that’s for another blog!
I hope your new year has started off well. Remember, I’m eager to hear from you in a comment below or email to QuiltingCozy@gmail.com. Sorry about the time between blogs. Life Happens!
Blessings,
Carol Dean
A Quilting Cozy Series - Carol Dean Jones 
Love it what a good idea
Hi Carol – I love the posts showing how you have used these pretty vintage embroidery pieces. I have a small stack of them and this is inspiring!!
Good to hear from you and your inspiring idea! I have been fighting a nagging ankle injury that makes the whole quilting process not possible at the moment and I have lost my inspiration for quilting. Prior to COVID I had been teaching quilting for over 20 years but have lost my venues and am still not ready to be in crowded spaces during the winter. So with this injury and “germs” I have not been quilting. I just finished your book series last week. I took a break from the book during Christmas and was eager to get back to find out if they found the stolen quilts. I still can’t believe the deal Sarah tried to keep with the thief. I really enjoyed the relationship she had with her husband and her animals and her friends. I am still wondering if Sofie was still driving for the animal rescue and if she ever gets married to her beau. I am debating on starting to read the series over again or finding another series to get interested in.
I also like the quilt that Casey Jones is sitting on in the picture. Did you already talk about the pattern for that? I have a cute little Chihuahua rescue that is cold all the time and also likes to chew his fur so I have had to make pj’s for him. Sweaters and t-shirts didn’t cover his back legs which he likes to chew. He has fleece pj’s for the winter and t-shirt pj’s for the summer. He lives under a blanket at all times except when I switch to sheets for the summer. He feels safer when he is hidden. My past dogs have all had their own quilts but Peanut likes big fluffy fleece blankets that he can dig in. He also has been caught chewing the ties off of some of my couch quilts. So most of my sewing after mask making has been dog clothes. I have a bunch of hankies and scarves that were my mothers and you have inspired me to start thinking of how I might use them.
Thank you for your wonderful series and collection of friends and quilting.
Wonderful idea!
Oh my……this is incredibly special – and gorgeous as well. Just think of all the stories those bits of embroidery could tell – and you’ve assembled them all in a memory quilt that is perfection. I’m so proud of you – I’ve told you before but it’s ever so true – your quilts are works of art.
Hugs, Pam
Your work is amazing, saving the past to create the future for whom ever receives your quilts. However, I have to admit that the photo of Casey Jones steals the show for me. What a charmer!
Absolutely beautiful!