Mid-19th Century Quilted Bonnet

I recently was lucky enough to purchase one of Anna Worden Baursmith's pattern for a quilted winter hood. I have been coveting one of her hoods since she started making and selling them earlier this fall, but not having a ton of spare cash lying around, I figured that having one of these hoods was just a dream. But! To cater to her seamstress admirers, she also put out a pattern for her hoods and I snatched one up.

I just finished my first hood from this pattern and I am really very happy with how it came out. It's nice being able to use a pattern and not have to alter it or toss the instructions and make it up on your own. Plus the booklet that comes with the pattern is jam packed with helpful tips, observations, research and documentation.

This hood is shaped more like a fashion bonnet. The past hoods I have made have all been very sunbonnet-like, so it was nice to have a change from that with this pattern. Both styles are correct for the era, but I think this one has a more restrained and formal appearance than ones that are based on a sunbonnet style. It would be lovely to wear for period church services, I daresay even weddings or funerals, shopping, visiting and even Christmas caroling.

I made mine from a pair of silk dress slacks I got at the thrift shop. It was part of a silk pantsuit I got for a few dollars. I am not a fan of the pantsuit look (at least on myself) but the jacket was very cute, and I saved the pants to cut up and use for a project like this. It's actually a really nice silk. It is lined with white cotton sateen and interlined with 2 layers of cotton batting and all hand quilted. It was a little difficult (and painful at times) to quilt the silk since it is so tightly woven the needle would not easily slip into the fabric, but at last the job was done although some of the lines came out a bit crookedy.

I like it. Despite the fact that no wool was used, it really is nice and light and warm. It will be my awesome go-to bonnet for any event that will be taking place in less than 65 degrees.

I did make one little alteration to the pattern. Made up exactly as the pattern said, the neck was a little loose on me. So I made a small box pleat at the center back edge of the tip. It took in the neckline just the little bit I needed.

I have a huge lime green silk shirt that I think I will try to make another one in. What I will do with a lime green bonnet I have no idea. But I think it will look awesome, especially if I can find a little bit of fur to trim it in.

Love,
Sarah

Wool Quilt

Last week I cut all my wool scraps into big chunky 6" squares and sewed them all together for a quilt top for David.

He is heading out to Shiloh in early spring with his commanding officer, Major Ron. They will share a small tent and take the barest of necessities. I am worried about his being warm enough so I thought a wool quilt would help me use up my scraps and help David stay cozy during the frosty spring nights. Of course, now that he will have a heavy wool quilt to tote along the weather will be warm and lovely and he won't have need of it! Don't things always work out that way?

Beyond the mindless stitching of endless straight seams, I have been taking a break from sewing anything complicated. So far this week I have been working on arranging the boys bedroom for winter, since any painting that had to be done had to be done while it was warm enough to air the room out with the windows open. This past weekend was perfect for that, so I did my painting then. (Note: I really must paint the BACK of their bedroom door! Didn't notice that scrawl mark on the door til looking at this photo!)

I touched up the green paint on the walls, which had suffered severely from kicks from six little feet, often shod in heavy winter boots (are my boys the only boys who like to wear winter boots all year round?) and also from artistic endeavors rendered directly onto the walls with crayons, permanent markers stolen craftily from the desk in the office, chalk and ball point pens. The ball point pen marks were the worst to cover up. Ugh. Those marks show through ANYTHING! I was lucky to find a little can of matching paint in the basement so all those marks are now covered up, the holes have been filled and painted over and everything looks neat and fresh once more.

The older two boys have shared a bunkbed the past year and a half. David, who slept on the top, recently peeled paint and plaster off the ceiling. It looked very bad and dust kept sifting down from the spot he ruined. I had to paint the ceiling but lacked proper paint for that and as I currently have no extra money to buy new paint, I decided to use the leftover blue paint from our kitchen. The ceiling was duly painted. The boys craved white clouds, so I used some leftover cabinet paint to brush on some white fluffy clouds. I was afraid it would look cartoonish but in all honesty, I am pretty happy with how it came out! It gives the room a very airy, serene feel. And yes, that is a dinosaur hanging helplessly from the pull cord on their fan.

The bunk beds came apart, due to the aforementioned reason of the damaged ceiling, as well as the fact the boys have recently been enjoying wrestling matches on the top bunk and using their bed as a fortress out of which they reenact the battle of Helms Deep from Lord of the Rings. Too many times Malachi was a casualty on the Orc side of things and fell from his position of nearly scaling the fortress onto the unforgiving carpeted surface below him. David and Judah now have, what they term, "regular beds".

It was hard to fit three twin size beds into a modest sized bedroom. We have four bedrooms all together but the boys refused any notion of putting one or two of them into a different room. I had to remove their dresser to make everything fit, but now it all works very nicely, I think. David has been enjoying his bed by the sunny southern windows. Here he is reading his science book for school this year, from Sonlight Pre-K 4/5. He adores it!

The boys have grand ideas of having various airplanes and birds hang from the ceiling. I haven't got around to doing that yet,  but we did make a quilted sun yesterday to hang in the east corner of their room. They sorted through my scraps to find several fabrics in orange, yellow and red and they helped me sew it all together.

More floor space is taken up now, but the room actually seems bigger and brighter without the high heavy bunkbed in their, which inevitably blocked a window or two.

Next up - getting more coffee to warm me up on this chilly morning!

Love,
Sarah

Quickie Weekend Quilt-Top

A few weeks ago my mother in law came by and handed me a plastic grocery bag. It was one of her thrift store "finds". She is the Queen of Thrift and finds amazing deals. This one was a 3 yard length of high quality green and white polka dot cotton. It was lovely. Into my head sprang a dozen potential uses for this pretty cloth and I decided soon after to make a tunic for Malachi from it.

 

A few days later I was happily cutting and pinning a little tunic, experimenting with a new design. I had pleats pinned at the shoulders and the waist and had lightly sprayed the fronts with starch. I lifted my iron, tested its warmth and pressed the fabric, finding satisfaction in the smooth, crisp folds of fabric that emerged from beneath the iron as it slid over the pleats.

 

Then I stopped. I sniffed. Something was dreadfully wrong. That strange aroma - what was it? I kept pressing and the smell got stronger and stronger. I set the iron down and went around the house looking for something on fire. It was some kind of a smoke that I was smelling and I feared the boys had put something into the oven and turned it on. But all was well, so I came back to the ironing board. I started to press again but the smell was overpowering by now. Finally, I clutched up the fabric and pressed it to my nose. THAT was it, then. And then my mind flooded with recognition. Cigarette smoke.

 

I have nothing in particular against cigarettes nor the people who smoke them. In fact, some of my fondest childhood memories embrace the scent of cigarette smoke. I was fathoms deep in love with my Grampie as a little girl and was never happier than when I was sitting with him at his house as he read the paper, putting on The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show for me to watch while he took in the news, or going out with him to "the shed" where he kept the mower; a place heavy with the smell of gasoline and oil with a hard packed, dirt floor. And Grampie smoked cigarettes. In fact, he always lingeringly smelt of tobacco, aftershave and money. To this day I cannot smell a dollar bill without thinking of Grampie. But while cigarette smoke on Grampie may be nostalgic and sentimental, it is absolutely unappealing on fabric. (And to anyone interested, Grampie gave up cigarettes altogether a very long time ago and has never gone back. I'm proud of him.)

 

I found myself in a bind. I washed the fabric and dried it, but the smell was still there, subtle and sinister unless exposed to warmth and then POUF - the smell came out in full force. I would have to throw it away. But 3 yards of beautiful fabric? The fabric hoarder in me screamed at the thought.

 

I stuffed it in a bag with old clothing waiting to be cut down into quilt squares and thought about it. Or, to be honest, I didn't think about it. But I knew it was there if I wanted it, and I could no longer smell it since it was in a bag.

 

This weekend I was chomping at the bit to sew something. I didn't sew at all last week (well, except for some throw pillows for the boys beds but that doesn’t really count). I am prone to, at random times, tear scrap fabric that is not big enough to make any thing with into 4" squares. I have several plastic gallon size bags stuffed with these 4" cotton squares and whenever I want to make a quilt top, I can dip into the pile. Judah and Malachi both got quilts made from this 4" square collection and I made my mom a table runner last Christmas with these - since they were already ready and waiting to be sewn, it took me only two hours to make it.

 

So on Saturday I wanted to make something. I got out my bags of 4" squares and looked through them. I had some pretty pink squares (but not many) and quite a few tan and white striped squares. Green would be nice to set off those colors. . .and my mind leaped to the polka dot fabric, stewing in the bag. I got it out. I sniffed it. I couldn't detect any cigarette odors right off. I tore the fabric into a lot of 4" wide strips, then pressed the strips, and tore them into 4" squares. When I pressed the fabric, I could indeed smell the odor once more but it didn’t seem as potent as before. I laid out a block with the green, striped and pink squares and I thought it looked all right.

 

In the end, I had just enough of the pink and striped squares to make fifteen 9-patch blocks. I am a lazy quilter and do not feel any guilt about boosting the size of a quilt top by alternating plain squares with pieced squares. The printed fabric for the plain squares came from a yard of very nice home dec cotton fabric I got at Mission Mart for 50 cents. I ended up with thirty blocks altogether and set them 6 x 5. If I had had enough blocks to set them 7 x 5 the quilt top would have ended up large enough for a twin size bed, but as it is, it will make a very adequate nap or "throw" quilt. I'm hoping that with the green fabric being surrounded by different fabrics, the cigarette odor will be dispersed and un-concentrated. I can't really smell it anymore. I'm very glad I saved this fabric, now.

 

The best part about this method of quilt making is that it costs so little. One reason I never got into quilting before is because fabric is so expensive and I just can't afford $50 worth of cotton for a twin size quilt top. But by using the scraps that are available, the quilt tops I've made have cost nothing. I use a blanket for the middle and, usually, a sheet for the backing so the cost for a completed quilt is never more than $5 or so. I can get nice, soft, worn blankets at the thrift shop for next to nothing and there are usually very nice sheets to be had which, with a good hot washing, work great as the back.

 

Another nice thing about sewing quilt tops with 4" squares is that it is FAST. This one took me a few hours to sew up. A nice Saturday afternoon project. And as quilts usually have names, this one will be "Memories of Grampie - Springtime and Cigarettes".

 

Love,

Sarah

A Quilt Top for Malachi

I am a minimalist and have in past times discarded scraps of fabric that were not big enough for another project into the trash - yes - the trash - but a few years ago I took it into my head that I could make quilts with the scraps I thusly got rid of with such lack of thrift and creativeness. So I began to save scraps that were decent-sized, until I accumulated a whole tubful. In a fit of organization last year, I divided all the scraps into different bags, labeled by color family - blues, greens, neutrals, pinks, etc. I enjoyed that. I like organizing things. The fat rows of bags snugly packed back into the tub gave me an ecstatic thrill.

A few months ago, I spent a half hour per day for a few day successively, tearing some of the scraps into 4” squares. I figured if I had the squares already torn and pressed, I would be more likely to actually sew a quilt top with them. I was right. In the course of a few days in December, I made Judah a 9-patch quilt, twin-sized and tied. It made a very very very small dent in my squares. And an even smaller dent in my scrap fabric stash.

I was getting sick of seeing piles of squares everywhere in my sewing area. They seemed to breed and multiply. No matter how I put them up, or into what dim and dismal drawer I might shut them, they somehow escaped and reappeared. I ignored them. They silently screamed at me. They made their way into the towel cupboard, the laundry baskets, on top of books on our bookshelves until I could ignore them no longer. I had to use them up.

Last week, in spare time between sewing up David’s overalls, I pieced Malachi a quilt top. I meant to make one for him anyway but planned on giving it to him for his 2nd birthday. Due to the insubordination of my scrap squares, he is getting it sooner. To use up as many squares as I could, I made 9-patch blocks with sashing in between the blocks. I did not alternate them with plain squares, like I did with Judah’s quilt. I used up a good many squares this way but I still have a lot left in more “girly” prints and colors. I guess I’ll need to make another top pretty soon. I was happy with how it came out although not all the seams match up like they should. I didn’t try to coordinate anything in the quilt so it is a true “scrap” quilt. Some of the colors clash, and some of the plaids and prints are downright ugly, but altogether I am pleased with how it looks in the end. Since Malachi still has his baby quilt that he sleeps with I am going to take my time in finishing it. I would like to hand quilt all of it instead of tying it. I don’t know how long that will take me, but I think it will look nice in the end.

Since this week is the last week in February, I’ve been scrambling to get all my outside sewing projects done. I didn’t think I’d had much to do over the winter but it turned out to be more than I thought. My goal was to get it all completed before the end of February so I could focus on sewing for our own family after that. I finished my friend Katherine’s summer sheer dress this week and made her two petticoats for beneath it so that is done. Today I finished up some clothing items for a little 5 year old boy in our reenacting group.

I knew since last fall I’d be making him some things over the winter but it took me a while to figure out exactly WHAT to make for him. He could possibly wear tunics at this age, or button suits, or even dresses but it was hard to find a balance between what would be common in the period, and yet acceptable to his parents and to himself, that is, not too girly looking or too different from the clothes he wears in modern life. And in all this, the garments had to be big enough to fit him until the end of the season, allowing for growth and expansion, as needed.
I settled on some side-opening trousers (a style that can be worn by little boys), a few basic square cut shirts, a sack coat and a cloth cap and some button-on braces to hold the trousers up. All together he has a red plaid cotton shirt, a white cotton shirt, brown twill full length trousers, gray corderoy and also black cotton twill short trousers, cotton canvas braces, a fully lined gray corderoy sack coat with black cotton trim, a black cotton twill cap with a flat sewn taffeta bow tacked on at the side and a blue and white spotted cotton necktie. I didn’t make him any under things since they weren’t requested and I’m not sure what sort of under things he is used to in modern life since he is currently in the process of being fully potty trained. I hope these will last him til the end of the fall!

I feel very happy and fulfilled that I have finished all this before the end of February. Now I have a few more days “extra” in the month. That is always a good feeling.

And to keep me company, please allow me to introduce a certain gentleman who has been staying with us these past seven months. He is a gentleman of clean and quiet habits and, if perhaps tending a bit too much to indolence and lethargy, we acquit him of these charges in lieu of his polite manners.

His proper name is Nathan Bedford Forrest, but we affectionately call him “Kitty” or “Cat” and only rare use his full title. David brought him home as a wee thing, perhaps only three or four weeks old, back in September. He and three sisters were left inside a pipe leading into our church and no mother was seen and so, a few days after the babies were discovered, David brought our little boy home. He is a striking kitty, mostly white with a silver tinge and darker silver on his striped tail (it looks like a coon tail) and on his face and the tips of his ears. His eyes are still blue. And we all love him. Judah and Malachi use him for a pillow and he has never hissed. Being raised with our boys since an infant himself, our Mr. Cat does at times display the fact that he feels himself quite on an equal level with humans, but that is forgivable.
Love,
Sarah

A Scrap Quilt for Judah

It once happened, in a doomful and unfortunate time Before Me, that David had a girlfriend by the name of Tabatha.

Early in our marriage David spent several days going through his belongings, digging into the hidden recesses of his closet into dusty and long-forgotten boxes, to remove from his life anything pertaining to this lady. I had felt quite natural feelings of dislike and suspicion towards her and was quite glad to help David in his riddances.

However, even then, I was not so hard hearted or jealous to deny that despite the evil tendencies of this woman (who had inconsiderately claimed my husbands affection for four years prior), she was not completely devoid of usefulness or interest. For she had made David a quilt that I asked him not to get rid of.

It was made all in squares, all in plaids and tied with maroon yarn at the top. It seems she had never finished it completely. It had, in the years of its use, become rather disfigured and worn but I thought it would work well for a spare blanket for reenacting.

We did use it as a spare blanket at reenactments. At home it sat folded up with other spare blankets.

It was a sad and forlorn little blanket until Judah moved from his crib to his toddler bed. At that time he needed a larger blanket and for some reason had an affection for the raggedy plaid quilt. So he has used it all this past year and it has become even more worn and disfigured - but loved.

Last year I made little David a quilt for his 2nd birthday. I wanted to make Judah a quilt for his second birthday but unfortunately the quilt did not materialize as I, as usual, procrastinated.

I have spent the past month or so trying to cut all my scraps into 4" squares. On Tuesday I decided that I had enough cut to make Judah a quilt for Christmas. I pieced eighteen 9-patch blocks with scraps, alternating with plain white squares. I sewed them together 5 x 7 alternating with 17 plain calico squares and then sewed calico sashed around all the edges. I used a big full size sheet for the backing and an old blanket for the middle and tied the corners of each square with dark turquoise colored wool yarn and there it was.

Now Judah has his very own quilt and the poor plaid one can once again be a spare, though I do not know how long it will remain here with us as it is definitely in the final stages of its life.

Now to make one for little Malachi. . .

Love,

Sarah

Piecing and Quilting

Last night I finished piecing little David's quilt just (barely) in time for his 2nd birthday, which is tomorrow! I am so glad to have the piecing done at last and can't wait to finish the entire thing so it can be used. I sewed it all by hand and feel really fulfilled in seeing this take shape before my eyes. I seem to be slowly weaning myself from the machine. You just have so much more control over your seams and matching up points when you hand sew, plus you can take it with you anywhere.

I began this quilt top about two and a half years ago when I was 8 weeks pregnant with my little son. At the time I was fairly despondent as I had recently lost my first baby and was worried about loosing the new precious little life I carried within me. My mother had me pick out some fabric and bought it for me and told me to make a quilt for the baby. How wise she was! It was just what I needed to get my mind off the unpleasant possibility of miscarriage and looking forward to the joys of a new little one. Since I didn't know at the time if I was having a girl or a boy I chose colors that could be either-or.

The quilt is shown on our big bed but it is only a twin size. At least, I think it is a twin size. Does anyone know the standard dimensions for a twin size quilt? And should I use a printed fabric for the backing or white? And should it be tied or quilted? I am not sure what would be the best to do!

Of course, now that THIS quilt top is done, I am planning out another one for me and David using all my horded dress scraps. My goal is to use up all my scraps and to get the top pieced before the new baby arrives. Problem: I am using the Drunkard's Path block and I did the math yesterday and I have to cut out 1,302 pieces before I can even start the piecing. How long will THAT take me? I guess now that the boys are napping I better start!

Love,

Sarah