A Proud American

I am an American living overseas in Israel. As we entered the 21st century 8 years ago I told my son how disappointed I was-nothing seemed different. That as a girl born right at mid-century I had imagined all sorts of fabulous things by the turn of the new century (remember the Jetsons? where was my Rosie?)

Today I feel we are in the 21st century. This is my generation's legacy-not a Rosie, not solar power but the American dream: you can be all that you can be. I am extra proud to be an American today.

Folk Art Quilt

Time for another quilt from the banner: the Folk Art quilt.

The applique blocks were in the closet for years-I had enlarged the blocks from a Little Quilts design, done the hand applique and then that was it, they sat there. When I decided at the beginning of the year to machine quilt as many of the tops in the closet that I could, I found the blocks. I added the large stars and the checkerboard sashing and border to make the quilt more “youth friendly” and made the quilt twin bed size ( and now I’ve put the completed quilt in the closet :-)

Its machine quilted with a meander including

hearts around the applique blocks, outline quilted stars (by free motion-first time I tried that, fairly successful) with little moons in the stars' centers and a simple grid in the checkerboard.

Vintage Thursday Thingie: Ruth Wakefield Cookbook

This is a special cookbook for me. It is Ruth Wakefield's Tried and True Recipes and is a sixth printing of the first edition of her famous cookbook (later called The Tollhouse Cookbook) from 1936-37 .

It was given to me by my aunt and Ruth Wakefield signed it on the front flap.

My aunt didn't seem to think too much of it-she wrote a recipe over it!

This is such an early edition, it does not have a recipe for Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookies. I guess she invented them between this edition and the next (I think it came out in 1940). There are a lot of myths about how she came up with chocolate chip cookies-even on the Nestle site, they say she wanted to make chocolate cookies but was out of semi-sweet baking chocolate so she used a Nestle chocolate bar, breaking it into pieces and expecting it to melt in the batter. I find that rather silly: her recipe for chocolate cookies clearly states, melted chocolate-she would have melted the candy bar too. I think she was just a genius-she cut up the chocolate bar into her cookie dough to see what would come out.

She made a deal with Nestle: they put her recipe on the back of their candy bar and she received a lifetime supply of Nestle chocolate bars! It wasn't until later that Nestle began to make chocolate chips specifically for cookies.

There are a few cute drawings and lots of recipes that use pineapple!

Here's one for Pineapple Pie

Pare and grate 2 small apples

Add 1/2 can grated (crushed) pineapple

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix thorougly and pour into uncooked crust. Cover with crust and bake 15 min. at 425. Reduce heat to 350 for remaining period of cooking.

The Phillies Won! The Phillies Won! Wow!!!

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More stars in my eyes: Star Quilt with Vine Border

I seem to have a lot of Star quilts; its something I hadn't realized before. This is another quilt that I've finished for the New Year's Eve Challenge. I'm so glad I joined this Challenge as its given me the oomph I needed: I've wanted to finish this quilt for a while (I really like it) but I couldn't think how to quilt it. I couldn't even decide if I should hand or machine quilt it. Under the pressure of just telling myself: ok, now's the time, I did it and I'm very happy with my quilting choices. I waffle quilted ( wavy line grid) the center

and I like the effect, then I outlined the machine applique vine very close to the vine (like in- the- ditch quilting) and quilted a cable in the top and bottom borders.

I had filled the centers of vines with my initials and multi-colored flowers, all done in outline embroidery( much like Redwork) so I decided not to quilt the background of the vine borders with a filler design (which I probably would have done if I had hand quilted.) I did once see a photo of a quilt that was machine quilted over outline embroidery designs but I guess I'm just not brave enough.

The machine appliqued vine border is inspired by the vines found in a mosaic floor from a 6th century synagogue at Naro in Tunisia. I used to work as an archaeological restorer, though never on mosaics (pottery, stone and once, Roman glass) . I love designs from ancient mosaics-years ago, we spent almost a week walking around Pompeii (the frescos are also wonderful). Ami Simms wrote a book "Classic Quilts:Patchwork Designs from Ancient Rome" years ago featuring designs from mosaics but she dealt with patchwork not applique designs.

Vintage Thursday Thingie: Antique Backgammon Set

I've "borrowed" this backgammon set from my husband. He bought it in the late 1960s, before we were married and it was quite old already.

It is inlaid with different woods and mother of pearl.

How quilt like is this center medallion?

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'Til the Cows Come Home Quilt

I finished another quilt for the New Year's Eve Challenge. It too has been in the closet for a long time: I know I finished the top before we moved into this house and we're here since 1999.

This quilt is a case of the fabric driving the design-I found the fabric and of course it just said "Cow". The colors came out truest in this picture. Its simply quilted with meander on the cow fabric and everything else just outlined at 1/4". No cable in the border this time, just straight lines.

This is not a diet quilt- everytime I look at it I want to eat ice cream! Now ice cream is on the grocery list :)

Vintage Thursday Thingie: That '70's Patchwork Book

According to the author, Rachel Martens," Here are authentic old patterns for quilt blocks which appeared in FARM JOURNAL from the Twenties".

Well...

I confess. I had a jacket with fringe.

Too cool for school

Cowl neck sweater, ironed hair?

Remember, in Fashion one decade you're in and the next-you're out!

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