January has brought a new way of doing things around the manse...as in, I've actually BEEN doing things - getting things done, taking care of loose ends, cleaning out the debris...yep, once a year, whether it needs it or not, the manse gets a once over - from top to bottom, including the cave and the garage. Now most men take umbrage when their wives enter their domain - the garage - but not the mister...he LOVES for me to head out there and organize his mess...unless I move something important, like the power cord to his precious blower...then he goes all caveman on me, thumping his chest and jumping about hysterically until I locate it...kind of funny to watch. After I reclaimed the garage, the linen closet and the cupboards under the sink I made my way to my workroom...fortified with my Morning Mocktail, I was prepared to do a clean sweep...but as usual, I got sidetracked with the first basket I found! Inside the basket were my crazy quilt blocks...In 2004 I belonged to two quilt groups...which was one too many as I had a heck of a time trying to keep up! For two years, one group made crazy quilt blocks. At the end of 2006 I had 12 blocks, each one a work of art by itself, and then I quit that group...I needed to lighten the load on my calendar! These blocks sat for 4 years...last week, after finding them, I decided they had aged quite nicely and it was time to make them into a quilt!
The block on the left above was made by Deborah Jaffe - don't you just love the colors? The "N" in her block is made entirely of teesy-little beads...all done by hand and those little circles are all beaded, too! The women in that group were incredible at hand-work - especially ribbon embroidery. Each block is unique and I love all the different stitches they used!
Each corner of the block is secured to the back of the quilt with a vintage gold button. And bucking tradition, I put batting inside the layers - warm and natural - so this quilt is very heavy! It's warm and soft and I've already given it a test drive - I covered myself up in it while reading the other night...perfect!
Black velvet is on the front and the back with a satin cording edge. The quilt blocks are 12-inch squares. This quilt measure 72x56-inches.
The resin grapes are my latest thrifting find...perfect for Valentine's day! Many of you know about resin grapes and I might have even talked about them before, but, as you know, I have no memory...in the 60's and 70's resin grapes were all the rage - in Utah - in the Mormon community. Mormon women would meet monthly at their homemaking meeting where they would learn about everything from being good mothers, to cooking, family history, and crafts, just to name a few. Someone introduced her homemaking night friends to resin grapes and they spread like wildfire throughout Utah...everyone made themselves grapes using a mold, some wire and a piece of wood. My mom made a green set - or was it purple? In every home I went into, resin grapes were on the coffee table - for years and years. Now they're highly collectible! I paid $20 for this beauty - and happily, too! If you ever come across resin grapes in your travels be sure to snatch them up...if you're not a fan you can always resell them on E-bay!
