A Long Ago Easter Sunday

Easter, 1956, back in Chillicothe, Illinois. I love this picture of our little kids - how happy can you be. Their beautiful smiles are so awesome - almost like they are laughing out loud. Maybe Mom or Dad said something funny.

Here they all ready to go to church and Sunday School in their Easter outfits. Over on Pieces of the Past there are two more pictures with their Easter bunnies along with the first one where their smiles are so big. It's another photo that needs to be in both blogs. I am so amazed that these lovely memories are fifty-four years ago.

Have a blessed Easter. (Click to enlarge)

A Tutorial for Some Cute Carrots

While checking out some of the blogs I have on my favorites list, I found this picture of some darling carrots on Quiltsalott which led to a tutorial on how to make them at Clares Craftroom. I think they are really cute, pretty simple to do and the tutorial is a good one. Thought you might like to take a peek and keep it in mind if you ever have a need for some clever fabric carrots. (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday

This morning I am posting a picture of what three lovely young girls wore on Easter Sunday in 1993. Molly Rose is looking just darling in her pretty blue and white print dress that buttons down the front. She wears a gold chain and a pretty white headband. Big sister Norah Lee looks lovely in her darker blue print dress with a gold chain as an accent, also. Standing in front is Hannah Alice looking cute as a button in a red dress with big white polka dots and it appears that she is wearing a white necklace, also. Topping her outfit is a big white hat with a turned back brim. A very pretty threesome, these granddaughters of mine. (Click to enlarge)

Quilting in Progress

Even though the quilt sandwich is this wallhanging looks loose and like it will never lie flat, so far I have been amazed at the way it has been quilting out. As I have said before, I have become more comfortable with my machine quilting, finally, but am still not sure of myself at all.

Here is the little July block and it is actually lying nice and flat. The quilting makes the little motifs pop right out.
Didn't know how I would do the sashing but, after a little ripping out of one way, decided on what is shown in this picture. I am now about half way through with the quilting and I should have it all done and bound in time for our quilt show. I promise no more pictures of this until it is all done. (Click to enlarge)

Some Cute Little Chicks

Back in the mid fifties, Sherry took tap dancing lessons like so many kids did (including my sister and me when we were in grade school - the only lessons we ever had in anything). In the recital, her little group did two dances - this one being the little chicks and the lone little rooster. Sherry is the little girls second from the right. I made her costume - it was yellow maribou - and very, very wispy and flyaway. My sewing machine was in our living room and we had a dark green rug. Get the picture? But it's pretty darned cute, isn't it?

Fast forward into the eighties - and here is Sherry's oldest daughter, Norah, while she was at Grandma and Grandma's house, all dressed up in the old costume. The hat had lost its "feathers" but not its beak. And Norah is in the same pose as the little class. Fun times! (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday, Fashionably Late

I forgot Fashion Friday!  So I will post  this picture of Molly, my middle granddaughter, and her friend, Angie, when they came over to our house one day proably the first summer we were living in Michigan.  I have about three old dresses saved in the basement and they had great fun trying them - each one tried on all three of them.  In this picture, Molly is looking lovely in the salmon colored taffeta dress I wore as my sister's maid of honor.  Angie is wearing my toast satin wedding suit.  Molly will be getting married in August this year so it will be a trip to Portland to celebrate the her wedding to Doug.  So looking forward to that wonderful time.  

Two of my Earliest Quilt Projects

Back in the late 70's, we were living near a small shopping center in Overland Park, Kansas, and it had a quilt shop which I think was called Quilter's Stitch. I took quite a few classes there and believe I mentioned that before. The first quilting related class was the one featuring a quilt block in a padded frame. I always love seeing the old fabrics and how different and rather dull they are from today's gorgeous stuff. There's not much quilting on this little piece and the stitches are pretty big but it was a good start. I have learned so much over the years. Then there were the pieces in the hoops that everyone was doing - remember them? Here is my goose with her freshly laid eggs. Even though it doesn't hang in my kitchen anymore, I still think this is cute and and she would be hanging there if there were more room.

The quilting stitches are large on this one, also, and there is not much of it. Things were not generally as closely quilted back then as the trend appears to be now. I was just beginning machine satin stitch applique and it is a little rough but got much better over the years. Satin stitch takes longer than machine buttonhole. And it was a long time before I got my much loved Bernina. (Click to enlarge)