I like Thursdays: May 27, 2019

Good Morning!  How are you doing this week?  It's Thursday and that means "I like Thursday" hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color and a posts full of happy are invading the internet!

This week our puppy has been cracking us up.  She got a haircut on Saturday and is not cooperating about getting her photograph taken.  Everytime I would raise my camera, she would literally look the other way.  My neighbor couldn't top laughing at her.  But finally go this photo: 

"I'm stuck."

No you're not.  You can pull your head out anytime.

 "No see, I'm stuck"

She wasn't.  All it took was for her to hear a dog barking and she was magically released.  Ahh, the power of the bark.

When you were a kid, did you ever play with buttons?  I could be kept occupied for hours playing with my Nana's or my mother's buttons from their can.  Maybe that is why I can't resist early 20th century button bags.

This bag features the button family. 

Yes they are weird looking but I love them!

You can find more images of button family bags on Pinterest!

It's too warm to garden much this week but that's fortunate.  Next week Beth Bacher and I are announcing a quilt challenge and we are busily working on that event.  Stay tuned for more information!

Have a great day!

Hazy Days of Summer

We've had so much rain that the garden is growing as if on steroids.

one oak leaf hydrangea leaf!

Hydrangeas that could easily BE a one flower bouquet!

I tackled this bed yesterday, it might look pretty but it actually has a path under all that sedum.  Got the path cleared out:

For the last month and a half, I've been weeding at least two hours every morning but now I'm taking a break.  The humidity crept in yesterday and this morning--already at 6 a.m.--it felt like a sauna outside.  For the rest of the week, I'm taking a break to catch up on writing and sewing.  But here are some pretty photos from our garden (if you like flowers)!

I Like Thursday: June 20, 2019

Good morning!  It's been raining all week.  A few days ago I was headed out to a program in the Poconos while there was a lull in storms.  There was an adorable little girl wearing wellies and playing in every puddle she could find. This graphic reminded me of her.  It's been a busy week despite the rain and the highlight was visiting the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild in Canadensis.  They are small but fun group of women and I had a great visit!

In the garden:

I was ready for a break from my daily weeding and the humidity and unstable weather started Sunday.   The garden is colorful and soggy.

I walk the puppy between storms.  

The humidity bothers her and she always takes a nap after a little walk.  Of course, during those lulls in storms, she always sees her friends out too...

There's a lot going on here so I'll keep this brief.  You can find more positive posts at LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color.  Have a wonderful week!

I Like Thursday: June 13, 2019

June is always a busy month for me and this year is no different.  I'm traveling to groups and giving lectures.  Monday I'll be in the Pocono Mountains to visit the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild and present my program on Ruby Short McKim. 

It's always so much fun to visit with guilds and chat with the members!  

Today is raining and I'm happy for a much needed break from weeding.  The weekend weather looks good.  My hubby is on his way home and tomorrow is his birthday; I'm looking forward to hanging out with him!

Earlier this week we had a visitor in our neighborhood.  This heron landed on the tree above my neighbor's house!  

Scout is tired this morning.  She had a playdate with Harlow and Rascal yesterday.  Scout hadn't visited them since she was a baby.  She had so much fun with them!  They are labradoodles and were best of friends with Seamus when he was alive.

On Tuesday, I had posted some photos of quilt patterns I found for my friend Beth.  I found two more in the bag that I hadn't posted.  They are outfits for the Betsy McCall doll!  I loved when my Mom got that magazine every month so I could get paper dolls.  I just read that the paper dolls were published in the magazine for 44 years!  Why can't magazines do something fun like that anymore?  

 Beth will definately appreciate this one.  It has a 4-H outfit for the dolls!  

Beth has taught 4-H kids to sew.

Lastly, I purchased a new old quilt last month and thought I would share photos with you.  The pattern was designed by Anne Orr.  I rarely buy crib quilts anymore (I already have a ton) but I had wanted one of these for a while.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

For more "I like Thursdays" posts, visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

You sweet doll!

Last night I lectured at the Penn Oaks Quilt Guild in Malvern, PA and had so much fun!  I love meeting quilters and the members were hilarious and engaged throughout the program.  The lecture I presented was "Project Sunway" a look at the variations of the Sunbonnet Babies (or Sue) quilt pattern.  It's probably my most popular lecture and filled with entertaining, whimsical, and unusual examples of the pattern.  Thank you Penn Oaks Quilters!

I got to Malvern a little early and stopped at an antique shop I spied and found--GOLD!  Okay not so much gold but something that delighted me.  My friend and sometimes business partner Beth is a seamstress extraordinaire and a retired quilt restorer.  She was even a pattern tester for a designer in New York.  Beth has long said she would like to return to teaching children to sew plus she has a new grandchild expected in late summer (sex of child unknown). So when I discovered some vintage doll clothes patterns at the antique shop, I had to call her!  Of course I bought them all and can't wait to give them to her.  

I don't have to use the patterns to appreciate them so I thought I would share the envelope covers with you!

These don't have which dolls the patterns were designed to cloth.  I think this one might be from the 40s but I couldn't find a copyright on the pattern:

The patterns below were made for "Miss Revlon", "Cissy", Lilo", and "My Fair Lady".    

This one takes me back to my childhood, I had a white fur muff that I absolutely adored.  

According to what I found in the internet, Miss Revlon dolls were made from 1956-1960.  Apparently the Ideal company convinced Charles Revlon (as in make-up) to lend his name to the product:

The "Cissy" Doll was produced by Madame Alexander.  

She's too cha-cha for words!

These were made for the Toni doll.  Toni as in "Toni Home Permanents" (there's a flashback for us). The doll was sold from 1949 to 1953.  She obviously wasn't a fashion doll but a little girl doll,  These clothes remind me of my childhood:

Then apparently there was the "Toni Walker" doll (I'm not a doll collector and I couldn't tell you the difference--if there is one):

But my absolute favorite were the "Little Lady Doll" patterns from the 1930s-40s.  I'm not really sure why but some people refer them as "Anne Shirley Dolls" and there is speculation about even that name...was it the actress or Anne of Green Gables?  I don't know, do you?

This Little Lady pattern (below) is my absolute favorite and Beth will go ga-ga for it.  I'm curious about the outfit that is a jump suit.  Was this a factory worker or safety worker outfit?  If you were a little girl who's Mom joined the war effort working, it must have been neat to have an doll outfit that matches Mom's.  If you recognize the outfit as a uniform for something, please let me know!

Well I'm off to weed the garden.  Have a wonderful day!