Redwork Color 'n Say Quilt

I finished piecing the Color 'n Say quilt and I am pleased with it!

I am also pleased at how much more 'exact' my piecing was on this project. I am always wondering if my seams are staying consistent enough for the corners to match. There is one row that is a bit off, but not enough for me to worry about. Years down the road, I may look back and wonder at my low standards, but for now, I am making progress, so I am not going to worry about 'perfection'.
The top two rows...

This quilt measures 30" x 38", so I think that is big enough for a baby quilt and I think red is a good color for an 'in reserve' baby quilt.

The bottom two rows...

I will post the images to my Flikr pool and add a link in the next day or so. I originally used a copy machine and reduced the images to 40%. I have lost track of some of them from carrying them around while I was working on it, so I will post the rest of the images when I find them. Or, I will copy them again!

Redwork Color 'n Say

Speaking of colors, RED is my favorite, when it comes to embroidery. I began stitching these little squares as a 'car show' project a couple of weeks ago.

The designs are from a vintage coloring book, "Color 'n Say" published by Whitman in 1970. I reduced the images to 25% of the originals, and eliminated the name of each item (the 'say' part)

The white ground is flour sack fabric and measures 3.5" square.

I used one or two strands of DMC #815 red, which is a bit darker than what I usually think of for redwork. I picked the color to go with a vintage print from the stash, but when I pulled it out, I decided that it might not be 100% cotton. I went with this reproduction print, instead, and some 'rich red' Kona (still from the stash, though!)

All week, I have been thinking about how I wanted to put them together. I wanted to make this quilt a bit bigger, more of a baby quilt than a doll quilt. I still have four stitcheries to finish up, but I couldn't wait to see how it might look. I laid them out on the Kona and I think that I like the combination!

On Saturday, we will going to another car show and The Mister wants to be there by 6:30 am to get a good spot. So, I will be spending all day in the lawn chair. I should have plenty of time to finish stitching up the rest of the blocks.

In fact, I think I better round up another project to take. I wouldn't want to run out of 'fancy work' to keep me occupied!

Cook's Paint Almanac - 1950

Color style fascinates me. There are people who can look ahead and see what colors will be fashionable and there are other people who are determining what colors are 'hot' each season. It is as much a science as an art. Part of the reason that I love vintage fabrics is that they do not change from in style to out of style. They remain vintage style!

This is a booklet about color, that floated to the surface, some time ago.

It is an advertising piece printed by the Cook's Paints (for farm and home). It is a calendar/almanac that begins in April 1950 and ends in March, 1951.


According to the almanac, April is the beginning of the "Spring Decorating Period". It is the month for "brightening up your rooms to match the wake-up spirit of spring". Some of the special days in April of that year are 'Pan-American Day' ( the 14th) and 'Southern Memorial Day' (the 26th).

The almanac suggests 'dramatic colors for the walls, pastel tints for ceilings and sparkling enamel for woodwork'. I love dramatic colors for walls. When we moved to the desert, the house we left had dramatic colors. The realtor chosen by the relocation company to tell us what our house was worth, said that the colors of the carpets and walls reduced the value of the house by many thousands of dollars. We disagreed...

I have been looking through some quilting books that I picked up at various auctions/estate sales/thrift stores, etc. The illustrations in the books from the 80's and 90's have examples of the projects made up in colors that look very dated. I remember when they were 'current', though, and that makes me hesitate to buy the newest fabrics that are in the quilt stores.

I guess that is why it is easier for me to stick with the vintage reproductions or the fabric lines that have a 'vintage feel'.

I wonder how old something has to be before we call it vintage, rather than just outdated!

A Favorite That Endures

Many years ago, probably 1987, Ms A and I discovered Hello Kitty. There was a small kiosk inside a Macy's store at the mall near us, that sold a selection of tiny writing things - colored pencils, writing paper and tiny sticker books. They were an inexpensive indulgence and Ms A became a fan.

And has been a fan, ever since.

Of the original, not the 'licensed to Mattel wannabe Hello Kitty', but the real Kitty, who is so successful that she now has her own stores.

We affectionately called her 'Miss Kitty', or just 'Kitty'. Like on Gunsmoke.

(Not really, Ms A probably has never seen Gunsmoke, but I always think of Amanda Blake and her big hair...)

My frequent buyer card for Kitty's boutique!

When I first saw Martha's Simple Objects quilt, I immediately thought of Hello Kitty! A few weeks later, Martha shared a redwork Hello Kitty quilt in progress, for her daughter.



I picked up two or three HK coloring books last fall, and found this design that I thought would be perfect on an apron. My intent was for it to be a Christmas gift last year.

That did not happen.

The apron is from the 'Linen's and Things' close out and it is pretty long. Not a 'tuck in your purse' kind of project, and also lots of fabric in your lap for summer stitching. I put it in my bag and it went with me on many trips but usually languished... Finally, I finished it a few weeks ago and sent it off this week, to Ohio, for Ms A's birthday.

Happy Birthday, A!

(Many thanks to Dearest Sister for helping me fill in the blanks of my memory of 'discontinued favorites'!)

Blogtober 14 - Wake Up and Color!

Now, that is not a phrase that I ever heard, growing up. I generally heard "wake up and get a move on", but that is because I was (am) a very hard to wake up, sleepy-head.

Dearest Sister often got the job of getting me out of bed, especially as we got older. I remember insisting that I needed a warm washcloth to wipe the sleep out of my eyes in order to awaken properly. It is a wonder she tolerated my ridiculousness...

This little coloring book is one of twelve(!) that I bought on ebay some time back. The auction was for six of the 12 page books and the price was low. I paid at auction's end and waited. And waited.

After a couple of weeks, I contacted the seller to see when the books had been shipped and the seller was embarrassed to find that they hadn't been. So, to make up for the delay, she sent me 12 (!) instead of six. I didn't really need six, and I sure didn't need 12, but they are fun little books! I think they must have been promotional give-aways. They are just five inches wide by seven inches tall.

This is the cover which, as usual, has nothing to do with the pictures inside the pages.

Some of the pictures are delightfully odd pairings of animals with....stuff!

This is one of my favorites, but the scale fascinates me. Can you imagine an old fashioned telephone AS BIG AS AN ELEPHANTS HEAD!?! I know, I know, it is artistic license, but still... and that ribbon on her trunk and flower behind the ear and coquettish point of the toes...I am thinking she is talking to her boyfriend! Should children be coloring that?


This one I call "Pig with Tambourine" (and looooong curly tail!) Very light on her (?) feet, though!

My favorite, "Cat with Violin". Who doesn't love a cat at a hoe-down? Or he could be playing classical, it's all good...

Anyway, you can see the rest of the pages in my flikr set here.

I reduced the originals by about half and I think I might try one or two of them as embroidery designs on a larger sized onesie - maybe a twelve or eighteen month size.

But, I have other projects that are in line already and xmas is around the corner. I have just two months for gifts that need to be shipped!

(eeeeeek!)

(Tomorrow is the official one year mark for me! If you haven't yet, go here to leave a comment to be entered in the celebratory give-away! Winners will be announced on Friday!)