New grand daughter on the way! And I finished patching Two's nine-patch

 

First our big news is that our oldest daughter Noelle, who lives not too far from us here in NC, is due with a baby girl in December!  We are all so thrilled.  I can hardly believe it - this will make four grand daughters!  And this little one will be local to us, not far away, in Raleigh.  Noelle and Keenan are all smiles (pictured here with my niece Megan).  

 

Meanwhile I have finished patching up my great-grandma's nine-patch.  

I cuddled with it for a day, and then took it back to my sister-in-law Janette.  She's pleased with it. 

My first step was adding a single-fold binding over the old shattered one. 

And now I'm thinking about making my own soft nine-patch, sort of replicating this one.  Just one more quilt in my mind, happily occupying my thoughts;). 

xo

Cynthia 

Continued mending on Two's quilt, quick trip to Boston

I have finished patching the (mostly purple) nine-patches on my great-grandma's nine patch, for my sister-in-law Janette. 

The quilting stitches are so so tiny! 

I used 25 weight thread to patch things up... with my giant stitches... 

Sometimes in the ditch: 

Where ever I have pins in the quilt, I need to patch up the muslin.  That's next.   

David and I got up to Boston for a few days.  Sometimes we just need a dose of "back home." 

He fished, we both caught up with some dear friends, we ate great food, we enjoyed the Museum of Fine Arts.  

What do we have here.... Prince's Feather, Mary Price Hall, about 1860, Ohio  - 

David was amazed at these teeny tiny reverse appliqué circles: 

In Boston we also saw an absolutely stunning musical,  Gatsby.  We have always enjoyed productions by A.R.T. (often pre-Broadway) and I love their entire ethos.  

Then David went on to Tokyo, and I returned home to North Carolina.  It felt good to walk in the door.  I think because we have lived so many places, many places feel like "home" and we miss them all when we aren't there. I guess you can't live in three places at once?? 

I am always trying to pack lightly (freedom!).   When I'm with David, we carry-on.  When I'm on my own, I check my bag, even though it is carry-on sized.  I hate the stress of boarding, wondering if there will be room above for my suitcase.   

My quest for the perfect carryon 'personal item' is also never ending.  I have a couple of small backpacks, but I think I'm really more of a "zippered tote" person.  I love this old Cath Kidston oilcloth tote and I tend to turn back to it again and again.  

Tomorrow is July 4th.  It will be a quiet, solo, indoors (cool) day for me.  Hopeful thoughts for democracy. 

xo

Cynthia 

Mending my great-grandmother's nine patch quilt

 Hello!  It is blazing hot outside these days, normal for North Carolina this time of year.  This means plenty of indoor time, lol. 

I am in the process of doing some mending on this old well-loved nine patch, made by my great-grandmother Una Fisher (we called her "Two").  

Una pieced it and her sister Fannie Fisher quilted it, in West Virginia, sometime in the 1960's I think.  It was passed to my Grandma Mary Lou, and then to my Mom, who may or may not have used it as a beach blanket (!) for many years, and then at some point it passed to my sister-in-law Janette.

First step, binding. 

I'm doing single-fold, right over the old binding. 

Whereever this light purple shows up, it is shattered.  So, I'm appliqueing some nine-patches onto a few of the original blocks: 

I marked the worst places with pins, and I will just do one patch at a time: 

It is such a pleasure to spend some good time with this quilt!  I love geneology and pondering about my ancestors, and so this is just that sweet intersection of quilting and family history. 

x

Cynthia