It's a Dog's Life Blog Hop - My Day

This month's challenge for the blog hop was to " Make anything dog or vintage related.  Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs.  As an added challenge if dogs don't ring your bell, think vintage.  Vintage blocks, quilts, fabrics or whatever old designs make you happy.

Here are the blogs for today, don't forget to check them out.

SEPTEMBER 20

Quilt Doodle Designs

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Beaquilter

Quilted Snail

Domestic Felicity

While I have a quilt top made with dog fabrics waiting to be quilted, I decided to let this blog hop get me in gear to finish up one big project that fits in the vintage category.  Along the way I worked on multiple smaller, vintage projects as well that I've found in what was my mom's stash as I've been going through things in what was their house (now mine).  I've found a lot of vintage embroidery projects my Mom had started many years ago and never finished.   

This first one was a half yard sized piece of muslin that my mom had  used an iron-on transfer onto.   There were two big motifs at each end, one of which was completed and two smaller motifs.  The red transfer ink was 

The flower petals were stitched, but not the centers.  And the green stitching in the bottom left piece and black frame needed completing as well.   These three motifs will end up in postcards.

This full large motif that was complete will be made into a mini wall-hanging at some point.....if I can ever make up my mind on what color to use for the underlaying fabric.  I have to say, the stitching my mom did on these is amazing.   The teeniest of buttonhole stitches was used on the flower petals. and everything else was satin-stitched.   And yes, that partial flower in the top left of the photo will end up in a postcard as well.   

This little pair of bluebirds had been started and was all done except for the right-hand bird and the right most flower and leaves.  This will likely end up in a postcard. 

This little dresser scarf just needed the two right most leaves finished, along with the berries and branches at the top of the motif.

This was about half way complete - the fences had been stitched with grass around 2 of them done as well.  Only one set of flowers were complete.   Not sure what this was supposed to be, or how I'll end up using it.

One of the pieces I found was a panel of 8 stamped cross-stitch motifs, 4 bugs, and 4  wishing wells.  Only of the wells had been started, but not finished.  These are stitched with 6 strands of floss.  So far I've completed 5 out of the 8 panels.  3 full skeins of floss have been used, along with threads that have been leftover from kits that I completed sometime in the past.  The current plan is to use them in postcards because the fabric used in the panel is a heavy weight muslin type fabric, ravels easily, and isn't really good for a quilt.

My big project that I used this blog hop to spur me into getting finished over the Labor day weekend was making repairs to this Sun Bonnet Sue quilt.  Made in approximately 1937 by my Great-Grandmother on my mom's side, this was one of the antique quilts (out of 10 or so finished ones) that I found in working to clean out things in my mom's bedroom last year after her death in 2021.  All of the quilts that were found had been used and I loved that.   This one had sashing strips that had holes worn in them, dresses and bonnets in some of the blocks that had not held up, and cornerstones that had holes.   

I ended up repairing 3 dresses and 4 bonnets by appliqueing new ones over the original ones.  7 sashing pieces and 3 cornerstones were also repaired in the same manner.   I used as close of matching to what the colors in the quilt were.   The cornerstones were interesting - original color I think was a green, but in today's colors a blue matched the ones that were left in ok condition.  Sashing and cornerstones were hand quilted to match the quilt.

This block just needed a new bonnet because the dress was still in good shape, although faded to an off-white.

Dress and bonnet replaced on this block.  There were 3 total that needed work like this.  Pattern for the blocks was made by tracing one of the blocks.   All pieces were adjusted to cover the original girl.

Batting in the quilt was home made from cotton grown in the area where my great-grandparents lived, perhaps even from their farm.   No scrim in it and after so many years of use it is quite clumpy in places.

This is being gifted to a cousin who remembers her mom helping to quilt it.  

This started out as a framed piece of cross-stitch I made for my dad many years ago as a gift.  With my dad's passing, I decided that I wanted to send it to a family friend in Japan who my dad traded stamps with over the years.  I know my dad would appreciate it going to his friend.   Because it was framed, and I couldn't find a box that it would fit, I decided to rework it into a little wall-hanging.  Finished size is 8" by 9".

Gratitudes:

1. For the unexpected provision of a refund from a pension plan I wasn't vested in that will pay for an unexpected car repair bill.

2. For a job where the bosses are willing to work with the employees when unexpected things (like car problems) happen.