November Redwork Birdie Stitches

 

This block is part of the Birdie Stitches Block of the Month by Little Miss Shabby available free online here.  When I saw it, I knew it was the perfect project for me.  Instead of using several colors of embroidery thread, I chose to use just No. 8 perle cotton in red.  I have done redwork on a single layer of fabric, and the knots show through from the back. I've tried backing the fabric with very lightweight iron-on interfacing, but the interfacing wrinkled. This time I used a double layer of the Kona cotton. I ironed the layers together and used an embroidery hoop. I didn't baste the two layers together, but it has not been a problem. I've been very pleased with the results so far.

 

T for time to be together,

     turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H for harvest stored away,

     home, and hearth, and holiday.

A for autumn’s frosty art,

     and abundance in the heart.

N for neighbors, and November,

     nice things, new things to remember.

K for kitchen, kettles’ croon,

     kith and kin expected soon.

S for sizzles, sights, and

     and something special that abounds.

 

That spells THANKS - for joy in living

     and a jolly good Thanksgiving.

 

by Aileen Fisher

 

Who will you be spending Thanksgiving with?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Please answer in the comment section below. 

 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.

Aunt Jane of Kentucky "How Sam Amos Rode in the Tournament" and Grape Basket Quilt Block

In the Quilters' Book Club this month, we're reading Aunt Jane of Kentucky by Eliza Calvert Hall, written in 1898.  If you have a Kindle or a Kindle app, you can get it from Amazon.com here.  If you want to read it directly from your computer, you can do so here, courtesy of Project Gutenberg.  It's a public domain book so is available free in either format. 

This book consists of nine short stories.  Each story is told by Aunt Jane in a humorous way that is full of wisdom.  The seventh story in the book is called "How Sam Amos Rode in the Tournament" and is only twenty-four pages long.
It's about Aunt Jane's memories of going to the Warren County fair and is an enjoyable, quick read.  If you'd like to make the Grape Basket quilt block to represent this short story, you can find the pattern here.

 

This Corn and Beans quilt block would be another fun one to make to represent this story about the county fair.  You can find the pattern here.

I looked up more about Goshen in Warren County:  "The Goshen District of Warren County in 1880 ran from the southern edge of Bowling Green all the way to the Allen County line. It was on the southern side of Barren River. Today that area is the Alvaton and Green Hill communities." source

I also found out some information about the author, Eliza Calvert Hall.  She used a pen name, a combination of her own maiden name and her grandmother's maiden name.  Her real name was Eliza Caroline Calvert Obenchain, but she went by the nickname of "Lida" all her life.  She was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1856 and died in Texas in 1935.  In addition to being a writer, she was also a women's rights advocate and suffragist.  She attended Western Female Seminary in Oxford, Ohio and later married the president of Ogden College, Major William Alexander Obenchain.  They had four children. 

In December, the book selection for the Quilters' Book Club is The Christmas Quilt: an Elm Creek Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini.  It's realistic fiction set in Pennsylvania and perfect for this time of year!  Get it now from your library or local bookstore and join us in reading and discussing this book. 

If you wrote a book, would you use your own name or a pen name.  Inquiring minds want to know!  Please reply in the comments sections below for a chance to win a copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's just-released book, An Elm Creek Quilts Companion, courtesy of Plume Books.  If you are reading this via email, you must click on the title of my blog post to be able to comment and read the comments of others. 

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.