Smuggling Letters

March 30, 1864. Isabella 'Belle' Edmondson wrote in her diary

It seems I can never go to Memphis without some disagreeable arrangements and sayings. I was greatly disappointed in my trip... I did not smuggle a thing through the lines, except some letters...
(quote from Civil War Diary Quilt book written by R. Youngs)

I was busy tonight after work to make the next block of the CWD quilt... but it's finished;) ... and before midnight...

Block 41. Smuggling Letters

Fabrics are: Judie Rothermel's Cambridge Collection (brown with flowers), Renee Nanneman's Itsy Bits (blue) and Quilt Gate's Mary Rose Collection (very light lavender). I considered them quite long. In the book the 'background' fabric is red, but I didn't find any suitable red one with this blue. So I decided to use that brown... Anyway there is tiny shade of red on it;)

I have spent for a few weeks following Isabella's life in the year 1864. I think I'm going to leave her now and continue with her adventures later. Before it I have decided to learn more about the first days of the Civil War in the year 1861. So the next date is April 14... and block is 81...

15 days without CWD blocks...
Am I able to wait so looong...?
Yes, I am;)
Then there will be one block every other day...
...busy week after Easter with CDW;)))

Glorious News

This morning there was a more challenging sewing day ahead than Friday evening was...

I wrote yesterday something about glorious news... Well, let's open the Civil War Diary book and find page 96;)

So here I go... I cut about 4,5 cm stripes of these fabrics; blue: Judie Rothermel's Vicksburg, brown: Lecien's Quilter's Basics, cream: Quilt Gate's Mary Rose Coll.

After two and half hours (I'm definitely slow with paperpiecing) 65 pieces of fabric were sewed together. Now there was a most exciting moment ahead... How I'll manage to accurate the rest of the seams...

It was not a easy job... I need a little help of the ripper;) ... too.

In the end the block was ready to get a final touch... and I was in need of the cup of coffee.

Meanwhile I sipped coffee I learned more about Isabella's life in Tennessee during the Civil War.

March 28, 1864. Isabella Buchanan Edmondson wrote:

We have had glorious news today - Mo. McCulloch captured Germantown, & still moving forward. Forrest is having glorious victory in Kentucky...
... I made my white swiss skirt, played drafts with Mr. Pugh, he beat me badly - trimmed the Rose trees - have spent a very pleasant day - and am so happy tonight after the good news. (quote from CWD book by Rosemary Youngs)

Block 40. Glorious News

Have a GLORIOUS WEEKEND!!!

Ps. Isabella's adventure will continue on next Monday with block 41;)

Yankee Papers

March 27, 1864.
Isabella Buchanan Edmondson
wrote in her diary

Mr Harbut came this evening, brought me a package of letters from Capt. Henderson, to be mailed in Memphis, also a note for myself from the Capt, with it a Dixie newspaper, which I shall carry to Mr. Eyrich. I sent Capt. H. a package of Yankee papers in return.
-quote from Civil War Diary Quilt written by R. Youngs

Block 39. Yankee Papers

... was SOOO EASY block!! A pleasant and refreshing way to start this weekend after exhausted week at the work. First I cut one 4" square of each of fabrics (little bit larger than required, I trimmed them later). Then I pieced them together using quick-pieced triangle-square -method... only five seams and block was done;)

I used - again - newspaper printed fabric from Lecien's Mrs. March's Coll. 4 (khaki), cream is from Kaufman's Life's Journey -line, red with paisley is Bonnie Blue Basics by P. Barnes and brown is Civil War Anthem by Brackman & Thompson. These fabrics reminds me Isabella's role of spy... smuggling letters hidden in her clothes... Thrilling...

Maybe tomorrow we'll get more Glorious News...

SHHH... A Secret...

Finished project number two in March...
... is the secret project...

I'm going to post it to my E...a...s...t...e...r....
hopefully on Tuesday... little peep of it...

So I have kept my promises of March's OPAMs to myself;) But... maybe not without your support... Kris and May-Britt.

Happy Days

I have felt SO LUCKY this week!!!

At the beginning (on Monday)

I got my FIRST GIVEAWAY- prize ever from Laila. Prize was the pattern of the tablerunner, called PÅSKEKOS. ;)) LOVELY CHICKEN pair!!! THANK YOU, Laila. Your design is tempting! I wish more time... before Easter...

On Tuesday (a day off) I got two parcels from abroad:
- one was PIF -gift from Simone. There was cute needlecase and pincushion, embroidery threads and yummy chocolate. (My DH was happy too when he arrived home from work.) THANK YOU, SIMONE!!! LOOK AT those TINY STITCHES! Simone is really talented quilter/stitcher.

- the other parcel was block 7 from I believe in Angels -BOM. It goes to the Want to do -drawer until I have time...

On Tuesday evening we (I&DH) went to look Maine Coon kittens, nearly five weeks old. They were so CUTE! I think I might lose my heart to someone...

And in the Friday morning I noticed, I'm one year older;))))

Before I'll go outside to enjoy this gorgeous sunny spring weather, I show you my oldest pincushion, nearly 30 years old.

It's the souvenir from my deceased grandmother. The girl wears the Lapland's dress. Lapland is the northern part of the Finland... I believe Santa Claus also lives there;)) The dress is already worned out and I have been thinking should I let her retired...

Maybe I should, because it's the gift from my dear granny... and I would like to store it for the rest of my life...

Happy Weekend to you...

Preparations for Smuggling

March 16, 1864
Isabella Buchanan Edmondson wrote in her diary

At one o'clock Mrs. Fackler, Mrs. Kirk and I began to fix my articles for smuggling, we made a balmoral of the Grey cloth for uniform, pinned the Hats to the inside of my hoops - tied the boots with a strong list, letting them fall directly in front, the cloth having monopolized the back & the Hats the side -
(quote from the Civil War Diary Quilt / Rosemary Youngs)


Block 38. Preparations for Smuggling

Isabella's life during the Civil War was very exciting. She was a Confederate spy, who carried letters through the lines and smuggled. I'll come to know her and her doings better within this month. I presume there is more thrilling notes in her diary...

I sewed this block as foundation piecing. After previous block I wanted to be more accurate with the seams;)

Fabrics are Nancy Gere's Civil War V (gray flower), Lecien's Mrs. March's Collection 4 (bluish grey newspaper print, I really like this one) and white flowers on cream (don't remember / know the manufacturer of it).

While sewing I started to regret of my fabric choice; especially the gray one annoys me. I like the print, but the colour is too light...
I should have used some brown instead...???

Isabella's (nicknamed as Belle) adventures will continue on the 27th of March...
Till then...

Dark Gloom

March 14, 1863 Rachel Young King Anderson wrote in her diary

Yesterday we heard heavy cannonading southwest, fighting somewhere near us. A double terror is reigning now. We are in the midst of desperate men in arms. (quote from the book The Civil War Diary Quilt by R. Youngs)

Rachel lived in Missouri close to the battlefields. Her brother had urged her to leave, but she was brave and refused. In the midst of the Civil War she began a school at her home, which at one time had as many as 25 students.

Block 9. Dark Gloom

That block was my 'battlefield' this evening.

When I choosed my fabrics I was so excited. I was certain it will be one of my favorites in this quilt... And YES, I'm still satisfied with fabrics, but I'm not pleased - at all - with my sewing skills... Seams are too zigzag... in finnish TAAS YKSI VIKURANTTI -ANTTIblokki...!!!! But I'm not going to redo it, at least not now. Perhaps tomorrow it will look better... I must told myself don't be too particular...

By the way... those lovely fabrics are Civil War VI by Nancy Gere (sugarplum/black), Meg's Bouquet by Jo Morton (dark mauve), Meadowsweet by Renee Nanneman (dark cream with paisley) and Mary Rose Coll. 13 by Quilt Gate (light cream).

Well, despite a little dissappointment 'the show must go on'... and I'm ready for...

Preparations for Smuggling

How thrilling;)))

News from Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

I just finished block of this week from SBS. It's M3 Dresden Plate (top left).
Top right is N3 Clay's Choice (week 9) and down below is M1 Spinning Hourglass (week 10).

I'm not sure yet, but I think that there might be a break in April for the BOW. Jennifer has written a pattern book called The True Story Behind the Quilt and it will publish soon. So her contract forbids her to publish the material from the book on the website after it is published...
It really means that BOW will continued, but there is no more patterns available on the website.

Hmm... Maybe I have to go to visit some online book-shops... My journey with this sampler is just get started and I would like to finish it... someday...

So here I come... See you SOON! perhaps tomorrow;)

Easter in my Mind

Last three days has been quite sunny here in southern Finland. So it was more refreshing to be outside than indoors...

And it seems that here is no volunteers to go to work tomorrow morning...
Maybe I have to... atleast my 'batteries are charged' now;)

Among sewing blocks and BOM's I managed to finish this little Noah's Ark -quilt during last week. I spent many enjoyable moments with these tiny stitchery blocks...
THANK YOU, LYNETTE!

OH, the First OPAM finished;)

A Tisket a Tasket -story continued with the Bunny and shamrocks block. Little trace of Easter...
So CUUUTE!
Remember, you'll find the pattern here and there is also a Flickrgroup. It's amazing... the same pattern, but the blocks looks so dissimilar...

SUNNY wishes to you !!!

This 'Girl' Just Wanna Have Some Fun...

... and she have IT!

I'm so excited! Look, what our postman brought me yesterday... it's the first block of the 'Girls Day Out' -quilt. I ordered it as a BOM from Kirk Bride Quilting.
A perfect way to start this week and WINTERHOLIDAY!!!

So I have been 'busy' this morning...

... starting two new project


the other one was Baltimore Bliss.

And I'm really gonna enjoy my life this week...

Doing the things what I like without hurry... reading good books and interesting blogs... sleeping enough... seeing family and ...

JUST RELAX and ENJOY !!!

Thousands of Diamonds

March 1, 1864. Isabella Buchanan Edmondson wrote in her diary:

First day of Spring - Laura awakened me for my breakfast. I looked out of the window and to my surprise, one of the hardest snow storms I ever saw was prevailing - lasted until 11 o'clock, when the sun shone out brightly. A more magnificent scene I never witnessed, the forests glistened like thousands of diamonds, sun set was glorious. (quote from the book Civil War Diary Quilt by R. Youngs)

This morning I saw this scenery when I looked out. Fortunately no snowstorm but no sunshine either... Well, I must find my feeling of SPRING from my fabric stash...


Stripe after stripe it began to feel more and more springlike...

I almost saw the snowbells and tulips growing... waiting for sunshine to warm up...

I used Judie Rothermel's pink fabric from Charleston V line, lighter green is Lecien's Quilter's Basics, dark green is tiny piece of fabric from Quilt Gate's Mary Rose Collection.

Block 37. Thousands of Diamonds

When I finished this block there was still quite gray outside...

... even a slightest reflection of the REAL Spring seemed to be SO DISTANT!

So if there is still Winter, though it's the first day of March I need a new pair of woolsocks. It was a perfect craft, while I watched winter games from Liberec (men's 50 km).

Maybe the sun will shine someday... or is it always so gloomy as today - like Dark Gloom.... ;)