Gardening

May 17, 1861 Hannah Walton Sanders wrote in her diary

A very good day. I came home this morning and did some gardening.

I had a very good day also; sun shined and it was quite warm, but windy. I spent evening with CWD block number 36. I paper pieced it. The pieces in the middle part of the block are SOOO TINY. And it felt like an eternity sewing it...

May 18, 1861.

A very warm day. All gone to General Muster. I am still gardening. Cousin A.B. Walton here for dinner. No one here but Ellen and myself tonight.
Finally... four pieces left...

My fabrics are Sturbridge Village Miniatures I by Judie Rothermel (brown), Bonnie Blue Basics by Paula Barnes (red), Itsy Bits by Renee Nanneman (green), Mary Rose Coll. from Quilt Gate (very light green)

May 20, 1861.

A cloudy morning. A rain blew in the West. Had showers all day. Planted cucumbers and tomatoes out in the evening.
Now I close the CWD book... and I'll open it again on the third of June. I found easier, but noble block... at page 187:)

HMM.. Where is my Dear Jane book...???
(All quotes are from the Civil War Diary book written by R. Youngs)

Alvin McClure

CWD Block 10. Alvin McClure
Fabrics: yellow from Lecien, green from Windham Fabrics (N. Gere's Civil War VI) and white flower print on white (manufacturer is unknown to me;)
It's almost bedtime here in Finland and I must 'warn' you the note of the day is not a pleasant bedtime story...

May 16, 1863 Rachel Young King Anderson wrote in her diary

I have just witnessed one of the most heartrending scenes I have ever witnessed. In the fall of 1861 our neighbor, William McClure, went south with his stock, negro and sons. His youngest son, Alvin, came back to his mother. He was soon made prisoner. After working as prisoner on the fort at Springfield, he started to try to go to his father in Texas. He started in December. News came back that he had been caught and killed as a spy which was proven by his having plots of the forts in and around Springfield. His mother knew this to be false and did not believe he had been taken but this spring she heard more particularly that he had been killed and not buried, that his body was rotting in the sun some 35 miles from Springfield. She took a wagon, charcoal and coffin and went to the place and sure enough there laid the decayed remains of her dear Alvin, her baby boy, the youngest and darling of the family. the flesh was all off his face and ribs. She knew the remnants of his clothes, the buttons, cloth and binding and his boots and says she knew his hands which were whole. She rolled him on a blanket and brought him home. She kept his remains some four days before burying them. We all visited the distressed mother and sisters. Oh what sorrow they feel God only knows. He was 19 years, handsome and quite intelligent. (quote from R. Young's Civil War Diary Quilt book)

Very sorrowful story...
I'll promise next time there is more cheerful and shorter tale with CWD block.

Sleep well! or Good Day!

Wonderful Morning

It's amazing feeling...

No hurry to work, no early waking...

I'm on summerholiday.

... 25 days...

A glimpse of the first moments of leisure...

I'll be back - hopefully - in this evening...

Sewing

Today we'll meet Hannah Walton Sanders again. Last time we read her notes was nearly a month ago. April 10, 1861 she wrote in her diary:

At Richards. Raining of course, but did not rain much. Lizzie helping me make Adams some clothes. Cousin Caroline helping. Brenton and A.K. Fulton home for supper. Told us of William Rapers starting to join the Grays. Posey and Nannie there also. (quote from Civil War Diary Quilt book by R. Youngs)
Hannah and her husband William lived on the farm called the Jackson Ferry Farm. William was part-owner of the area mines, but also worked on the farm trimming grapevines, planting vegetables and so on. Hannah kept busy cleaning house, working in the garden and on her loom. And her home seemed to be full of constant relatives and friends. That's like my mom's home today, when we were celebrating Mother's Day.

Because I was at work this forenoon, I started to sew this CWD block (33. Sewing) already yesterday. I sewed 16 quick-pieced triangle-squares together, so today there was only 8 triangles left. Those squares of the center are only 3/4" - so there was little tension in the air... What will happen...???



The result is not perfect, but it's ok for me...

I'm sewing Civil War Diary Quilt together Elin. Please, remember to visit at her blog. There you'll see her latest block... They are beautiful!!! She uses her Civil War fabrics with skill.

My fabrics are: green Kaye England's In the Manor, mustard The Cover Story from Thimbleberries (RJR Fabrics) and dark and light green are both from Quilt Gate's Mary Rose Collection.

Next time I'll tell you a terrible story about Alvin McClure... and the date is April 16...

Last week (should I say finally) I got Jennifer Chiaverini's latest pattern book... so the journey with SBS continues...
This week BOW is or exactly was A7 Cats and Mice. I didn't have time to sew it, but maybe soon.
All evenings were full of building a climbing tree for our kitten.
Anyway the fabrics are waiting...

Five days and then SUMMER... HO...HO...holiday;))))

HAPPY WEEK to YOU!!!

One Stitch Here, One Stitch There

Some STITCHing moments from this weekend...
(Sorry, the photos are little bit blurry)

The Heart stitchery is one part from block 2 of Girls Day Out -quilt. I got it last week and in the same evening I HAD to transfer it to fabric... if I'll find few moments on some day...

Oh, and look! Kitten's Tale is beginning ;))). There you see also MY FIRST FOUR yo-yos!!! Making them is almost addictive...

When I cleaned my sewing corner I found The Journey of the Quilter -patterns and two first blocks of it (project from WISP -list, started last summer). I LOOOVE those fabrics, they gives more extra energy... SO FEW STITCHES THERE TOO...

And a sketch of the birthday card... red roses, hare-bells, violets...

Now back to stitching, but before that I'm going to enjoy a REALLY tasty dinner... my DH is in the kitchen... HMM... some flavours are reaching my nose...

... I wish you enjoyable journey with your quilt/s in this week...

Picket Lines

I promised to sew the next block of the CWD today, on the last day of April... where did April vanish...

Block 101. Picket Lines

Some day in April 146 years ago, Susie King Taylor wrote in her diary

We were here a few weeks, when Company E was ordered to Barnwell plantation for picket duty. Some mornings I would go along the picket line, and I could see the rebels on the opposite side of the river. Sometimes as they were changing pickets they would call over to our men and ask for something to eat, or for tobacco, and our men would tell them to come over. (quote from Civil War Diary Quilt written by R. Youngs)

I used these fabrics: blue is from Miniatures coll. by N. Gere, mustard is Cover Story by Thimbleberries (RJR) and line of the cream fabric is unknown to me.

I'll be back with the next block (33) on May 10th...

PS. April went by so soon that I have only one finished project... the fabric basket! Am I dissappointed? Yes, a little...

New BOM

I couldn't resist to download these blocks designed by Jenny.

If you visit at her, you will find also SHABBY ROSES giveaway!

So, please, hurry to Jenny's blog;)))