From Small Things: Episode 25: Le Temps retrouvé

Welcome back! This episode is called Le Temps retrouvé (Time Regained) because over the past week I have been working with absolutely gorgeous vintage and antique textiles. It is such a joy to pick up things which have almost been frozen in time, and help them on their journey toward becoming finished quilts. First, I have been hand quilting the antique (late 1800s, early 1900s) quilt which was sent to me by a viewer. I am close to halfway done with the quilting, and it makes me so happy to stitch this one. It is just so beautiful. Next, there were several things in my sewing room which needed my attention this week. I have been working on making nine different bindings to add to my binding box, which will be ready for me to grab whenever I finish the quilting process. I also had an overflowing drawer of 2 1/2" squares, so I pieced together my greens and neutrals from that drawer into 16 patches. I'm not sure where they will end up, but now they are something ready to use and my scrap drawer has been kept in check. I also realized that a jellyroll which has been sitting on my shelf for over a decade just had to be used! Its time is up! So I used it to piece Trip Around the World blocks; I decided to make this an alternating block quilt, and pulled out my vintage embroidery box to find the remaining blocks. I'll show you some of the other embroidery blocks in my stash, because I love them so much! I'm happy with how this quilt top is turning out, but it isn't finished yet-- I still need a border or two. Lastly, a friend of mine gave me a gorgeous treasure trove of works-in-progress started by her grandmother decades ago. They are all cut pieces, mostly appliqué, and others which she had started to hand piece. These vintage fabrics are just stunning-- they are as vibrant as if they were brand new. There is an apple core project, some Colonial Lady pieces, Dresden Plates, and lots of butterflies and flowers. The friend who gifted this to me is Sue Dirsa, and she is an expert in basket weaving. Her business is called Weave It To Me, which you can find on Facebook (  / weaveit2me  ) if you live in SE Pennsylvania and are interested in taking a basket weaving class. Happy quilting everyone! You can find me on Instagram @fromsmallthings509