I love the clipping above. The author, Major Edward Bowes, was a radio personality from the 30’s and 40’s. Most famous for his amateur talent show that ran on the radio for 18 years. In fact, one famous singer was featured on his show that everyone will know unless you’re from Mars–that being Frank Sinatra. I found a clip of him singing but I think it might take a bit away from grandma’s clipping. This isn’t about Ol’ Blue Eyes. No disrespect intended. Another time I’ll revisit Frank circa 1935.
I like the clipping above for many of its facets. But Scatter Sunshine really strikes a chord with me. I feel like by acting on this two-word phrase, everything else will follow….a heart free from hate, worry-free mind, love-filled life, thinking of others…..you get the idea I’m sure. Nowadays, we hear of those paying it forward. Very similar thought process. And why not?! What do you have to lose with being kind.
Scattered Sunshine
Being creative this week in the sewing room and I hope these creations will scatter some sunshine somewhere when they are complete.
Version 1
Version 2
Side by Side View
Not really taking any votes on these 2 versions of the Pine Tree quilt block. But my preference is the one on the left. They’ll be ready shortly.
What the heck, I’m sharing Frank Sinatra here anyway. Enjoy!! Scattering Sunshine on Inez’s Clippings!
I’m happy to report I still have more of the Kansas Quilt Trail to share with you. This road trip back in July was plentiful in doors too thankfully. I’ll have unorthodox quilt blocks included. But to keep it simple, I decided to break up the Wamego, Kansas discoveries into a couple of posts.
I wonder if you’ll get a hint of what Wamego is famous for from this photo?(A tad bit blurry)
I won’t keep you in suspense for long. Ya’ll got places to go, people to see, blogs to read. So one main attraction for a lot of new visitors is the Wizard of Oz Museum.
Thankful for Pinterest for this car-free view
My pics will follow of our little jaunt past the museum. No indoor pics, sorry. The reason there’s an Oz museum in Wamego? Why Not?! At least that’s what they say to this question. It’s the largest Oz collection on public display in the world. And what better place than a small Kansas town to host it?!
The Munchkins Block
A Twister Block naturally
The blocks of concrete were cool, but the little Toto’s were even better.
Wamegoscape1Toto
PoppyDog
Toto in Tulips
Aren’t they sweet ?? We figured good enough for an Instagram-ish photo prop….
Dr. Finnell ‘nearly’
For once, Toto is the shortest.
If you ever find yourself in Wamego, there is a lot to do there. We found these posters along our walk.
History
Eating is important
Events & stuff
Although our Kansas Quilt Trail drive was a pretty quick one day tour, we learned there is plenty to drive back for another time. Very helpful, Wamego!
Happy Friday! This Thursday Doors I’m sharing a couple churches in Dwight, Kansas where we found yet more quilt blocks. I won’t elaborate it in too many words being a day late to enter my post. Unexpected drive yesterday to the hospital with the hubster put things in a slight disarray–but happy to say I think we’re getting back on course around here.
The sign reads just ‘Trailside’
Double blue doors and another side storm door. Appears additions were made at intervals and I have to wonder if it was always a church. No I couldn’t find information on this one at all.
Wooden & Glass double doors
And apparently we neglected to get a sign photo of this one completely.
Star with 4-patch center & pinwheels on the corners
Flower block and a Cross Variation. Seems pretty appropriate.
Word association will be my attempt to meld a post with this week’s clipping. I struggled with this one but I loved the clipping enough to work with it. Maybe you’ll appreciate the humor and maybe not. Living rural will give you an edge for sure so, city slickers, just know that running over a cow is not an option. Enough said I think.
My ‘herd‘ of projects is becoming a bit excessive so maybe if I share some, or plans for some, I’ll get more finished just for accountability’s sake. I can hope at least.
I’ll begin with the quilt that should be finished by now—if we had a little cooler weather it would have helped. Hand quilting is so much more appealing when it’s going to keep your lap warm. At least all that’s left is this small section and the binding.
Hope to finish this tonight!
Western Wedding Ring (lap-size)
This one is actually finished thank goodness! Called Mini Sunbonnet Sue Months of the Year. I did not piece this quilt. My dear hubby found it on eBay for a steal. All I had to do was finish the hand quilting portion. And here is where I’m going to insert an explanation for those who don’t quite understand. There is a difference in construction definitions when I say (or a quilter says) they ‘Hand Quilt’. This refers to the stitching you see all over a quilt. When someone says they “Hand Piece”, it means they have sewn all the portions of the quilt by hand, not on machine. I Don’t “Hand Piece”. lol I’m way too busy for that. Hand quilting is my thing and I like the way it looks with hand stitching rather than machine stitching over the top of a quilt.
Finished!
Copied the pattern in case I want to applique another.
And on Friday my dear youngest daughter informed me we needed a baby quilt done by Saturday at 1 pm. There was only one way that would happen and she agreed to participate and assist. Thank you Kirsten and glad you got a lesson in this form of quilt assemblage.
The ties
Self binded quilt before ironing.
Daughter trimming up
Machine stitching the self-binding.
And something I’m preparing to do is use up some spare quilt blocks in a fun way. Mini quilts are my latest endeavor and much more do-able in a short amount of time. They will mostly be machine quilted for those who are wondering. I simply have too much to do to hold onto all these forever.
Vintage blocks from auctions, gimme’s from mother & aunts, as well as my own creations.
The one I’m keeping for display for myself is this one. Funny how I got a memory of it come up today on FaceBook.
mini quilt and stand for displaying
1 year ago today
So I’m a little behind on stuff as you can see. Had a set of custom bowl cozies picked up this morning and yes I do take some orders. Within reason.
Arizona Diamondback Fans
And last for this round up but definitely not the only project going on is this quilt that hubby (again) found on eBay. Lots of quilters make tops but never get them completed. This is where I’ve found a niche and I’m gladly taking time to Hand Quilt this one. It is also hand pieced and my admiration goes out to the lady who created it. You only get a peek though 😉
Calling it ‘Precious Moments’ for the fabric used throughout.
I’m a bit long-winded this Monday as you can see. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!
The Kansas Quilt Trail (KQT) meanders through Dwight, Kansas and I have a quilt block close to my heart this week. I don’t know how many of you know of or have a history with 4-H, but it is the focus for this week’s block find.
But before we discovered the little quiet town of Dwight, we passed more farmland with barns and farm houses aplenty. Here’s one set of pics I hope gives you an idea of the scenery we drove by.
Kansas Farm/No quilt
I’d put one right there above those doors.
Dwight is definitely Rural America and I say that with great fondness! I had Ron driving around here quite a bit. Thankfully we weren’t stopped and questioned with all the photos I took. But it was clearly an old railroad town and understandably so with the grain elevators next to the tracks.
Old school house with grain elevator in background.
The last set of photos is an old Masonic Lodge which I looked up and it appears to have folded in the last few years. Lodge AF & AM No.374 was not on the roster of Kansas lodges. I do believe it may house a 4-H club though with the significant quilt block on the front to give me the huge clue. As a past 4-H’er and 4-H project leader of crochet, sewing, early childhood and cooking, I’m always thrilled to see the clubs alive and well! I hope you’ll encourage anyone interested if you have the opportunity. Great memories made there!
We drove a significant amount of miles covering the Kansas Quilt Trail, so the story continues this week.
Some Condensed History
Keeping it condensed because that’s my delivery style, but I plan on giving you a zoomed-in photo or 2 to see what the kiosk above had to say.
Wabaunsee County Museum
Ghost Town Location
19th Century -Schepp Barn extensively restored
I am back-tracking a bit with the museum photo above, but we’re still in Wabaunsee County so it’ll work out fine. The ghost town of Volland was off our planned route but I’d like to go back and see it in person someday. All pics included in the ‘doors’ category naturally.
Barn with “Curved Windmill” Quilt Block. I could have cropped more sky away but I like the wide open feel.
It has been such a wet spring, the farmers haven’t had any trouble at all getting an early hay crop. Some are predicting a very cold winter…. I’ll have my persimmon report in a few days. Hope you check back for the results.
A variation of the Pinwheel Quilt BlockSunburst Variation. So Kansas-appropriate!An Arrow Crown variety to the left and a Square in a Square to the right.
Geometric Pattern
A Rainbow Star block I believe
I thought it a good omen to find District #1 first.
Well the title tells enough–but I’m still giving you more details this week as I continue on the quilt trail through south-central Kansas. This may well be another instance of dividing up the photos so I don’t drown you with them all at once. I rather like the soaking up of a small number at a time. And with blog challenges, most folks are trying to read several leaving little time for long, laborious posts.
And btw, lesson learned on captioning. It needs to show on the photo or directly underneath it. It just isn’t enough to click a photo to read the caption on a separate page. At least that has become my experience with readers. And again, I get it. Busy people require ease of reading. Let us hope WordPress ‘gets it’ pretty soon. I mean, how many times has the newspaper format changed?! Enhanced reader appeal still needs the basics. Don’t worry, this is my last rant on the topic. I doubt this little spiel will change a darn thing.
Mandatory Door photo inserted here.
Native stone home. New windows and roof keep it going another century I hope.
Roadside Info Kiosk
No More Open Range
Wabaunsee County History
This was just past the town of Alma a few miles. Lots of rolling hills and then this roadside touristy spot.
The stone fence.
I’ve read a fair amount on the Dust Bowl years and I’d venture to say this fence saw a lot of change over the last 100+ years. So thankful that tragedy is long gone and this part of history was preserved. Kind of surprised it wasn’t mentioned in the reading above though. Some close-up pics next.
Generations of Ranchers
Little Bluestem,Brome and Switch Grass for hay baling.
6-8 acres per cow/calf pair needed
Ranching is not for the faint of heart. Weather events, ample hay/grass and water are just the tip of the iceburg in success or failure. They have my complete regard!
Panoramic view
And with a view like this every morning, I’d be spellbound for sure. Just spectacular!
When I told a fellow quilt admirer about the Kansas Quilt Trail, they thought it was a fabric store hop. No, I informed them. It’s a trail of painted wooden quilt blocks that are hung on barns, homes, businesses or fences along highways and streets in Kansas. The map is given online–but it’s just a general guideline to finding them. You may drive past a few undetected, trust me.
Just so you know, the portion we drove past and photographed is just a small portion. I have quite a few in my stash I’m happy to say, so please understand I’ll be sharing these for awhile on the Thursday Doors posts–along with the doors discovered along the way, respectively.
Downtown Alma, you won our hearts with your Heart-of-America feel.
These curtains were pretty whimsical and I didn’t notice until we were parked. Made me chuckle and of course they Had to be inserted this week. Thanks Alma for the smiles.
We loved happening onto this set of historical buildings. Other than the signage, I didn’t find any extra information on them. But I dearly love the oval window in the millinery shop! Not sure how original it is to the building but it fits perfectly in my opinion.
Block discovery.
I wonder if they trade out blocks for holidays? This one is clearly in place for the July 4th weekend. Garage door included here. Looks like someone spends time grilling under that shade tree. Does a grill door count?
Bungalow with storm door
Clearly the caution tape is to prevent trespassing. I’d like to think they just got a new driveway entrance poured; but needless to say I didn’t plan on inquiring.
July 4th weekend we decided to meet up at the eldest daughter’s place for some home-cooked vittles before starting out on a long day trip.
Out the window we caught a glimpse of this rainbow. Bye Bye rain!
We enjoyed eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast—not to mention some ‘pour-over’ coffee. You know, I do believe she payed attention to my cooking tips. 😉 Click on photos to see ‘Captions”.
About the drive…..we headed off after this supercharge breakfast on the Kansas Quilt Trail. Here’s a portion of the map.
Starting point for us was Lawrence, Kansas
As beginners, we learned that there are no warnings of quilt blocks coming up. The map is just a general reference and you must be on the lookout for them. GPS markers would really help if anyone has the ambition to enter them(clears throat). In the next few Thursday Doors, I’ll be sharing our experience. To start here is a little taste of western Kansas.
Though faded with age, I have my grandmother’s handwriting in this example of her saved pieces.
It’s pretty hard to read even with the filter possibilities I tried…so here’s a clearer version.
Tree Toad Tongue Twister
A tree toad loved a she toad That lived up in a tree. She was a 3-toed tree toad But a 2-toed toad was he. The 2-toed tree toad tried to win The she toad's friendly nod; For the 2-toed tree toad loved the ground that the 3-toed tree toad trod. But vainly the 2-toed tree toad tried He couldn't please her whim; In her tree toad bower with her V-toe power the she toad V-toed him.
In the poem, it described a ‘She Toad’ who loved her sanctuary, as most women do. And she didn’t want to be bothered with the ‘He Toad’. Where is Your happy place?? Here’s Mine in pictures. Crazy Anne II quilt is ready for binding….
Crazy Anne II only needs binding
Back view in the hoop
Last section to quilt
Hand quilting
Reference
Another KC Star quilt for the books. Note: Some call this pattern Wheel of Fortune but I’m referencing the 1949 version as you can see in the photo from The Kansas City Star Quilts Sampler by Barbara Brackman. And just think, this quilt top came from Facebook marketplace in a tub of scraps for $15. About as good as it gets!! Yep, time spend quilting is synonymous with me in my sanctuary.
