ISSUES AND TAXES

I'll get the frustrations out of the way first.  I've had issues with my IMac for several months and have talked to Apple support quite a few times.  They have reconfigured my computer, but not everything was fixed and I kept putting off calling them again because it always takes forever.  Well, yesterday I finally forced myself to call them and it looks like things are just about fixed.  It wasn't that I couldn't use the computer, but one of my most important genealogy files was missing (its found now!) and some photos are still missing.  So tomorrow one of the senior agents is going to call me back and hopefully get that fixed.

The other frustration was just getting all my income tax stuff put together and that is almost finished, so I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Yea!

Here's the civil war Westering Women's block from Barbara Brackman's Civil war blog for February. It was a very easy block.  I'm planning to make all the blocks red, white and blue.

I found this doll bed at an antique shop and couldn't resist it.  DH is going to fix it up and either refinish or paint it.  I came across the green stripe at a quilt show vendor's booth and thought it would be perfect to cover the mattress.  I plan to make a quilt for it and a pillow and will sell it, hopefully, next December.

Now that my "issues" are almost resolved, I think I'll work on my Dear Jane blocks for March!

Spring is almost here!

MY FIRST FINISH FOR 2014!

I started this doll quilt back in May using pieces of some fabrics that a friend gave me when she moved.  She also gave me the doll bed, so I thought it appropriate to use some of that fabric in the doll quilt.  I finally finished it!  I hand quilted it and that's what took me so long.  Since the bed and quilt are for a special antique doll, I thought it needed hand quilting.  (Note:  I do not enjoy hand quilting very much, so this may be my last hand quilted quilt).  I wish I did enjoy it, because hand quilted quilts are truly special.

Sewing on the binding

Finished at last!

  I wrote a post about this doll here, but want to add some more information.  In that post, I said it had been my mother's doll, which was true, but I'm pretty sure it actually was my mother's sister's doll first.  My Mom was born in 1911 and this particular sister, Cora, was born in 1903.  She died in 1912 from pneumonia, complications from scarlet fever.  My Mom kept the doll in a safe place.  I thought she deserved a special bed of her own and now she has one!

Doll bed with the doll safely tucked in.

Come back soon - I will have another finish!

Vintage Thursday

I came across Confessions of an Apron Queen

and decided to participate in Vintage Thursday.  I have a few vintage items that are special to me.

This first one is a doll quilt that my grandma made for me around 1950 (more or less).  She made it to go with the doll bed that my grandpa made for me.
This doll bed is the only thing that my grandpa made for us that wasn't given away to other families with children.  My grandpa was a carpenter and he made various toys for all his grandchildren, including doll houses, rocking horses, etc.  I think one of my cousins still has her doll house.  My mom kept it in the store room that you could get to through her closet.  I brought it to my house after she died and put it in my bedroom.  The doll was my mom's when she was a little girl, so we figure she got it around 1920.  It is actually a boy doll, but I don't have any boy doll clothes for it.  Someday, I am planning to make some clothes for it.  I made the doll quilt and pillow case a few years ago.  This is one of my most prized possessions.
These blocks were made by my grandma and I am planning to put them together into a quilt some day.  They are made from flour sack fabric.  I'm not sure when she made them - probably in the 40's or 50's.
I hope you enjoyed my vintage treasures.  I'll take pictures of some others for next week.  I hope more people will participate in Vintage Thursday!

P.S.  My DH came home from the hospital on Tuesday and is recuperating at home.  He is feeling a little better each day.  Thanks for your many sweet get well wishes.