Curtains!
I am a thrifty, sentimental ol' gal.
I enjoy surrounding myself with memories of loved ones.
I enjoy surrounding myself with memories of loved ones.
This old, ripped up dress has been cut into and seam-ripped apart and used here and there over the years. This last shoulder and sleeve is all that remains. It reminds me of my Grandma James because it came from her scrap bag.
I used to love sorting through all her sewing scraps while she sewed or worked on her piece-as-you-go quilt.
Many, if not most, of the scraps in her bags and boxes were old clothing items. I would hold up something and ask her who it used to belong to. I was fascinated by the idea that they were once worn by people. Working them into a quilt seemed to me as if she were keeping the memory of those loved ones near her. I never asked her if that is what she was doing, but the idea stuck with me and the precious memories of those quiet, cozy times with my grandmother led me to ask my father to bring me back some of the scraps from Grandma's closet after she had passed away.
Use it up. Wear it out. Make do or do without.
My beloved grandmother was born in 1910 and raised her family through the Great Depression. How I loved to listen to her stories! Grandma James was my hero. She still is. I think much of what I admired about my grandmother is what drew me to life in the country, although I can't ever remember not being completely taken with farm life.
I lived near my grandmother for a few years when Steve and I were first married. I would drive out and spend the day with her. She taught me how to quilt as together we sewed a baby quilt for my first baby. She taught me how to sew a comforter as together we sewed one for Steve and I's first bed. We used fabric swatches she had saved from when my father was young and used to go door-to-door selling men's slacks. Here's an old photo of Emily, Ethan, Molly and Miriam snuggling underneath that old comforter.
The economy of the farm thrills me. I know I'm a bit odd but it is so satisfying knowing nothing goes to waste. Re-purposing. Recycling. Reusing. A farm is thriftiness at it's best. From scraps of food, to the wastes from cheese making, to fabric being reused.
My bag of scraps that came from Grandma's closet are doled out for special projects. Many of them are set aside for when I sew my Star of Missouri quilt someday when I am not so busy with little ones. Some of them I let my daughters use in their own projects and some are going into my new curtains for our kitchen.
I wanted our kitchen to be bright and airy feeling. Clean and uncluttered, but not cold and institutional. I intend to bring color and character into the clean slate of the whiteness with my antique plates and the curtains. I want curtains that will make the kitchen cheery and cozy. Bits of fabric that will remind me of Grandma will brighten up each day.
Just the same way that smells can trigger memories and emotions attached to them, the sight of each one of these scraps brings up memories of what they are from.
The blue calico in this part of the curtain is from Emily first sewing kit. And the brown calico is from Naomi's birthday pillowcase. There's a bit of the old dress in there, and several of the scraps from Grandma's scrap bag.
Here is a bit of salmon calico from Grandma's scrap bag and some blue stripe from Miriam's pillowcase. The blue and red floral calico I used to sew my first infant dress for Molly. The bright red calico is from material for a skirt for Emily and the green calico is from Miriam's apron I sewed for her 7th birthday.
The green with mushrooms is from a bib I sewed for Samuel and the lilac calico is from a dress I sewed for Emily.
An eight-year-old Emily in her lilac dress that she loved so much. Isn't she a sweetie-pie? It doesn't seem that long ago...
Here is the sleeve of that old dress scrap. I tried to iron it out but that elastic has been gathering this material for many years. The red polka-dots are from Naomi's birthday pillowcase.
These are some of the scrap materials I used in Miriam's kitten birthday pillowcase.
This square of lilac calico was from a set of matching dresses I made the girls when they were little.
I sewed a ruffly hem that will run the length of the curtain in a bright, cheerful calico that is from material for Miriam's skirt.
A friend from the MOMYS forum sent me some fabric scraps to use in my curtain. Now those bits of fabric will brighten my day and remind me of her each day, too.
We are so close to getting our kitchen up and running again! We got the sink all put back but there is some problem with the plumbing so we are still doing our dishes outdoors. Good thing the weather is so beautiful! Hopefully we will be done this week and I'll do a final post with pictures of everything.
My beloved grandmother was born in 1910 and raised her family through the Great Depression. How I loved to listen to her stories! Grandma James was my hero. She still is. I think much of what I admired about my grandmother is what drew me to life in the country, although I can't ever remember not being completely taken with farm life.
I lived near my grandmother for a few years when Steve and I were first married. I would drive out and spend the day with her. She taught me how to quilt as together we sewed a baby quilt for my first baby. She taught me how to sew a comforter as together we sewed one for Steve and I's first bed. We used fabric swatches she had saved from when my father was young and used to go door-to-door selling men's slacks. Here's an old photo of Emily, Ethan, Molly and Miriam snuggling underneath that old comforter.
My bag of scraps that came from Grandma's closet are doled out for special projects. Many of them are set aside for when I sew my Star of Missouri quilt someday when I am not so busy with little ones. Some of them I let my daughters use in their own projects and some are going into my new curtains for our kitchen.
I wanted our kitchen to be bright and airy feeling. Clean and uncluttered, but not cold and institutional. I intend to bring color and character into the clean slate of the whiteness with my antique plates and the curtains. I want curtains that will make the kitchen cheery and cozy. Bits of fabric that will remind me of Grandma will brighten up each day.
Just the same way that smells can trigger memories and emotions attached to them, the sight of each one of these scraps brings up memories of what they are from.
A seven-year-old Miriam in her apron with her sisters all be-aproned as well. My girls were helping me can and they all looked so adorable in their aprons I had to stop and snap a photo of them.
Sam still wears his bib, though he makes it look a lot smaller these days.
An eight-year-old Emily in her lilac dress that she loved so much. Isn't she a sweetie-pie? It doesn't seem that long ago...
These are some of the scrap materials I used in Miriam's kitten birthday pillowcase.
A four-year-old Molly posing in her dress. I wish I had a picture of all of the girls together in their matching dresses.
I sewed a ruffly hem that will run the length of the curtain in a bright, cheerful calico that is from material for Miriam's skirt.
A friend from the MOMYS forum sent me some fabric scraps to use in my curtain. Now those bits of fabric will brighten my day and remind me of her each day, too.
We are so close to getting our kitchen up and running again! We got the sink all put back but there is some problem with the plumbing so we are still doing our dishes outdoors. Good thing the weather is so beautiful! Hopefully we will be done this week and I'll do a final post with pictures of everything.
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