Sunday, August 21, 2016

Vintage Candy Cane Snowman

The new grandchild arrived Monday morning at 3am, a healthy baby boy. My DIL's mother has been here for the week so I didn't have baby care but I had the 4-year-old part of the time.


I had an inquiry about the Pastor's Attic Quilt. The title of the book says A Baltimore Album - 25 Applique Patterns by Marsha D. Radtke. On page 9 of the introduction, Marsha talks about find the quilt in the attic of her parsonage/home. She calls the quilt The Pastor's Attic. This is the name I have chosen to call the quilt. If I called it The Baltimore Album quilt, how would you know which one I'm referring to since there are hundreds of Baltimore Album patterns?

This book is copyrighted 2009. I purchased it in '09 or'10. I had been appliqueing long enough that I wanted a project more challenging than what I had been working on, but I wanted the blocks to be more simple.  So many applique blocks are too cluttered for my taste.

This picture is from when I purchased the fabrics for the quilt. You notice the book has a spiral binding. When I want a book to lay flat so I can easily trace the picture, I take it to Office Max or Staples and have them put a spiral binding on. It doesn't cost much at all and the book will open flat.

The Baltimore Album, The Pastor's Attic Quilt, was published by AQS. I checked their web-site and they still have it in stock as an e-book. Check this link if you are interested. If you are a member of AQS, you can purchase it for $16, non-members $20. 

Anyway, I didn't get any prepping done this week for the Pastor's Attic quilt. So . . . I did this!


Last spring I had pulled several small embroidery projects I had hoped to work on this summer and prepped a few of them. Vintage Candy Cane Snowman was ready to go, so he has been my evening stitching project.

This pattern is for a pillow but I am going to turn it into a simple, small wallhanging.

I had to pull out my embroidery book to see how fly stitches and feather stitches are embroidered. I've never embroidered those stitches before.
This was so much fun, I started embroidering and couldn't put it down! I completed the needlework in one week.

I'm planning on putting this snowman into a picture frame, but I now need to get a frame so I can see what size to make the wallhanging.

Early last week, I had planned to print out the patterns for the Pastor's Attic Quilt so I could trace them onto the background fabric, but I was low on paper. I picked up printer paper Friday and printed off the rest of the blocks. Now I need to get them taped together and start tracing them. This will be a slow prep job. 

I'm linking to - Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Em's Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt, Super Mom - No CapeQuilt StoryEsther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts, Silly Mama QuiltsMy Quilt Infatuation, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Show Off Saturday.

25 comments:

  1. Your Pastor'e Attic blocks are coming along really nicely. I bought the book about the same time and have a box of fabrics I bought just for this quilt 6 years ago. It is on one of my to do lists. I tore all the pages out and punched holes into them and put them into a binder. Every once in a while, I pull it out and look at it longingly then am reminded what else I am doing.
    I might be tempted to just jump in and start the thing. Wonder what I have for a background?

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    1. I bought a whole bolt. I'm always afraid I'm going to run out of the background fabrics and won't be able to get anymore of it. I'll use the leftover fabric in scrappy quilts.

      Tearing the pages out and punching holes costs less than having a spiral backing put on. I just couldn't do that to this book!

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  2. It is nice that you provided the link because on Amazon the new and used books ranged from 125.00 to over 160.00!!
    The snowman is adorable !

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    1. At the AQS quilt show in Phoenix last February, they had multiple copies of the book for sale at $5 each. I was tempted to buy them all because they were priced so low, but I didn't know what I would do with 10 copies of the same book!

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  3. Such a cute block! I think the holly vine is very pretty!

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    1. The holly vine used 3 different greens. I used the colors the pattern called for and they worked! It was so much fun to work on embroidery again. I miss it.

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  4. I have that Baltimore book too - great book

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  5. Your snowman is so cute! Come on cooler weather ;)

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  6. Are you still able to find an officer supply store to cut the binding off and spiral bind your quilt books? I took one to Office Depot last year and they would not do it. Said if I could find someone to cut the binding off, they would spiral bind it. Said the glue from the binding was sticking to their machine blades and causing a problem. I gave up.

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    1. The last time I had a book spiral bound was about 2 years ago. They never said anything about the glue. I can't remember if I was at Office Max or Staples. I'll ask the next time I'm at Staples. Sorry they wouldn't help you. I guess you'll have to do what Chris said, tear the pages apart and use a paper-punch. Thanks for commenting.

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  7. Congrats on the new grand baby! Lovely embroidery snowman. Good luck on Pastor's Attic quilt. ;^)

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    1. I started on block 12 this afternoon. I just keep working at them, I don't know when I'll get them all appliqued. The baby is a real cutie.

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  8. I will get my book this week - yea! And looking at your fabrics, I have a stash of red, gold and blacks that I purchased for another project that will not be done! Lists of fat quarters. I have plenty of fabrics for backgrounds so maybe I an start preparing them soon. I also have some embroidery projects that I want to work on.... So many projects - so little time!
    Your Snowman is sooooo pretty - I too have to get the "book" out to brush up on stitches or new ones! Have a great day!

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  9. congratulations on new grandbaby - how many? Someday I want to do applique but I think I am just a piecer at heart.- but like to see others so talented

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    1. This was grandbaby 8 and we are tied with 4 boys & 4 girls until the December grandbaby comes. I remember watching my mother appliqueing when I was a child. I always wanted to learn but there just wasn't time. After the older children left home, I had more me time. I joined a quilt guild and they taught me. I love it! Thanks for your comments.

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  10. Love the embroidered snowman this will make a sweet wall hanging.

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  11. Dear Gretchen congratulations on the new grandchild, they are so wonderful, so lovely to have and enjoy and not have all the sleepless nights LOL Your little snow man block is adorable I can see why nothing else got done LOL. Cheers Glenda who only managed mending last week more laughter.

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  12. I love your snowman stitchery. I have done many, many pillows with my stitching pieces. Congrats on the new Gbaby!!

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  13. love your stitchery!!
    congrats on the new grandbaby...enjoy!!

    thanks for linking up!

    brooke@sillymamaquilts.com

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  14. What a cute little snowman! The embroidery is lovely! Thanks for sharing the info about the Pastor's Attic quilt! It is stunning.

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  15. Congratulations on your new grandbaby! Aren't grandbabies the best ever!!! I love your snowman embroidery! It is true how projects we love go so fast. I'm almost sad when they're done. But there's always another one waiting in the wings!

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  16. That stitchery snowman is just adorable! I would make it into a wallhanging too.

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  17. Congrats on the grandbaby! Love your snowman, thanks for sharing!

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