Vintage Apron: Seminole Piecing

I ran across a beautiful little vintage pieced patchwork apron while second-hand shopping over the weekend.

This incredibly teeny weeny piecework was made by the Seminole American Indians of Florida. Although the piecework is traditional to the Seminole Nation, aprons were not part of the traditional garb and were made for tourists.

Absolutely amazing patchwork if you haven't seen it before. Bright colors set together, often in combinations you would never think of, and pieced in beautiful geometric patterns. Above is a picture of the back side of that diamond strip - it's been washed a few times but you still get the idea of what went on here.

These aprons almost always were trimmed with yards and yards of mini ric-rac, and this one is no exception! It's hard to say how old this apron is, but I can tell that it is all cotton and handmade with a sewing machine.

I have seen some of these in other collections, but this is theFIRST one I've found for my apron collection! Double-plus good!

 

If you're like me and are inspired to learn more or even try your hand at some Seminole piecing, here are some links for you!

Read more about the Seminole Tribe of Florida and a bit of the history behind Seminole patchwork at the official Seminole Tribe of Florida website.

View a similar vintage Seminole pieced apron from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Take a look at the book The Complete Book of Seminole Patchwork to learn more about traditional work by Beverly Rush right here on Google Books.

Get a preview of the book Basic Seminole Patchwork by Cheryl Greider Bradkin, a great looking text that includes how-to's on the unique techniques of Seminole patchowrk over here on Google Books.

Seminole Piecing Tutorials:
Seminole Patchwork from The Patchery Menagerie
Tutorial: Seminole Patchwork from So Many Colors!
Seminole Piecing from CraftStylish
Make A Seminole Patchwork Border from Learn How To Quilt

Seminole Patchwork Hanging Heart project from Prym Dritz

New Ink

Here is my sewing-themed "anniversary" tattoo! This is my upper left arm - and did you know it is really, really hard to take a picture of your own upper arm? Yep, next to impossible - I had to prop up the camera on a shelf and use the timer! So, better pictures soon when I have someone to take them for me and when it has healed a bit more ;-P

I had a vague idea for this design in my head for about the last year. Brought some "inspiration" pictures of sewing shears, tape measures and pin cushions to my favorite tattoo artist, and he drew this up on the spot. Amazing, right? The tattoo took about three hours total and is 7" tall, 5" wide. <3 LOVE!

Four Years

Do you remember what you were doing four years ago today? I do...

 

In some ways those four years have seemed like a blink of an eye, and in others it seems like it's been over a hundred years. It's amazing how much more we learn and love with each consecutive year, and I am looking forward to more amazing years to come.

We've decided to break with tradition and instead of linen, silk, or appliances for our 4th anniversary, we're gifting each other a whole day of tattooing. That's right, tattoos! So, although I don't have any sewing planned for the weekend, I will be getting a sewing-themed tattoo, and rest assured I will share pictures next week. Until then, I'm off to celebrate!

Happy stitching!
Erika

My Sewing Room DISASTER!

It's 9:30 pm on a cool and breezy Chicago evening, and I'm down here in the dungeon working on setting up my sewing space. Let me give you a little "before" tour, and then you can tell how much better it looks when I post the "after" pics. I have to say, I'm not feeling very confident right now about the outcome!

First, won't you step into my office? Yes, that's it there, right by the water heater and buried by chairs. Once I get all the non-office stuff out of this area and move it back a bit, it will be nice and cozy. I'm thinking of looking for a room screen or standing divider to hide the water heater so I don't have to look at it while talking on the phone or attending important conference calls.

You'll notice a few things down here that were NOT in my former sewing area: a giant mangle iron there by the dryer, an industrial sewing machine floating in the middle of the room back there, oh - and another industrial machine in pieces right behind the "office". And four kitchen chairs. And, hiding in another part of the room, the kitchen table to match. Most of this other stuff was in storage in our last house, but there's no where to store it now, so I'm kind of stuck in a use-it-or-lose-it situation.

This is actually a pretty good sized room, but we aren't investing in totally finishing it off for financial reasons. Just a few cosmetic changes and a fresh coat of paint. That outside wall was about 5 different colors, so I decided to make it this 1950's inspired green. Looks funky in the incandescent light, but it is beautiful in the daylight. Yes, those basement windows do open, isn't that awesome!

There is a short list of stuff for my hubs to finish, like moving the lights and adding new fixtures, moving the dryer, and getting rid of some extra stuff stuck on the ceiling. I'm down here giving the white walls a fresh coat of paint tonight, and tomorrow I plan on adding some curtains along one side of the space to block off the furnace and ductwork. Then I can get down to the business of setting stuff back into place and trying to get settled in.

I'm thinking another two weeks or so until I unpack all the sewing crap and find a place for it. I still don't know where I'm going to put my fabric stash, it was all hidden in a closet in my old space. I'm mostly anxious about my husband seeing it all out in the open and realizing just how BIG my little stash really is!

I'm off to keep painting, and I'll keep you posted! Happy stitching!

The Birthday Quilt

Here it is, the finished birthday quilt! Clearly recongnizable as the Chicago city flag made for a very special little Chicagoan boy!

The Chicago flag embodies some pretty heavy symbolism. Each of the three white horizontal stripes of the flag represent the North, West, and South sides of the city.

Each of the four, six pointed stars represent an historical event pivitol to the life of the city, with each of the six points representing an important charachteristic or history important to the City and it's people:

The first star stands for Fort Dearborn, the six points representing transportation, labor, commerce, finance, populousness, and salubrity.

The second star stands for the Great Chicago Fire, the six points representing religion, education, esthetics, justice, beneficience, and civic pride.

The third star stands for the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893, the six points representing the great history of this area, France 1693, Great Britain 1763, Virginia 1778, Northwest Territory 1798, Indian Territory 1802, and Illinois Statehood on December 3, 1818.

The fourth star stands for the Century of Progress Exhibition of 1933, the six points representing Chicago as the world's third largest city in 1933, the City's Latin motto, "I WILL" motto, the great central market, the wonder city, and the convention city.

The two blue stripes of the flag represent the landmark water features of the city; the top stripe stands for Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River, and the bottom stripe represents the South Branch of the Chicago River and the Great Canal.



All in all, a pretty awesome way to cuddle up. Here's the back, I used a bright stripe. Looks absolutely crazy with the quilting, but I like it.

The final measurements are 30" x 40", and I used all cotton for this quilt, including a thick cotton flannel fabric inside. Since it is smallish, I wanted it to stay plenty flexible but still have some body to it. My tot gave it the hug test, and said it was good and cuddly. Hope it's new owner thinks so, too!

Project Progress: Birthday Gift

Here is a sneak-peek of the birthday gift I'm working on:

Yes, it is a quilt! I'm sewing with the BERNINA 350PE and the Walking Foot #50, and the 350 is quilting beautifully. The more I sew with this machine, the more I like it!

Want to see the finished quilt? Check back soon, I will post photos of the finished birthday quilt right after the birthday boy opens his gift!

A Birthday Surprise

This stack of fabrics will become a birthday gift for a very special little boy. In fact, I am probably stitching this gift together as you read this! Don't worry, I will show you what these fabrics become, but only after the birthday boy opens his gift.

Since I am expecting this gift to be used and washed often, I am pre-washing each and every fabric for this project. Twice. And since I am pre-washing, I use the quick trick of running a zig zag stitch down the unfinished, cut edges of all of the fabrics to keep them from getting all ravely and tangly in the process.

I use a zig zag stitch at a medium width with a longer stitch, just enough to keep the edges together. I stitch so the right hand swing of the needle falls just off the edge of the fabric.

The zig zag will also accomodate and allow for any shrinkage the fabric will go through in the washer and dryer. Nice and easy! And, since my fabrics are all washed and coming out of the dryer, I'm off to do some pressing and cutting!

Sewing Resource: Through The Needle Online

This is probably one of the best-kept sewing resource secrets out there, the free online Through The Needle magazine.

TTN is a bi-monghly FREE e-magazine that is packed full of creative inspiration, fun sewing projects, tips, and sewing news. Issue #7 was just posted this week and includes projects ranging from embroidering a sweet little mini-purse to creating a cool mod inspired pillow with bias binding bars.

Find all 7 issues posted at the BERNINA USA website where you can choose to view online or download right to your computer. Seriously, just spend a few minutes flipping through the previous issues, I bet you find something you want to make or learn something new! And, to make sure that you don't miss an issue in the future, sign up for BERNINA USA's e-News and click the box "Through The Needle Online Magazine" check box to get notified the instant a new issue is posted.

How about you - do you have a secret sewing resource to share?

A Little Visit

K and I took a little trip today to the home office where I used to work full time (until she was born and I became a full time stay at home mom).

It seems like just yesterday that I was walking around the office with a big pregnant belly, but that was almost three years ago now! We were really overdue for a visit, the last time I took her in to see my friends she was still just a baby. K was a big ham, as usual, and loved all the attention. She even got a few presents from the girls at the office: official Bernina University armadillos!

The armadillos, of course, were a big hit and she's played with them non-stop all day. And did you notice her new outfit? I stitched this up for her last year and it ended up being too big for her last summer - but it fits her perfectly right now.

It's a vintage play apron pattern, I think from the 1940's, but it's still packed up in a box somewhere so I can't give you all the details. I added red middy braid and buttons as trim to the apron top. I think this is now my favorite outfit for K!

Project Progress: Whole Lotta Bastin' Going On

I feel like I've been stitching on this Midwestern Landscape project forever, and although it is really coming together in a great way, I am getting impatient to see it finished.

There are so many little pieces and parts going together right now, they are basted and pinned, and I'm in the process of hand sewing them all down.

The next step is adding the last "layer" to the picture, all the little tiny pieces that will make it complete. Oh, and yeah, and after the hand sewing is all done, I do still have to finishe the edges with binding, too. Phew!

A Day in the Park: Part II

Before going back home from our weekend trip to White Pines Forest State Park, we made a stop at Lowden State Park to see the Black Hawk Statue. Amazing!

A Day in the Park

Our Saturday was spent at one of our favorite places, White Pines Forest State Park. Playgrounds for our little one, lots of hiking for Daddy, and nice picnic spots for Momma. K carried her favorite red car around all day long; to the playground, at our picnic, across the bridges,

and even on a hike with Daddy.

I also fooled around with some nature photography - absolutely not my best subject but really fun to try nontheless. I'd love to take an outdoor photo class to learn some pointers someday! Do you know of any great places on the web to pick up some good photo tips?

I discovered that I have lots of trouble focusing in low-light situations without my glasses on. Sigh...just another sign that I ain't gettin' any younger! I shoot with a Nikon D40 and a vintage E Series 50mm lens - or the original Nikon 18-55mm lens that came with the camera. I prefer to use manual settings in order to have more control over the light levels and depth of field - and I think shooting manually has actually improved my pictures. I'd LOVE to get a better lens for this camera - one similar to the 18-55mm but that isn't plastic (maybe for the holidays this year).

What about you? What kind of camera do you use for blogging? Have you found any great photo tips an the web to share?