PILLOWFYING, ETC. ETC. ETC.

 Did you know that you can still purchase flour in a cloth sack?  A friend alerted me that the Cortez Milling Company of Cortez, Colorado sold flour at our local City Market/King Soopers/Kroger grocery store in 5 or 10 pound bags.  I thought goods sold in cloth sacks was a thing of the past!

Of course, years ago all kinds of things came in cloth sacks.  When I cleaned out my parent's house, I found several empty sacks from local products that they evidently valued enough to save for future use.

A LARGE SACK THAT HELD 100 POUNDS OF POWDERED SUGAR!

A SACK FOR 2 POUNDS OF GRANULATED SUGAR.

THIS HELD ONE POUND OF GRASS SEED.

ANOTHER HUGE BAG THAT HELD POPCORN SEED.

I made a pillow for our screened-in porch out of the flour sack -- I thought the blue bird graphics were great!

 It is almost still too cold to sit on our porch, but I'm sure it won't be long now until we can enjoy it.

It was an interesting week around here as I tackled the learning curve on my new sewing machine.  I decided that this pillow would be a good first project on the new machine.  After sewing on the same old machine for 40-plus years, I knew it frontwards and backwards.

But with the new machine, I kept needing to stop and look things up in the instruction book -- things as simple as how to change the needle position, etc.  It was slow going and quite annoying at times, but I'm getting there.  For this pillow I figured out the cording, the zipper foot, and the general lay of the machine.  Next up will be the buttonholer and the walking foot.  Sounds like more pillowfying in my future!!

I'm joining the following parties this week.  Please check out these blogs, and thank them for hosting.  These ladies do a lot of work so that we can party together.

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday 

Smiling Sally for Blue Monday

Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday

CHEESE BOXES

 I'm not much for going to yard sales any more -- to be truthful, I just don't like getting up that early!  But, Bob still likes to go out to them on the weekends.  He knows I like any old wood container -- the more primitive, the better.  So, he occasionally brings me home a treasure.  This past weekend he found this 16" X 7"high cheese box for $8.00.

 These boxes originally held wheels of cheese that were wrapped in cheese cloth and wax.

 Bob remembers that these large cheese wheels were sold in his family's grocery store, but doesn't recall the boxes.  He was wondering if maybe they were returned to the wholesaler to be reused.  Does anybody in blogland know?

A couple of years ago, we also found this large 14" X 16"high  cheese box at another local yard sale for $10.

 At the time, I thought we paid a pretty hefty price for it, but since then I've discovered they can go for anywhere from $25 to $75.

 Now, I will be on the look out for one more to make it a  legitimate collection!

Click here for my quilt blog, Q-Bits, to fully view the five quilts shown in the pictures.


I will be linking into the following blog parties this week.  Be sure to check out these blogs for lots of inspiration.
Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures on Monday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

TO THE RESCUE

Well, it finally happened -- my faithful servant finally bit the dust.  I'm talking about my White sewing machine that I had purchased in the 1960s.  It had sewn a million miles; and I knew the end was in sight a few months ago when it would no longer zig-zag and new parts were not available.   We kept straight sewing together until Friday when an unrepairable weld was broken.  I had hoped that it would last my lifetime, but I guess not.

And, of course, I was in the middle of a project.  So, this little beauty had to come to the rescue.  This is my mother's Singer Featherweight that she bought when she first got married in the 1930s.  She never sewed much so it is in almost perfect condition.  However, it is not the work-horse I need for the continuous sewing that I do.

So, I guess this week I will start sewing machine shopping.  I hate to think about it, but I can't imagine life without a sewing machine.  When you have been sewing for 60 years, it becomes a part of you.  

THE PROJECT----

I was recovering the dressing table bench that goes with my parent's walnut bedroom set (also from the 1930s).

It's a cutie, and now sports a flirty, herringbone ruffle.

I'll always think of it as Mr. White's swan song!

I'll be joining the following parties this week.  Please check them out!

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday Treasures

Very Merry Vintage Style for Share the Love Wednesday

The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursday

Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday

HUNTING AND GATHERING

 Just a normal amount of 'hunting and gathering' going on in the Salmagundi household.

When we went to Round Top, Texas last fall, my one goal was to come home with a dough bowl.  But, the lowest price I found was $95 -- I figured with patience, I could find one cheaper; so I came home without a dough bowl.  Sure enough, I recently found this one for under $30 at an antique show in Pueblo, Colorado.  It is heavy and has a nice patina, and just the size I was looking for!

This past week, we had to go to Denver to deliver one of my quilts to be photographed for a new book.  After a nice lunch with our son who was on spring break from teaching, we did what the three of us have always done -- go antiquing.  I vowed I wasn't going to buy any more brown transferware -- my goal was to find a plaid lunch box.  Of course, right away I found a piece of brown transferware in my under $20 price range.

 It's a 9" vegetable bowl in the 'Dado' pattern with a wonderful "cookie" of a sailing ship.

 It also has this wonderful border on the outside.

 So, I came home with a bowl, but no plaid lunch box.  The boxes I saw were $40, so that remains a quest for another day.

Speaking of plaid -- I recently completed these plaid pillows to go on the twin beds (see post here), and have been thinking and looking for months for something to hang over the beds to warm the space with all of the neutral bedding.

 I should always remember to shop at home first.  It finally dawned on me that I had this wonderful antique quilt in my quilt stash.  Yes, I have a very LARGE stash of both antique and contemporary quilts.

 In the 1990s I bought 81 Log Cabin blocks of all different sizes for $10 for the lot. They were made from glorious 19th century wools; but the sizes made it impossible to set them together in a quilt which is probably why they were still in block form.  After working on them for a month trying not to destroy the integrity of the time period, I set them together in the 'straight furrow' pattern of a traditional Log Cabin quilt.

 You can see all of the wonderful 19th century plaid fabrics in this quilt.

Last night, we hung the quilt and it was just what the room needed.


On the party circuit this week with the following blogs; please check them out for a plethora of inspiration.


My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday Treasures
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
White Ironstone Cottage for Treasure Chest Friday

PLAID ON PARADE

It's a fun week at the following blogs:  The Polohouse, Vignette Design,  Upstairs Downstairs, and Hyacinths for the Soul.         They are having a Tartan Day celebration to give us a chance to show off our plaids.  Be sure to stop by these wonderful blogs for a visit.  

A year or so ago, I did a post on my infatuation with plaid over the years -- you may view it by clicking here.

 When I go junk hunting, I look for wool plaid skirts in good condition which I can make into pillows. Most new Pendleton wools sell for about $40 per yard, but I have found skirts for under $10 that contain almost two yards of fabric.  My latest find was an authentic Royal Stewart Tartan according to the tag from Pendleton.

My method of operation is to completely deconstruct the skirt which sometimes takes longer than to actually make the pillow, which is O.K. as I have more time than money!  Once I have it in pieces of fabric, I wash them in Woolite, hang to dry, then steam out the wrinkles and/or pleat marks.

I was able to get two 12"x22" pillows from this skirt.  There wasn't enough fabric, however, to make a cording.  So I just made some using black twill, which frames the pillow well.

When out and about I also look for wool plaid travel blankets, but they are getting hard to find at a decent price.

Here are three more of the pillows I have made.  This is a pillow out of a piece of embroidery and a green plaid pleated Pendleton skirt.

Not a plaid, but a great check pillow made out of a Ralph Lauren wool skirt.

This red plaid was from a Ralph Lauren pleated skirt that had these great leather fasteners on it.

 

I enjoy making these pillows as it is sometimes a challenge to figure out how to match the plaids and make the size pillow I want from a finite piece of fabric.  Besides that quality wool just feels SO good!

OPINIONS, OBSERVATIONS, AND A NEW BATHROOM VALANCE

I normally don't have a hard time focusing, but today is a different story.  I know I should just go take a nap, and give the brain a rest for an hour or so.  But, I've decided to do a blog post instead.  DISCLAIMER:  The opinions are strictly my own, and are just the observations of someone that has observed six generations of lifestyles.  My intent is not to offend anyone; I'm a realist and understand that this is just the way things are now. Fasten your seat belts!  I'm all over the place.

There's not much I want to watch on HGTV any more, but I must admit that I'm still addicted to "House Hunters".  I really enjoy "House Hunters International" -- I love seeing the homes in the European countries that I have visited.  But, I always come away from the regular U.S. "House Hunters" irritated.  It appears that a lot of the 20-50 age group want what they want when they want it (like right now); and it is often more than they will ever NEED.  My very own children fall into this group.  I think of them as the entitlement generation.  They are missing the joy of accomplishment that comes after waiting and waiting and planning for something; OR THE SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT YOU FEEL WHEN YOU DISCOVER YOU DON'T NEED WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU DESIRED.   


What could my generation (me included) have done better to raise a non-entitlement generation?  After 44 years of mothering, I now have some ideas; but that's another post.     

MY MASTER BATHROOM

Sometimes when I walk into my master bathroom, I think about what those younger people on "House Hunters" would say if they were looking at my house to buy.  "Oh, that master bathroom is just way too small; I couldn't live like that."  OR: "No granite or tile - I don't even want to go in there." OR THE WORST TRANSGRESSION: "Only one sink!  No Way!"  I can kind of understand why an unmarried couple needs two sinks - trust me - it really does take the commitment of marriage to share a bathroom sink with someone for 50-plus years!  But, why does a single person need two sinks? 

I think about my best friend from childhood who raised her five kids in a one-bathroom house.  Years ago, I asked her how she did it.  (At the time, I had two bathrooms and two kids.)  She said that it was no problem.  You just didn't do anything in the bathroom that you could do someplace else -- for example:  reading, messing with your hair or fingernails, etc.  So, seven people can share one bathroom.  I need to ask her, though, if her now- grown children feel entitled to superfluous bathrooms.   When I was a young child, my parents didn't even have a bathroom or indoor plumbing.  I had a potty chair in the kitchen; then when I turned two, there was the outhouse.  But, it didn't take me long to figure out that if I ran past the outhouse down the path a few yards further to Grandma's I could use her indoor bathroom plus get a cookie for my efforts. And Grandma was always so happy to see me.  So much for potty training 70 years ago.  But, I digress----

Back to my tiny, one-sink master bathroom.  It does have some advantages.  I'm thankful that it is 'en suite'; and that when we moved in 14 years ago, we removed the tub ("HH" says, "That's a no-no.") and replaced it with a large walk-in shower.  The shower does have cultured marble, which the "House Hunter" youngsters scorn; but it sure is easy to clean and maintain. 

THE DREADED CULTURAL MARBLE

It also has a textured-glass enclosure which I'm sure (according to "HH") makes the room look smaller; but here again, maintenance is easy.  I haven't missed a bathtub at all.  I suppose if I needed a tub bath, I could walk the ten steps to the hall bathroom. And, there is only one sink in here to clean!!


And to remind me how far I've come, we replaced the huge plate glass mirror with a mirror that hung in my grandparent's home.

To solve the small bathroom storage problem, we found an old large medicine cabinet to use over the stool. 

Plus, we use my grandmother's bedroom dressing-table stool to hold towels.  

It is very functional and all that we NEED.  And the best thing is that this bathroom (and the house and land attached) is paid for, as in no mortgage -- nada.  That's a wonderful feeling in its self.

And, FINALLY, that brings me to the reason for today's post -- to show you my new valance in the master bathroom.  I thought some pattern and softness was needed to counter all the hard edges. 

 I know the "House Hunter" young things would probably say, "It feels like my grandma's bathroom."  That's O.K. -- I'm a grandmother.

I'm not going to join any blog parties this week.  Some posts just should not be on the party circuit.  This is one.

Well, I've tackled HGTV, the entitlement generation, wants versus needs, parenting, marriage commitment, potty training, small bathroom advantages, the mortgage crisis, and blog parties.  Guess I better go take that nap.
  
After my nap, I will be taking a blog break for a little while to solve the world's problems; but I'll be back at some future time to report how THAT went.

TO OUR SON, MIKE

After all of those long winter months in Montana when we could hardly get out of our snowy driveway-----

who would have thought you would become a world traveler?

Happy Birthday, Dr. S.; and may you have many more wonderful experiences!

A TOUCH OF SPRING

I'm so not through with Winter yet; but for those who are anxiously awaiting Spring here is a touch of the Spring/Easter season at our house!

 The bunny is a vintage Easter candy container, and the small tin basket is also vintage.  The old postcard signifies the meaning of Easter.

 To view the full table-top quilt, check out my quilting blog here.

I'm fortunate to live in Colorado, so I know we will have another month (or two) of occasional winter.  Bring it on, I say; but for the rest of my family here is a touch of Spring!

I'll be joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for her Spring Cloche party on Tuesday, March 13.

SEWING/PROJECT ROOM

  In 1961 when we first got out of college and had real jobs, I took part of my paycheck each month for a year and bought Ethan Allen furniture.  This was a great investment for our home -- over the years this modular furniture has been used in the living room, den, and while our son was growing up used in his bedroom.  When he left home 25 years ago, I claimed it as mine for my sewing/project room.  I've been fortunate that for most of my 53 years of marriage I have had a dedicated sewing/project room of my own.  Sometimes it has been as small as a closet, but for the last 32 years I've had a nice-sized bedroom to call the sewing room.

I thought that today we would take a tour of my sewing/project room to see what it looks like now and how it functions just for ME.

As you walk in the door, the first thing is my great-grandmother's desk.  I use it mostly for storage now, but the front folds down to use for extra table space when needed.

 As we move around the room, you start to see the Ethan Allen furniture.  It fills one full wall and wraps around the two adjoining walls -- bookcases and storage galore!  There are eight separate pieces bought one piece at a time.

 Continuing on around, the units wrap around to the third wall.  Over the years, I've added baskets to multiply the storage capacity.  That green mat is my rotary cutting area.

 Then, as we move around to the fourth wall you see my sewing machine corner.  I know it isn't a very big table, but I've sewn a million miles and made many, many quilts there.  I even wrote two quilting books by hand on it (before I  rewrote them on the computer).  The little red table beside my table was used by my grandchildren for their projects while I was busy sewing.  My 15-year-old granddaughter still likes to sit there to draw and talk to me.

 And yes, it always looks this picked up.  After every little project I clean it up, and put everything back in its place.  I've always worked best in this manner.  That is why storage is such an important part of my room.  Not all is neat and organized, however -- this is a basket full of trims.

 The drawers are organized, however.

 This bookcase holds my quilting books and some of my decorating books. The three little suitcases on top are from my childhood, and still hold my doll clothes.

 This bookcase is mostly full of cookbooks.  I don't like to cook and I'm not a creative cook -- I need all the help I can get!

 And, finally the closet -- this is where I store my quilting scraps and my notebooks and slides for all of the quilt classes I used to teach.  Someday, I need to get rid of a lot of this; but not yet.  Just hanging on to the past plus every once in awhile, I need a scrap of quilting fabric for a project!

I've always loved having a space of my own.  I realized recently how much -- the room was torn up for Bob to give it a new coat of paint and to add crown molding.  But, it's all back together now --  clean and ready for another project!


I'll be joining the following parties this week.  Check them out for a bunch of inspiration.
Northern Cottage for Partytime Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House
Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday