Old Glory Quilting

Oregon Trail

Kari — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:41:55 +0000

My sweet husband and I just returned from a trip out West. Did you know that America is truly amazing?! We have never seen so much corn growing. We decided to venture out on a trip to the west per Amtrack. That was fun. We returned to the Midwest per car. Needing a puddle jumper back here we went to Laramie while staying with friend in Denver to look at a used Focus..decided to buy it and drove it back home. We visited a Ranch in Casper Wyoming that they are splitting up into 40 acre plots…we did feel a little bit western there..finding a Buffalo Head mounted above the fireplace in the Sales Rep. home on the Brook Ranch…skiing is only 10 minutes away in the beautiful mountains…the Oregon Trail wound …

Of course, being a quilter I only had to close my eyes and see those ladies working on pieces as they rambled across the trails and mountain passes…using the endless days of travel to work on beautiful works of arts that we still enjoy looking at today, and even try to copy with our Reproduction Fabrics and hearts’ desires!

Recently, I finished up a couple months of stitching for my Stitching Angel in Norway. I just got a wonderful package from my Julia Stitching Angel from Austrailia…stretch out your stitching talents and interests…find others to bless and it will come back to you Double Fold!!

(more…)

Enthusiasm

Kari — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:45:49 +0000

July 27,1861

Dear Wife,

“Our second day, from Bellaire to this place, was an exceedingly happy one. We traveled about 130 miles in Virginia, and with the exception of one deserted village of Secessionists, we were received everywhere with an enthusiasm I never saw anywhere before.

No such great crowds turned out to meet us as we saw from Indianapolis to Cincinnati assembled to see Lincoln, but everywhere, in the corn and hay fields, in the houses, in the roads, on the hills, wherever a human being saw us, we saw such honest spontaneous demonstrations of joy as we never beheld elsewhere. Old men and women, boys and children-some fervently prayed for us, some laughed and some cried; all did something which told the story. The secret of it is, the defeat at Washington and the departure of some thousands of three-months men of Ohio and Indiana led them to fear they were left to the Rebels of eastern Virginia.”………..

This is part of a letter written by Rutherford Hayes to his wife: Please feel free to look at the completion of this letter in the book The Civil War Love Letter Quilt by Rosemary Youngs……the letters are wonderful and I will share parts of these letters from time to time with a picture of a block that is suggested to be sewn with that letter from the book. It looks like a fantastic quilt from the pictures shown….since I am just joining into the Dear Jane enthusiasts with her quilt I thought it only right to guide you to the works of this Rosemary Young group…it looks like she had tons of help with the research, etc and it is with great delight to share it with you!..

Let me know how you are doing, I would love to hear…I am going to try using the squareinasquare.com technique by Jodi Barrows on these blocks….it should end in great points that match! I LOVE her technique! We are so blessed with so many great ideas, teachers… enthusiasm galore!!!..

..I also just found a great site at alexandersonquilts.com….she has her own pod casts now and then her webpage…Another suggestion is to get into a blog…I was able to join dearbabyjane.blogspot.com this past week and she has wonderful step by step instruction there….. I am onboard there at inthesewingbasket.blogspot.com….Dear Jane Keeps Kari in Pieces…well, I figured with over 5000 in the quilt it would be a hilarious process!!…..

Let me hear from you with any questions or comments!!!

Blessed!! don’t you agree? and Quilted ….right?……..Kari

Gathering Hope

Kari — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:32:11 +0000

“My man! How I love him!”, Faye chimed as she bent over the bread board, punching down the bread dough for its’ second rise. Looking out the window above the iron sink, she laughed as she watched Merton, her husband now for a couple years, stand on the bank of the barn, hat in one hand and smoothing his thick hair with his other. The first year of marriage had given Faye much impatience at times. She would call her newly wedded mate to lunch or supper and then do her waiting, and in some cases, she would just put the food back in the ice-box or upground cooling water bath next to the house. Now, after 2 years of calling him in, she had realized it was just “his way” and she didn’t marry him to change him, but to enjoy him and work around or through differences.

Merton had chosen Faye to marry him after courting a few other girls in their local Brethren Church. He thought Faye to be a “specially fine” woman. “Faye, I live to love you!” was how he felt that day, standing on the bank of the newly built barn, admiring the flock of sheep that were munching on the feed he had given them for the rest of the prefect fall day. He was counting the number of fleece he would be able to take to market in the spring. “I better get to the kitchen before Faye puts my creamed potatoes back in the ice cooler!” he said to himself as he put his hat back on his thick brown hair and hiked down the slope of the barn entrance.

The dark green screen door slammed shut as Merton came in the back door. Faye had his hot, simple farmers’ lunch on the round oak table. Sweet baby Abby was content in her cradle by the big wood-fed iron stove. The fall day was a little crisp and called for a small continuing fire in the side oven. Faye bent over Mertons’ head and gave him a small kiss as he sat down to eat, following it with a comment, “Mert, you do remember we have a harvest day at Ma Browns’ tomorrow, don’t you?” Merton gave her a smile, bright with ornery looking blue eyes, as he caught her hand next to his side and give it a squeeze. “You know we would never miss a day of gathering for sharin’ and hope ,Faye” Satisfied, she went back to the kitchen sink to finish cleaning green beans for the meal tomorrow, humming Sweet Hour of Prayer, her most favorite hymn……..

The next evening, as Faye was reaching into the wagon box to gather baby Abby into her arms and to go back into the house after a fun but tiring day at Ma and Pa Browns she thought she heard a horse whinny.”Who could that be up our lane?”..she mused on in her thoughts, “the whole county must have their sausage now ready for the winter!!..” stuffing sausage links all day with the other young brides. Suddenly a fear gripped her heart as she turned to the lane. “There is a horse galloping at a fast speed, Merton.” she called as the horse came into clear sight. Again, fear tugged at her, but her hymn of the morning entered to cover over that dread…Sweet Hour of Prayer…was that it? .. “What need, Lord?” she quipped to herself as her younger brother Andy, out of breath as he brought his steed to a halt next to her Merton, who had his hands on the reins of the team. He was obviously horrified and frantic… “Faye, you have to come back right away, something happened to Ma!!” …Andys’ eyes were filling with tears and his words were halting…”I think Ma.. is dieing”……

Family stories that are shared from the heart never loose the life of their meaning. My Grandpa shared story after story as I grew up under his continual care. I was blessed to have him live across from us on Cherry Street, where I grew up…

…I will continue to share from time to time these family connections and old stories I have with a past that will never return…no simple horse and buggys pulling up our lane for a quilting bee these days, no bread to punch down a second time so I can go pay my bill at the dentist or local family doctor with that same bread or my fresh eggs. No, we live in a technical day..a day when most of us aren’t even close enough in miles with our grandchildren that we can tenderly add these old stories into the fibers of their lives day by day; like I was able to enjoy in my early years. The last of these great men are soon to pass from this earth, the last American soldier of WW1 is now 107 years young…..what a variety of life he must have had in this lifetime! For our Olde Glory…..

Have a Blessed Quilting Day! Rejoice in Olde Glory !! Kari

Irish Chain

Kari — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:46:15 +0000

Many folks in our great United States have links to the past through the Irish…that would be a great study in itself…Today we talk about the Irish Chain Quilt…”there are many varieties, single, double, triple..on and on…This quilt was made about 1805 and was stitched with linen thread typical of thread used in Ireland. The quilting was done in a popular quilting design used in Ireland at the time. You can see the quilting pattern along with a close up of the fabric to the left. It was brought to West Virginia from Ireland when the maker, Margaret Kee, emigrated here in 1807.² We find this pattern has been used more recently in Ireland sometimes by the name “Mosaic” or “American Chain”.(womenfolk.com)

It is probably one of the most popular pattern for quilters beginning to learn the art of piecing..there are great shortcuts today also, far past the point of piecing each square by hand….my advice is to go to the fonsandporter.com site and watch the video on a 4 patch. They have a great shortcut and accurate every-time!

Anyways! please celebrate your past! We are here today because of the sacrifice of those that went before us….we are not Irish- linked personally, but many in our area are….Notre Dame… is just a half hour north. I am thinking it has its’ own zip code, ha,….my husband enjoys the sweet Irish songs Celtic Women…we were able to hear them at an old theater in South Bend a couple years ago..the violinist was amazing! River Dance… is our next goal!

So, explore the Irish Chain, the history and gain respect for the history of the Irish! Learn to Clog!.. Enjoy the journey and adventure!!! Quilted Blessings!!!! Kari

Wandering Foot

Kari — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:30:41 +0000

What striking colors!! Indigo-blue-white with yellow!! A tiny print as an accent in the center of each block!! I just am amazed at the art work of our pioneer women! Almedia Grimsley Morris was traveling on the Oregon Trail in 1851, settling in Benton County, Oregon.

If you have never had the thrill of traveling west, experiencing the Oregon Trail or have never seen the wonderful state of Oregon, all I can say is… YOU MUST!!!! My husband and our then, 3 kids had the great privilege of living in Oregon for awhile in the early 80’s. When we left Oregon, we were dragging our feet and we all left part of our hearts in that area of the country. We all love history and the outdoor beauty of life is rich in that state of our Union.

On the Wandering Foot quilt that we feature today, the blocks are all 15 and 1/2 inches in size. The history of the quilt states that the fabric used was on a bolt brought west to be used for a baby born in 1852. They share the original color was purple but has faded over the years of use. The heat and light affected the vulnerable cotton. She chose echo quilting on the pieced top with a border of pink print. Choice of fabric was, of course ,limited at that time in the west.

History tells us that Almedia finished the quilt in the winter of 1852, she lived from 1826-1912. Can you imagine all she saw in her life! They say she picked the Wandering Foot pattern due to their move west and most probably pieced it on the Trail. She migrated to Oregon with her husband. Her preacher father and mother and siblings had traveled to the Benton County, Oregon area in 1847. Husband Joseph farmed in Oregon then until 1888, when he died. She moved later to Idaho with her son and passed away there.

Was this her only quilt that she completed during her lifetime? I know we both agree…NOT!!!…Our creaative imaginations say No! Never just one quilt like this one!!

She had no idea what history she was making when she left her farm in Iowa. Soon, to experience the hardships of traveling on the Oregon Trail, then bearing babies in the unsettled west of Oregon, followed by years of toil as a pioneer there and in the state of Idado! …. We do so admire her today and her “work” she left us in the Wandering Foot.

She inspires me this morning!

Quilted Blessings!! Kari

Rain Rain Go Away, Come Back Some Other Day!

Kari — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:44:09 +0000

Just stoppin’ by with a tip!
Heading for Lebanon in the early morning, unless we get too much rain. Our pond is starting to crowd up to the cabin here in Indiana, we never thought that would happen, but it is quite a ways outside its’ banks and we have a walk out basement. Should I say, Argh!!
If we do come and see the weather giving us more snow or rain back here, we may have to leave early and start sandbagging! Sorry, if you can’t figure out where I am at..I am having the same problem at times!! haha
Isn’t this winter just crazy but, it is right on schedule with God, so we will trust Him!! Please consider coming to the shop on Sunday afternoon in Lebanon to start our Gathering Pieces of Hope charity quilting…We want to do an awesome jobsfor the groups that are on our hearts!!
I hope to get back to some historical writings soon, we have been busy traveling, remodeling, quilting and hugging the family!! So, keep safe, stop by the shop in Lebanon or check in with me here in Plymouth if you are near by! We are here part of the week…well, sometimes!!
I am still marveling on the weather yesterday: we had snow after midnight, deep fog during the day and thunderstorms at 11pm. Amazing!!!
Keep the home fires burning gals!!!
Quilted Blessings!! Kari

Learning Together!

Kari — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:09:21 +0000

Let’s get busy gals!! The winter winds are howling, spring is next month, so lets’ sew while it snows!! That is northern Indiana talking!! You gals in southern Ohio get more days of liberty than we no in the north.

Tonight when we were watching the great super bowl!! we are so proud of our Manning boys!! So happy for Eli!! now he does not have to walk in Peytons’ shadow!

Anyways! we came up to hug goodnight to Mindy and sweet Cora so they could head on home and it had been snowing and blowing! She made it home safe but we didn’t even realize it was storming! We were in the basement with the big TV and had not realized it had “blown in”..yep! that is the Midwest!!

But, Lori and I are so excited about the coming next months of teaching and learning together! I hope you enjoy our videos, God Bless!! Bring in your work to show us if you are in Lebanon or can catch me at home if you are in Indiana…Quilted Blessings!!! Kari

Underground RR

Kari — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:55:42 +0000

The Underground RR is a historical fact. And with any fact from the past, we may have added some romanticism to it through the years. I think that is Ok, mainly because I love history and I admire these people who carved out our land. Many times as we travel down the road, I try to imagine the team of horses in the field, connected by straps to a yoke so leather-skin farmer could pull the stubborn tree stumps from the area of land he would love to see cleared. It meant more harvest; let alone, easier to plant in the spring. But, we just drive along, taking for granted that the open corn fields have always been there for us to profit from.

The Abolitionists were a strongly convicted group of people. Slowly,but surely, the conscious of our “people” realized how wrong and how constraining slavery was in our young country. As time progressed, and the “movement” grew stronger, the southeast and southwest portions of Ohio became more and more involved in hiding these men, women and children. Safe one “place” at at time!

Charles S. Colvin came from New Jersey in the 19th Century. His father had come from Ireland in early 1800’s. Then his father died at the age of 34, Charles was then 4 years old. His mother must have been a very brave woman, because she came to the Ohio territory in the Spring of 1832 and settled in Warren County. She lived 20 years. After her passing, Charles worked to set up a livery business. It took him 13 years to gather sources in different areas of town to open a main livery on Mechanics Street. During that time he had 6 children with Mary (Gohegan, a native of Lebanon) but only 3 children survived. The history segment that I am reading stated that he was “peculiarly adapted” to running a livery. So, he must have liked animals and also chatting with patrons too.

Along the way, in my imagination I have gathered thoughts of a livery being a great place to hide people until they could rest or gather food to travel a little further north to their freedom across the Great Lakes. That is why I made the Underground RR one of the first quilts I completed on my longarm, a gammill machine.

That was 2 years ago.! Funny how life goes; I had no idea that my sister and I would be opening a quilt shop in Southwestern, Ohio in a building people have said they think is over 140 years old and presents itself as one day, many years ago, was built as a livery…maybe it was part of Charles places, where he kept his animals or stationing of horses and other animals for people of the town.

My imagination never stops!

So, we will soon start our Underground RR Sampler lessons.

They will run for a year and there are 16 blocks to do, so we will have to double up on blocks in some of the months to complete it by next January. Part of the story, is that they would hang quilts on the line to let “travelers” know it was safe or not to come near their farm or buildings or places to seek for safe-hiding. There are few written records of the Underground RR due to the fact that many Quakers were part of this movement; passive and not wanting to show mistrust to anyone. They preferred their conscience be solely between themselves and their God.

I am glad we helped these people. We don’t understand all of the Civil War, such a hard and difficult time for families. Our Country in the North and South suffered greatly.

My heart reaches out to help people today and just thinking back on our past and ancestors I am amazed at what they seemed to have been able to accomplish. Amazing!!!

Please visit an old cemetery and read the names, if you still can. Read the sayings, the scriptures they may have put there by the names. It somehow, gives you a profound feeling, knowing that they once were walking and breathing too. They paid the cost of settling this land in ways we will never know! Amazing!!!

Join us with investing time in quilting!! Get “Onboard” lets’ say, with the RR!! January 26th at 10 a.m. and then every third Saturday again at 10 a.m. Hope to see you at Olde Glory Quilt Shoppe!

As Always, Quilted Blessings! Kari

OLDE Glory Quilt Shoppe

Kari — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:25:01 +0000

A move has occurred! So many things have happened since this past fall. I will try to be brief. My sister Lori Ann had moved to Florida in the Spring. She had “walked” into a good job with the school system in Sarasota and her husband Gary thought he would be able to transfer to the area too with his job..time began to pass and his transfer did not go through. They felt that God was and is still in control, so Lori enjoyed her stay in Florida with her niece and actually like a sister, Vikki, who lives in Tampa. She came home in September as brown as a berry! Lori sure can tan!!..yes, we are jealous, ha! After she returned, I jokingly said, “are you ready to do a quilting business now?” and it went from there!

First, our thoughts were to go to quilt shows, craft show, set up and see what would happen and keep trying to get more longarm customers. My husband Gary and I visited Lebanon after labor day just to see her and enjoy some OSU football on TV….well, we began to look at Lebanon as a possible place to set up a quilt shop, noticing that there was nothing like that in town and that Lebanon offered quite a few festivals through the year and constant visitors to the Golden Lamb Inn, a historical building. My husband asked us if we would like to do a business together when Lori came over to Indiana to quilt and longarm for a couple days later in September….from there we started looking at properties and knew we did not want to go in “over our heads” to get started….one thing led to another and by November 6th Gary had purchased an old livery building (over 140 years old) to remodel, and bit by bit, use the building as a quilt shop. So, Gary and I traveled over to Lebanon every week for 3-4 days at a time to work and remodel the middle portion of the building and also use the back (then office area)….Loris’ Gary arranged through trading services with a crane business to have the winch removed and also other steel parts of rigging inside…at the same time my Gary was putting in windows and a door to that same side …a busy time..Lori and I wallpapered a little bit but we have mostly painted the rooms to show off our quilts and fabric and notions…we have had alot of fun too!!! … we were open for just a few days before Christmas and then closed for this past week to catch up on our lives and family and all that is transpiring…In the meantime, Old Glory here with the longarm has been able to do quite a few quilts for a Reprotextile business in Massachusetts. That has been very interesting as she has wanted to produce quilts that would be authentic looking to the 1740-1810 period. So, my Gary as inventive as he is, made a shell template for my stylus on the longarm and we are able to produce almost perfect 3 inch clam shell design on her period works. We even have had the experience of using wool fleece that she sent along with her naturally dyed wools and linens…so as they talk in the Little House books of Lindsey-Wolsey quilts, now I can say we have bonded with them. We must also mention that we are focusing on 1800 Reproduction fabric and also the 1900 Vintage era, along with tons of history with our quilt classes that are taught!

With all that has happened, Loris’ oldest son Matt asked his Joanna to marry him and they set the date for December 14th, just happened to be my Leahs’ birthday too…so we mixed in his wedding to setting up a new quilt shop on top of Christmas…hey, add my birthday and anniversary on the 27th and Loris’ anniversary on the 30th too..oh! Kirsten my granddaughter turned 13 on the 26th,her little sister Meg was 9 on December 1st too. Then, also add my husbands birthday November 16th and Leah’s two gals, oldest and youngest, Maddie and Caroline on the 10th and 14th of November ….in other words…eventful time I must say!!! “Alot goin’ on up here”! ha

Oh, yes, we did celebrate Christmas too! It was a sweet holiday! Leah came with her little gals and our son Kevin and his wife Mindy and little Cora enjoyed spending time together. Our son Steve is so far away but he and his wife Lori and kids Drew, Alyssa, Kirsten and Meg joined us for a little bit on video cam compliments of our macs.

The birth of Christ is such a refreshing time of remembrance of such a humble birth of our Saviour, such an unexpected although proficied way for our King to enter our “history” and eternal ways.

So, we will be offering classes soon and posting them on this web site. We still have longarming and that has not changed, our shoppe of fabric and classes are in Lebanon, Ohio…at 19 N. Sycamore Street…..the longarm is still here in Indiana. My Gary and I are now undertaking finishing the attic of the old livery into a loft apartment, so we have a nice place to live while at the shop and he is doing ER nursing working at the Xenia Er. Then, we will return to Indiana a few days a week to enjoy finishing the cabin here too!

So, keep checking! we should have it up soon!! Happy New Year Everyone!! Come and See us!!

So, God Bless everyone and soon we will be back on track and let you know what is happening at the new Olde Glory Quilt Shoppe!! Quilted Blessings!!! Karie and Lori

Bayside

Kari — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 03:43:44 +0000

Port towns in the colonial times could be compared to the heart of the human body, beating and pumping the blood necessary for survival. With the port came ship yards and with this the sea vessels. By the turn of the 18th century into the 19th, over 2000 ships had been rendered worthy to sail. How amazing our history is! The work ethic of those who made this land habitable for us to enjoy so very ,very freely, can not be reproduced to this day.

With all the ship building, timber had to be cut and milled, so lumber jacks were plenty in number. Gristmills were needed to grind the corn and wheat necessary to sustain the appetites of these hungry men and their families. Tanners were needed for leather; wheelwrights apprenticed to make the many wheels needed for the wagons and carts. Coopers for making barrels and regular carpenters hammering square nails into clapboards for housing who taught the journeymen their skills. The list is endless!

Our ancestors, hard working men and women. Using their hands, bodies, minds and souls to carve out a new land. Laying back on their beds at night; making mental lists of the first duties needed to be done in the next new day.

No time to waste;for each season of the year had its’ own demands.

I am sure, of course, the needles of the fair maidens were kept busy those days too, making sails for the vessels soon to be christened onto the sea. They were also hired out to finish woolen quilts needed to cover up with during the cold and drafty winter months. The woolen mills then too, were as necessary, as the lumber mills were for the colonists’ survival here.

Make a blessing happen for someone else today! Let us put our hand to the task we are ask to complete.

As always! Quilted Blessings! Karen