Oodles and oodles

Tucked away

Sometimes a prized collection is difficult to display, and so it needs to be carefully stored, if possible in a small vintage herringbone suitcase.

Such is the case with my collection of quilt blocks and pieces.

They would be easy to display if someone would actually sew them into a quilt. That doesn't seem likely, at least any time soon.

These were a gift from my friend Patty. I'm a lucky person to be her friend, and not just because she's generous with the vintage quilty stuff. You should visit her Etsy shop. Probably you should have visited it earlier today, before I did, because I purchased some of her lovely vintage fabric. If you live near her, you can pick up your purchases and say hello to her wonderful son and play with the impossibly cute puppy.

(I'm taking a moment here to reflect on the incredible cuteness of that puppy.)

The suitcase also houses the prettiest nine-patch squares in the world.

Unless these are the prettiest nine-patch squares in the world. I could be persuaded either way.

Even though these stars are a little oversized and awkward, I love them because a) they belonged to the mother of my beloved aunt, b) the fabric is incredible and c) they were intended for something really lovely that, for reasons that will never be known, didn't quite come together.

An autograph quilt.

Sailboat squares made of a nautical print. Should I ever be a grandparent (note to God: Someday. But not anytime soon. Please.) I think I would be motivated to stitch them together.

Some Sunbonnet Sue pieces made by my grandmother. I think everyone who had a grandma who ever picked up a needle and thread inherited a few Sunbonnet Sue patches. I find them charming, but I am aware that some quilters find them reprehensible. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

In their current state, my quilt patches are quite useless and out of sight. They serve no particular purpose. That does not make them one less bit beautiful in my eyes. 

Where I'm working

The space where I work is a small attic dormer, about 8 feet square, with a peaked roof.

It's cozy - or claustrophobic, depending on my mood - but I like the challenge of making everything fit and using the space to the maximum. I also like getting out all of my weird little stuff to look at, and so the top of the window frame is home to several important collections: namely, toy cleaning supplies, wooden chairs, toy farm animals that walk when you put them on a slight slope, and unusual objects that spell out words.

The SENSIBLE piece? I have no idea. It's made of iron. I suspect it has something to do with shoe making or repair, but that could be just because I'm such a fan of a sensible shoe. I found it on the last day of an estate sale this summer and could not believe it had been passed over.

The entire window frame display, with low storage underneath. Moving right from SENSIBLE is my prized slate barn sign for a cow named Oodles, a gift from the wonderful Sue. Is it not the most awesome thing ever? Then there are some type blocks, a toy horse, another chair and more objects from my important collection of toy cleaning supplies. I am the proud - nay, haughty - owner of three mint-condition toy dust pans, which represents an important sub-collection. (The third is also on display and may show up in a later photo.)

There are various sewing supplies and buttons on top of the storage drawers, and a Renwal baby day care center. There are four clients, who fortunately are content to spend their day in a play pen or strollers.

(I'm going to try to get my friend Gloria to come over here and show me how to get some decent photos. Taking good photos in a dark space is beyond me. Especially when you have to aim directly at the only light source.)

A counter and shelves and drawers. The red and white curtain is feedsack (of course), pinned up with curtain tacks. The drawers were a long ago yard sale find. They looked nice and new originally:

But they kind of stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb. So there was some painting and distressing and replacing of reproduction (and not in a good way) handles with card catalog frames.

My bulletin board is over the work table, joined by some shelves that became dollhouse rooms. (I believe the coveted third toy dust pan may be in the first-shelf room, but it's blocked from view. Another day, perhaps.) Creating a fun space was one of the rewards of cleaning out some of my clutter. I'm really going to work on getting some photos that do it justice. Just couldn't resist sharing at least a peek!