A "New" Old Pillow

an old feather down pillow made of ticking
+
scraps of vintage fabric
(to hide the holes and some stubborn dirt marks)
=
a "new" pillow for this wooden toybox bench

total cost of materials: 2 euros

My grandpa lived and, like many people, struggled through the Great Depression in the US. He never forgot what it was like and he believed in avoiding waste whenever possible. I'd like to think he'd approve of this project -- everything used was 100% recycled.

My husband helped me remove the feather down filling and then restuff the pillow once it had been washed. Despite our best efforts, it was snowing feathers everywhere (aaackck!), but we managed to have a good laugh about it. Three vaccuuming attempts later, I think we've finally managed to get it all!

A Flea Market Mystery

A few years ago I bought the book Petits Cadeaux Brodés (Little Embroidered Gifts). The embroidery projects in it are beautiful and the photos all have a vintage theme. Ever since the first time I thumbed through it, one of my favorite vintage objects in it has been the tiny doll in the picture above. I'm not sure why, because even though I find them adorable, I've never been especially drawn to vintage dolls.

Well, my sewing and embroidery "to do" list has gotten pretty long and I hadn't looked at this book in a long time (maybe a year?). Then the other night, in search of some embroidery inspiration, I pulled it out. And, as usual, I ended up at this page, smiling at this cute little doll. And that was that. It was time for dinner and the book went quickly back on the shelf.

But guess what I found at the flea market the very next day? The exact same doll. I'd never seen one like her before and I don't know if I'll ever see another one again. Actually, I didn't find her - it's more like she found me. And the strange thing is, this same thing happens every once in awhile. Pretty mysterious, don't you think?
Here she is, all 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) of her, with the new dress I made for her.

P.S. The little boy quilt is coming along - all 35 blocks are finished and sewn in rows. I just have to sew the rows together and hopefully will post about it again pretty soon.

First Snowflake

Almost finished with this one*. It's for a certain little boy who saw his first snowflake this year, so I just have to stitch his name at the top, along with "first snowflake" and "2009". It's on linen and I'll probably have it framed.

The snow is long gone now, though, and springtime sunshine is streaming in through the windows here (yay!). Hope you have a very happy Easter -- joyeuses Pâques ! -- if you'll be celebrating it this weekend!

* The pattern is from Le Bonheur des Dames.

Dressed Up Thread

A vintage find...carefully wrapped wooden spools of thread in a pretty box.

Wouldn't it be great if they still sold thread like this, dressed to the nines?

Making Progress on the Quilt

It's gray and rainy today, but actually I don't mind -- it's a good reason to stay inside and work on the quilt. The front is coming together and I'm planning on using these fabrics on the back of it. It's fun to put together lots of little boy-ish prints.

This is going to be a really colorful quilt, but for some reason I keep taking photos of the blues and greens. There will be oranges and yellows, too.

And here's another finished block. I should mention again that the idea for this quilt comes from Alissa of Handmade by Alissa. If you're interested in quilting with a fresh modern look, her blog is definitely worth a visit. Also, she takes commissions, so you can purchase one of her quilts (quilted pillows, too) if you like.