Here are some rediscovered unfinished projects. I will add them to my master list.
This is a cross stitch afghan. I don't remember when I started it or if it was going to be a gift for someone. That pattern is in the June 1996 issue of Leisure Arts magazine.
This is really old. I drew the pattern representing my parents' house (and the house I lived in until I went away to college) on graph paper. The floss used is J&P Coats. Primitive, I know.
These little nine patch blocks were from some kind of exchange when I belonged to the Shawnee Quilt Guild in Southern Illinois. I have multiples of some blocks but just one of most.
These are the Trixie blocks. Growing up, Trixie Belden was my favorite series of books. Trixie and her friends solved many mysteries in their home town of Sleepyside and elsewhere. As an adult, I discovered an online group of other Trixie fans and attended two Trixie camps (in Arizona and Missouri) with them.
In 2007, I participated in a block exchange with some of the people in that group. Each person made multiples of the same block, representing one of the books. We sent them to the organizer of the exchange, who packaged up one of each of the different blocks and redistributed them to the participants. When I got my package back, I didn't know what to do with them. They are different sizes and different types of materials. Anyway, here they are. This is my block, representing the Mystery of the Blinking Eye, which takes place in New York City.
This is another person's idea of The Mystery of the Binking Eye and is of the Statue of Liberty's crown.
This block is of a Bobwhite, which is the bird the secret club is named after (Bobwhites of the Glen).
This block represents the book Trixie Belden and the Mysterious Code.
Mystery on the Mississippi
There is no tag on this one. I think the dogs represent the dogs belonging to the club members.
This chicken is named Queenie and is from the Secret of the Mansion.
BWG means Bobwhites of the Glen. The club members all wore these red jackets, which were made by one of the club members.
Reddy is the name of one of the pets.
No idea about this one.
The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest.
This one represents where the club members swam and hung out.
Mystery on Cobbett's Island
The club members all rode horses.
Finding these blocks makes me want to reread the books, but I don't know about making them into a quilt.
Did you read any of the Trixie Belden books? Do you have any suggestions about what to do with these blocks?
Trixie Belden was my favorite too and I still have some of my books! I loved her -- and Honey, Jim, Mart, the Bobwhites... all of it! I read one a few years ago and they still hold up. I love your quilt pieces and I think you should make a wonderful wall hanging of it. Or a thematic series of ornaments that could go on a tree or a wreath!
Trixi is not one of the series I ran across in my childhood but I love the devotion to it of all the members to have a group about it after you have grown up. The first thing I would ask myself is if I wanted to make a quilt out of the blocks or just keep them in a box somewhere. If you want to make a quilt, the next thing I would do is choose the largest block, put a very narrow border around it, then put progressively larger borders on the other blocks so they all come out to the same dimensions. Depending on how many you have and what size that brings it to you could decide on whether to make a wall quilt or bed quilt. Since you said they were of different fabrics etc. I would personally choose a wall quilt for display rather than something that would need laundering now and then. You could even identify the blocks (like you did for us) with permanent pens by writing in the borders you add on if you so desire.
I really think these are very cool whatever you do with them!
What a blast from the past - I loved Trixie Belden and so did my best friend. We made our own "semi-secret society" modelled on the BWG but mostly all we did was hold meetings; we looked all over for mysterious happenings but they never showed up! I think the Reddy block may be for the Castaway Children, when they find a baby in the doghouse.I think I still have all the books, they're looking a little rough but they're the treasures of my heart. I loved this post!
Not a book series I have come across, I immediately went looking for them on line, the e-books remain quite £££ and the "real" copies especially in hard back were even more so. I might check my library but I have a feeling they may not have been one of those series that crossed over to the UK. I see they were out of print until 2003. Have you considered making the blocks into a book? You could put a little synopsis of the book each block represented on the reverse. You could make a nice new block for the front cover which would bring together your blocks with the now. You never know you might get enthused and add blocks to cover all of the books.
What a great find! I never heard of that series of books, but the mysterious code looks suspiciously like the dancing men from Sherlock Holmes :D I second the idea to make a soft book from all the blocks. Seems fitting, and different sizes and materials wouldn't pose as much of an issue!
I've never ready any Trixie Belden stories. In fact this is the first I've ever heard of them. Now I feel like my childhood was missing something!
ReplyDeleteTrixie Belden was my favorite too and I still have some of my books! I loved her -- and Honey, Jim, Mart, the Bobwhites... all of it! I read one a few years ago and they still hold up. I love your quilt pieces and I think you should make a wonderful wall hanging of it. Or a thematic series of ornaments that could go on a tree or a wreath!
ReplyDeleteTrixi is not one of the series I ran across in my childhood but I love the devotion to it of all the members to have a group about it after you have grown up. The first thing I would ask myself is if I wanted to make a quilt out of the blocks or just keep them in a box somewhere. If you want to make a quilt, the next thing I would do is choose the largest block, put a very narrow border around it, then put progressively larger borders on the other blocks so they all come out to the same dimensions. Depending on how many you have and what size that brings it to you could decide on whether to make a wall quilt or bed quilt. Since you said they were of different fabrics etc. I would personally choose a wall quilt for display rather than something that would need laundering now and then. You could even identify the blocks (like you did for us) with permanent pens by writing in the borders you add on if you so desire.
ReplyDeleteI really think these are very cool whatever you do with them!
Len, south of Seattle
What a blast from the past - I loved Trixie Belden and so did my best friend. We made our own "semi-secret society" modelled on the BWG but mostly all we did was hold meetings; we looked all over for mysterious happenings but they never showed up! I think the Reddy block may be for the Castaway Children, when they find a baby in the doghouse.I think I still have all the books, they're looking a little rough but they're the treasures of my heart. I loved this post!
ReplyDeleteNot a book series I have come across, I immediately went looking for them on line, the e-books remain quite £££ and the "real" copies especially in hard back were even more so. I might check my library but I have a feeling they may not have been one of those series that crossed over to the UK. I see they were out of print until 2003. Have you considered making the blocks into a book? You could put a little synopsis of the book each block represented on the reverse. You could make a nice new block for the front cover which would bring together your blocks with the now. You never know you might get enthused and add blocks to cover all of the books.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find! I never heard of that series of books, but the mysterious code looks suspiciously like the dancing men from Sherlock Holmes :D
ReplyDeleteI second the idea to make a soft book from all the blocks. Seems fitting, and different sizes and materials wouldn't pose as much of an issue!