Patchwork Book Quilt

Orange, mixed media collage quilt with old book covers

Old books that find their way into my studio are dissected and skinned. When the box labeled 'book skins' starts to fill up I piece together another patchwork quilt. Some of the skins are more brittle than others so I've found the best method is to glue them together first and then add the stitching. In the image below you can see the pre-gluestick composition of my latest quilt.

Book Quilt

Insects, hand stitched collage book 'skin' quilt

Finally got around to photographing the book quilt I shared with you last week. This patchwork of frayed book skins represents many different volumes....a French dictionary, children's primers, a physiology textbook, various science books, a guide to insects and a bible story book.

A big thanks to those of you who shopped at my Spring Sale! If you're reading this and missed it I'll plan to keep the coupon code active 'til tonight ;) Coming up this week are two 'wall doll' assemblages and a group of April art blocks.

Quilt In Progress

Working with bits of book skin's to create another quilt like the ones I patched together last year. If you follow me on Instagram these are old news ;) It's such fun to have immediate feedback there...like the sage advice to use a thimble while stitching! Check back later this week for the finished quilt.

Book Skin Quilts

Bee, book skin art quilt

 Little Folks, book skin art quilt

In my attempt to use all the parts 'n pieces of old books stashed away in the studio I've stitched together these mini art quilts using salvaged "book skins". The subtle coloring of the cloth bindings on old book covers enticed me to see if I could remove the cloth from the book boards and....voila!....a new collage material.

Also....a little reminder that the Spring Sale continues in both shops 'til midnight on Sunday.

Patchwork Bunting

What to do with a beautiful but terribly tattered 'n threadbare quilt top? Make patchwork bunting of course! Snipping, starching, punching and stringing these 'lil bunting flags together was a nice break from other household duties over the weekend. Of course I've put aside some prime pieces to stitch up into pillow shams at a later date. For now, I'm offering these patchwork-y bunting strands in the vintage shop. These look pretty sweet hanging 'round the house if I do say so myself!

Just Relax

Bohemian Patchwork Quilt, at RobertaGrove

I've been telling myself to "just relax" quite a lot during these busy autumn days. So...I did just that and put together an Autumnal treasury of some recent Etsy favorites of mine. Enjoy!

Random Patterns

Popping in late this afternoon to share some random patterns off my iPhone. These were all taken with Instagram--a super fun photo sharing application. If you've got an iPhone I'd love you to join up and be my Instagram friend! You can find me under the user name of 'sushipot' (what else?!). Oh...and the little round thingy's below are envelope seals made from old ephemera and are new in the shop this week.

Ink Doodle Quilt

Speaking of quilts, here's a paper patchwork quilt I made out of some ink doodles years ago. It's one of the first pieces I made which incorporated hand-stitching and has been hanging on the inspiration board in my studio ever since. Now that it's been photographed, I think I'll go hang it up with the backside facing out as I'm growing kinda partial to its blotchy, haphazard quiltiness.

Crazy Quilt Pillow

Yesterday I mentioned I had one more treasure to share with you from my weekend antiquing jaunt and here 'tis! This little (10" x 15") crazy quilt pillow with the most delicate embroidery sampler is mine for keeps. I could not bear to part with it and for $3.50 it was a lucky steal. For the sake of restraint I passed up another pair of crazy quilt pillows but neither of them sported such exquisite loveliness. Now I need to decide whether to leave it in its shabby pillow form or frame up the floral sampler.

Sushipot Vignette no 16

Sushipot Vignette no 16 (view of couch)

Each image in the Sushipot Vignette series is composed of a grouping of objects found in and around my home or studio. Our couch with a new patchwork quilt throw (my fav quilt find yet!) and a stuffed owl purchased way back from KungFuCowgirl when Lizzie was a toddler. Take a peek at previous images in my vignette series here.

Taking A Breather

We have family arriving from out-of-town this afternoon so I'm taking a breather for a few days to spend some time "off-line". Wishing everyone here in the USA a pleasant Memorial Day weekend and all of you elsewhere around the globe a beautiful weekend as well. See you in June!

Folksy 'n Fabulous

Thanks to the new Treasury East on Etsy I've curated my very first treasury! It's a compilation of folksy goodness I've discovered on the site. I'd love for you to take a peek (and comment!) here when you have a minute.