Am I Vintage or Antique?

Recently I started an Etsy Shop. I'm trying to clean up my quilt studio. I'm selling quilt books, craft books, vintage quilt tops, quilt blocks, fabrics, etc. If you are not familiar with Etsy, take a look at it sometime. It's a website to buy and sell all things homemade, vintage and supplies, too!

As I listed these quilt tops and blocks, I was working on the descriptions of them. Did you know that they consider vintage as an item that is more than 20 years old? This made me wonder what would be considered an antique. It didn't really say, but I did a google search and found that an antique is something more than 100 years old. I guess I'm vintage, but not an antique yet!

Maybe if I just add a little sepia-tone. Does that work?

I guess it's all how you look at it. You see, I love antique furniture too. I have a few pieces in my home. A lady visited me once and looked around my home. She said, "Oh I love what you did with all this used furniture." "Used furniture!" I gasped. "I thought it was antique!!!"

Maybe I should use the terms car dealers use. Not used! Just previously owned!

Now back to work, Vivian!

Remembering My "Abuelita"

Being that today was "Cinco de Mayo" it was fitting that I worked on this quilt. Why, you ask? Keep reading and I'll tell you why.

It is a sweet little quilt made up of embroidered blocks of all the state birds. It belongs to a friend of mine who's mother embroidered these blocks many years ago. She embroidered them before there were 50 states, you see. That would mean they were embroidered prior to 1959. There are only 48 state birds in this quilt. I'm still working on it, but I did manage to get this block done. Yeah, California! My favorite state! By the way, when I was younger I would see this kind of quail along the walking paths in my town. When I was really young, my dad raised quail in cages in our garage. And in case you ever wanted to know, it takes about 5 quail eggs to equal 1 chicken egg. I haven't seen these quail in years. Where did they all go? Oh my! I'm getting off subject!
As I worked on this quilt today, being Cinco de Mayo....I thought of my grandmother, my "abuelita", Augustina Rivera Torres. She came here from Mexico in the late 1920's with her 2 sisters. In the 1930's she became a US citizen. Once my aunt showed me the flag that my grandmother was given on the day she became a US citizen. It was very special to her. I remember it only had 48 stars on it. There were only 48 states then...just like when my friend's grandmother embroidered her 48 state birds.

I am proud of my "abuelita." She's been gone for many years now, but I remember how hard she worked. She was a wonderful cook too. My husband thought maybe I had inherited that talent, but sorry no. I wrote about it here: This poor guy thought he married a latina. Here is my grandmother about the time she came to the US. And here she is with my mother and her sisters and lots and lots of neices and nephews. I remember my grandmother always wore an apron. She's pictured on the far right. My mother is to the left of her.

I am proud of my latin heritage. My roots are made up of both American and Mexican. No, I didn't inherit the great cooking skills, but I did inherit the value of hard work and for that I am grateful. Gracias, mi abuelita!

It's a Good Thing

"It's a Good Thing." --Martha Stewart

Yes, it is!

Good Thing #1

Daughter #2's wedding gown is all finished. It is awesome! We picked it up last night from the seamstress. A friend of mine gave me the name of a woman in Garden Grove who can make a wedding gown from any picture! And even without a pattern! You see, my daughter couldn't find just the exact one she liked, so we bought our own fabric and had it made by this amazing, talented seamstress. I will post pictures of it after Dec. 15th. Remember...just in case my future son-in-law looks at this blog, I can't post any pictures yet! That would not be a good thing!

But here is the Purse Dog, modeling some of the lace fabric for you.

Good Thing #2

A fun package arrived in the mail.

Look what I found on Etsy.com. Check out this seller who is selling quilty things! I am so excited to put these vintage blocks together into a quilt...in my spare time. What is spare time?

And lastly, Good Thing #3

Yeah Vivian!

I got a phone call the other day from one of my customers to inform me that a quilt we did was accepted to the Road To California quilt show. Wow! Such an honor just to have a quilt accepted by the jury and displayed in that show! It's the largest quilt show in Southern California. Quilts are entered from all over the world. Wow! Here's a hint of the quilt for you to see. This is actually a view of the back where you can really see my quilting.

I've Had Jet-Lag For 26 Years!

Whenever I feel tired and need to take a nap, I blame it on Jet-Lag. I arrived in Seville, Spain in Sept. 1981...26 years ago. There, I served a mission for my church. When I got there it took a while to acclimate my body to Spanish time. Whenever the jet-lag would hit me, I would tell my companion that I needed a nap. I'd say, "Sorry, Hermana, I need a nap...you know I suffer from jet-lag!" Well, I used that excuse the entire year and a half I lived in Spain.

And you see, I have used that excuse for most of my life. I get to a certain time of day, usually after lunch, and I just drag. A cat-nap usually does the trick. I tell my family, "Sorry, people, I need a nap... you know I suffer from jet-lag!"

Well, next year, I'll get to suffer from jet-lag once again...this time for real! I'm going back to the country I love! Yes, that's right! I'm going to Spain next June. The Purse Dog is helping me save my pennies. (As you can see, I have a looooooong way to go.) Daughter #2 gave me this cute piggy bank that says SPAIN on it for my birthday. :-)

I love Spain because...

1. The food is awesome.

2. It is beautiful.

3. The people are wonderful.

4. The lifestyle is just right for me.

5. They have Mediodia! We should all have a 'mediodia'...some people call it a siesta.

6. They have Antonio Banderas and Enrique Iglesias.

7. They have the best bread!









8. They have the Feria and Semana Santa.

9. I was so happy there.

10. My friend Ana lives there.


In June 2008, I am going back to see my friend Ana, who still lives in Malaga. We are going to travel all over Spain for 2 weeks. My dream is to sleep in a castle and it looks like it's going to happen. (I hope it is haunted. Wouldn't that be an adventure!)








(Left: The castle in Jaen. I lived in Jaen for 5 months and this castle was above the city...I hiked up there once.)

(Left: Here is an antique Spanish quilt I saw on the tour of a villa...draped along the railing. Isn't it beautiful?)

And just so you know...when my plane lands in Spain, I will kiss the ground, the way the Pope does!

What The Next Generation Will Value Most

Ann Midgley McCune, 1826-1911, my great-great grandmother, quilter, weaver, Mormon pioneer.

“.. what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we lived. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage."--Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe

Way back in Feb. I wrote about finding a quilt through doing genealogy. It was such a wonderful experience. I learned about Ann Midgley and the story of her life. I know I got my love for quilting from her. Ann quilted and made woven rugs to sustain her as she raised her children and grandchildren alone. I was finally able to find one of quilts! One of her great granddaughters had it, who has since passed away, and the quilt is now on display in a museum in Utah.

I received a number of emails asking how to get started in family history and so I am finally getting around to answering. (It's been a busy year!)

Ever wonder how you start your family history? There are three simple steps to get started:

First: Start by writing everything you know about your ancestors. Gather information about yourself, siblings, parents, grandparents. Write down specific information.

Second: Look for more information around your home. Useful sources include: birth, marriage and death certificates, family bibles, journals, letters, photo albums, funeral programs, obituaries, wedding announcements, military records. Add this information to your pedigree and family group forms.

Third: Choose a family or ancestor you want to learn something about. Look for missing information. Start with the generations closest to you and work your way back. Remember to ask other family members questions about your ancestors. Tape record conversations with older members of your family.

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The program I use to compile and organize my genealogy information is "Personal Ancestral File" available free at http://www.familysearch.org/ From that site you can also find a Family History Library, where classes and help are offered free of charge. The libraries are located all over the world.

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I believe that as you gather and verify information, seek pictures and stories, you will be drawn closer to your ancestors. And besides! It's one of the most popular hobbies in America right now. It's fun and even addictive. You'll love it!

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Someone once said: "I trace my family history so I will know who to blame. Remember every family tree has some sap in it!"

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Here are some great links that can help you. Good luck! (maybe you'll even find a quilt, like I was did!)

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Pictured right: The Ann Midgley McCune quilt I found and is now on display at the Pioneer Museum in Nephi, Utah (the small town south of Salt Lake City, where Ann lived and raised her children and grandchildren.)

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Check out these FREE websites to see what's available online:
http://www.familysearch.org/
http://www.cyndislist.com/ (Over 175,000 links to other more specific familiy history sites)
http://www.zroots.com/ (Barbara Renick's home page with other family history links)
http://www.usgenweb.com/ (Geographic site that gets you into State & County info)
http://www.genforum.com/ (Surname queries)
http://www.freetranslation.com/ (for getting foreign documents translated)
http://www.britishislesgenweb.org/ (A link to the British Isles genealogy web page)
http://www.genuki.com/ (Gateway to many sites in United Kingdom & Ireland)

http://www.worldgenweb.com/ (Geographic listings for around the world)http://www.chineseroots.com/ (Has Salt Lake collection of Chinese Family Histories

This one is not free, but one of the best and worth the price of membership:

ancestry.com

I Am Obsessed!

I am obsessed... with feathers! I really am.

Just getting started on an antique quilt.

Work in progress.

Making feathers is one of my favorite things to do. I just go! I kinda just sit back and see what happens. I did this quilt without any real plan. I just guided my longarm machine freemotion.

Freemotion feathers...what a wonderful thing I get to do!

Que alegria!

Find a Grandma Midgley Quilt

Many years a go I sat in my friend's genealogy class. I was there mostly to support my friend. I really had no interest in genealogy. I was there to fill up an empty chair. As I sat there listening to the class, the thought came to me: Find a Grandma Midgley quilt. I had been a quilter for a number of years and had just seen the census record with Ann Midgley living in Utah, quilter, weaver. What a great idea! I'm not kidding, I don't think this idea came from me...it was as if someone had whispered it to me: Find a Grandma Midgley quilt!

In the days of Ann Midgley (1826-1911) the women would traditionally pass along their quilts to their daughters. So I began looking for daughters and granddaughters. I wrote lots of leters from information I gathered with http://www.familysearch.org/arch.org/ I made charts and searched and searched. Still no results. But the experience of doing genealogy was wonderful. I felt a real closeness to this great-great grandmother. I studied her life, her experiences, the years she was here on earth. It was an awesome experience for me. I can barely put it into words. I even got to the point where I didn't care if I never found a quilt. Being introduced to the world of genealogy was worth beginning that original search.

Well, one day I received a phone call from a woman in Logan, Utah. She said to me, "I understand you are looking for a Grandma Midgley quilt." I said, "Yes, I am." She said, "Well I have one." I just about dropped the phone. This was her great granddaughter Florence.

Apparently she got my number from a relative of her's that had received one of my letters. She owned a Grandma Midgley quilt that had been stored in a trunk. I told her all I wanted was to take a picture of the quilt and perhaps make a replica of it.

Well, long story short...Florence donated the quilt to an organization called "The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers." The quilt now hangs in one of their small museums in Nephi, Utah. Florence passed away a few years ago. I am so grateful that she was able to help me fulfill a dream.

Really, to find the Grandma Midgley quilt was the icing-on-the-cake for me. The experience of being introduced to the world of genealogy has been so rewarding. How wonderful it has been to learn about my heritage and to discover such a great family.

For more information on genealogy, please check out these website:

www.familysearch.org, www.ancestry.com

My 50-Cent Find!

Yes I know "50-cent" is a rapper...or so my son tells me. But look what I got for 50-cents!

I was at a garage sale a few months ago. (some parts of the country call them tag-sales, yard-sales, etc...you get it.) Anyway at this house they were getting rid of their recently-deceased grandma's "junk." There, wadded up in a plastic bag were 22 blocks like you see pictured. They had been lovingly appliqued to what was then, very old, tattered muslin. I looked around to see if there were any other quilters lurking around hoping to steal my discovered treasure. No, the coast was clear!

I asked the guy how much he wanted for the bag. He looked at it and said, "Oh I don't know, more of Grandma's junk, how about 50-cents?" I said "SOLD!" I gave him the 50-cents and took off, trying to contain my delight!

Since then I have tenderly removed the fans and re-appliqued them to new, unbleached muslin. My goal is to have them completed into a quilt by Feb. 21, which is my Thimbleberries Club day. I may actually have something to share at "show and tell"...such a rare thing for me. I usually don't participate in the projects, just gab with my friends and buy lots and lots of Thimbleberries!

I'll post pictures when the quilt is finished. Grandma (whoever she is) will be so pleased, I think.