Staying Busy But Not Quilting

I wish I could say I'd been working on my clamshell quilt this past week but that, unfortunately, hasn't been the case. However, in the photo above you can see both the inner and outer border. I chose to use Philip Jacobs' Japanese Chrysanthemum in the scarlet colorway for the outer border but didn't have enough to match the pattern and had to order extra. My fabric order has arrived and I hope to finish hand sewing on the outer borders this week.

I haven't had the chance to work on my houses made from scraps project either. You might say I've been home-less for two weeks now. I'd like to spend a day catching up and working ahead but we'll see what my schedule will allow.

What I have been doing is creating a membership directory for Wichita's Prairie Quilt Guild. We have about 650 members to keep track of. I'm happy to say I finished the directory yesterday and tomorrow, unless something unforeseen happens, it goes to the printer.

I've also been volunteering for an inventory project at the Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum in Goessel, Kansas. Goessel is a small town with a population of about 450 people. I grew up near there and thought that once I graduated from high school, I'd never go back. Ha, I'm the only person I know who will drive 50+ miles one way to dust and clean up old stuff!

Since I don't have much to show for quilting progress, I thought I'd occasionally show you something we find while doing the inventory.

Anyone know what's in the picture below? I remember it being used at my mom's sewing society meetings at church especially when they were working on mission projects. Occasionally when school wasn't being held, I went with my mom to her meeting and was put to work with this. Something is missing from the photo which would probably give away what it is.

You can see the slotted metal spindle coming out of the wood to the left and a handle on the right. Its obvious that it may have been clamped to a table to make it more stable.

I'm sure most Mennonite girls of my era will recognize this as a bandage roller. Strips of clean white fabric and sometimes worn out sheets would be ripped to the correct width. Then one end of the strip would be threaded through the spindle and when someone turned the handle, the fabric rolled into a, hopefully, neat roll of bandage. I remember this being a two person job - someone to control the fabric and someone to turn the handle. The bandage rolls were then shipped to a missionary for use in hospitals or clinics. I don't think that bandage rollers are used by any of the sewing societies anymore so they've been donated to the museum.

We have found a few quilts and with the museum's permission I'll show you my favorite next week!