Clamshell Quilt, Captain Ahab & the Whale and more...

I was saying to my son that I had found quilts all through the spring, summer, and fall, but this winter hadn't found any. Well I spoke too soon because just a few days ago, I found this and simply fell in love with it. Grant you it is modern, made entirely by machine, but was so lovely and such a good price I had to have it. Besides it has been really cold here lately and nothing could be better right now than another good quilt on the bed.

The best I can tell, pattern wise, is this is a take off of a center medallion clam-shell pattern, very beautifully done. If anyone knows the name of this exact pattern please leave a comment.

I just love the pastel colors chosen for this, as well as the fine floral embroidery. The white on white machine quilting sets it all off wonderfully. What amazed me was, that aside from three very tiny black dots, there was absolutely no damage done to this quilt at all. Can you believe it was only $30?!

The overall affect of this quilt is very stunning and these pictures simply do not do it justice.

The quilt is bordered on three sides with this lovely 2 1/2" border and embroidery and the top has a matching small band of the same colored trim. The quilt is a super king size, which means on my queen size bed it drapes all the way to the floor. Perfect for those oh so cold nights we've been having.This quilt has since gone as a gift to one of my brothers. He also lives in cold country and has a bed much larger than mine. I hope it keeps them snug on many a cold winters night.

  This Victorian looking cloth doll I found at just $2.99 I thought had potential.

I like how she was made with her black pearled boots and two under petticoats.

She is just under 30" and the loveliest shade of pink peach, and I found it hard to believe anyone would want to part with her.

 I showed her to my twin sister and her only negative comment was maybe they gave her up because of her zombie blue eyes?! They do look a bit funny to me too, now that I think about it. But I can soon solve that with a bit of embroidery.

From the back you can see all of her layers of skirt which comes off with a quick untying of the bow. I have since given the lovely lady a nice warm bath for I realized the skirt was pretty full of dust. A kitchen sink full of hot water, some lemon dish soap, a touch of vinegar in the water, and she has come out of the bath looking practically brand new. Right now she looks like an Elizabeth or a Persephone to me, or maybe even a Mary Hannah, we shall see.

http://simplyshabbyjlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/05/eleanor-peace-bailey-doll-revision.html?m=1
As luck would have it I did a Google search and this lady on her blog had posted a doll almost exactly like the one I purchased. If you go to her site you can read about it. This helped me to know that my doll is most likely a vintage 1980's Elinor Peace Bailey pattern doll called, "A Victorian Lady." I am thinking I too shall give her a bit of an upgrade, but maybe only the eyes, as I like the clothes on it. However it gives me all kinds of idea's for making new clothes for her too. I have since gifted this old fashioned doll to my mother, she saw it and loved it.

Now who can resist Captain Ahab and the Whale?! The seagull, flag, and stars are just an added bonus. Given that more than one of my ancestors were ship builders and whalers on Long Island Sound in the 17th century, I thought this hand painted item perfect. I have hung this above the door leading into my bedroom and it always makes me smile.

 I will admit I am a sucker for hand painted decor. This lovely piece with it pastel flowers, birdhouses, and picket fence, just drew me right in. It now hangs over the door leading into my walk in closet. What a sweet garden of delights!

This for .99 was a nifty little piece of china. It is for setting your teabags on, but I like it to hold the spoon I use to stir the soup on the stove. It is much easier to clean up than that sticky mess the spoon usually makes on the stove top.

Another great find for the kitchen, was this lovely expanding casserole dish trivet, made of wrought iron. We have already put it to use, and it functions beautifully. Price $3.99, and so handy.

A lovely long sleeved shirt rounded out the trip, so nice for cold blustery days. Its colorful flowers are a real pick-me-up!

If you remember, not long ago, I found a tile almost like this, but it had Indian moccasins and a quilt on it. This I thought would go very nicely with it, so took it along. The artist for this one fortunately is still on the back. He is the well known artist, Dave Samuelson from Montana. He must have a good sense of humor because the name of this piece is called, Cock "N Bull. Maybe he did the other tile too?