I have a collection of matryoshka dolls in wood, from small to huge, gathered from all over the world. While they originate from Japan, “the first Matryoshka doll wasn’t made until 1892” (from here). Many of mine are from Russia, but I’ve never traveled there. I’ve picked them up in Costco (!), Greek festivals at our local church, Berlin, and the large one at the back (nearly a foot tall), was purchased in the back of a copy shop in Chicago when my husband was there on business. He carried it home in his suitcase — a treasure for me.
(more photos are at the end of this post)
Another gathering of those nesting dolls showed up in my sewing room this month. I had wanted to make a gift to thank Janine for her hospitality when I showed up in London last month, so started to make one for her (she mentions it here). Then I wanted one for me (the red-head in the lower right), and then I realized I needed to make wee gifts for the tablemates at a quilting retreat I’m headed to this week, so added few more to the count.
I cut the cases from the one meter of yardage I purchased from Liberty, while I was in London. (Only one meter from that whole store — what restraint!)
I used 100% wool felt from two sources: some I’d purchased while in Berlin ages ago, and other felt I’d sourced when making the Oh Christmas Tree Quilt, some time ago. It doesn’t go bad in the cupboard, I promise. This post talks about some of the sources I used; the one that is still in business is A Child’s Dream. (How things change!)
The buttons are some that I picked up in Nantes, France, from ChifonieStudio, at the For The Love of Thread quilt show. Truly, this little doll is international!
I put more photos, the templates, illustrations and instructions in one of my PatternLite patterns, found in my PayHip shop.
And from now until our US Thanksgiving, I’ve put it on an introductory sale (incredibly cheep-cheep!). The pattern is listed here.
Besides a few decorative pins and my favorite large-eye needle, what did I put in the little pockets in the front and back? In the front are my favorite travel scissors: baby fingernail cutters, with very short blades. In the back pocket is my favorite thread conditioner from Rachel, of RileyAcres. I’ve been buying it from her for years and it’s made from the beeswax she collects from the bees she maintains on her property.
Construction photos. They are in the (currently, cheap!) pattern. BTW, I put it on an automatic discount so you don’t have to fuss with coupon codes, etc. but it only lasts until Thanksgiving 2026.
Now, more real matryoshka. The title on this is “Mucha” as in the artist who makes glorious art as well as some stained-glass windows in the Prague Cathedral.
The tallest one at the back is the one my husband bought in a copy shop: scenes of family life, with mother on one side — and the father on the other when you turn the doll around. In front are some more dolls including Rosie, as she’s known (front and center with the large painted rose on her front apron).
Front of set…and back of set. (Click to enlarge the photos). Matryoshka dolls are like us: they contain multitudes (thank you to the poet Walt Whitman).
It’s a longer story about how I came to head to a quilt retreat in Utah, but it involves one of my long-time friends, Lisa. She cautioned me: get everything cut out! And Mary, of Zippy Quilts, also sent along another piece of advice: “wind lots of bobbins with neutral thread: it’s amazing what you can get done if you aren’t doing laundry!”
The scene earlier this week, with Janine’s Happy Jingle-bell Star in the background.
Project #1: two table runners for Halloween. That holiday now long gone, I’ll be ready for 2027 (she says, cheerfully!).
And then there’s this one: Project #2.
The original quilt can be seen here, but it just didn’t suit me, plus I wasn’t going to do some of those blocks since I’m doing hand-appliqué (I’m taking my Singer Featherweight, not the bigger machine). But I wondered: it can’t be Utah if there are no cherries that we canned when I was a kid? Or the spectacular Utah peaches, my mother lifting up those glowing jewels from the canner in our hot, steamy Provo kitchen that had no air conditioning? And where was Y-Mountain? And Watchman Peak, from Zion Canyon, where my husband and I spent our first camping trip after we were married (with four young children)? I had to add those things. So it’s not really the designer’s Utah quilt now, but My Utah Quilt. All of the piecing awaits, but most of the appliqué is prepped up, so I’ll get started on the long drive there.
If I get any time, I’ll prep up one more easy-piecing project (multiples of the same block). We’ll see. I do remember Lisa’s advice.
And at some point, I need to pack!
