Mrs White in the Kitchen with a Rolling Pin

It all started with Covid.  I used what I had in the sewing room to create a work that ended up being a lot of purple—or more specifically plum. With the vintage linens and vibrant tones of all things purple it became “Professor Plum in the Conservatory with a Vase”.  While there’s more to that story it did lead to an idea.  When confined to the house whether from pandemic or snow storms board games come out of the closet.  One from my memory bank was “Clue” and the characters were certainly interesting. So now, a few years past pandemic, the idea surfaces again.  This time it’s Mrs. White because I acquired a vintage kitchen towel that featured a hand appliqued maid pushing a dessert cart on a white-ish background.  The maid was dressed in a uniform that closely resembled one from my summer job at Bishop’s Buffet in downtown Des Moines.  From there the idea continued to grow into another character from the game board.  Vintage sugar sacks in my stash, a sugar crock that adorns the top of a kitchen cupboard, an embroidered kitchen towel that my mother made, and a lace tablecloth were put to good use as kitchen components.  So, what’s the construction process for this type of quilted project?

The sugar sacks were very thin fabric so after gently washing I backed them with a sheer, lightweight interfacing.  The lace tablecloth also needed to be stabilized so I used a paper-backed fusible to adhere it to the right side of a blue fabric.  The embroidered kitchen towel needed actual glasses so a light blue silk dupioni from an old dress was sacrificed.  Some vintage lace gave the appearance of shelves.  The phrase “Bon Vivant” generally refers to one who lives well, enjoying good food. It was done using paint and hand made stencil. Since the maid was serving dessert, it seemed appropriate to have a pie and rolling pin. Throw in some eggs to fill in space, add a bouquet of bright blue flowers and I’m ready to move on to another character.  Will it be Miss Scarlet or maybe Colonel Mustard?  The ideas are percolating (why didn’t I use a coffee pot for the vase of flowers)!