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How many of my Farmgirl friends have seen the fashion trend from last year – making a coat from a vintage quilt? When I first saw it (for $700 at Anthropologie, no less) I was stunned and expected it to burn out pretty quickly… but here we are, more than a year later and the trend is still going strong!
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is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
I’m so inspired! Beautiful!
Kim,
Thank you! There are SO many gorgeous quilt coats!
~ Dori ~
Oh I wish I could sew and could make one of these. These are beautiful (your granddaughter is too).
Hi Carol,
Thank you!!! I wish you lived close to me and I’d help you make one! And yes… my sweet grand-girl is beautiful… probably the sweetest (almost) 17 year old around! (Says the Grammy!) Thank you.
~ Dori ~
I bet Carol could find someone near her that would love helping.
Linda,
YES!!! I bet she could!!!!
~ Dori ~
Dori
I totally understand how hard it is to cut into a vintage quilt!! I had a beautiful one which I acquired at a thrift store for $10 but it was quite tattered
I decided to make full length curtains for our studio shed that my husband had built for me the quilt had a scalloped edge, and it just lent itself to curtains. I used every bit of that quilt without waste….. making treatments for two other windows that turned out darling
But I remember, stretching that quilt out and putting the scissors next to it and just breaking out in a cold sweat!!
Your jackets turned out beautifully!!
Good morning!!! I got your email with the photos and WOW!!!! I love your curtains. Brilliant how you used the scalloped edge!!! Thank you for sharing.
~ Dori ~
Beautiful Quilt Coats and a way to enjoy a Vintage Family Quilt for many more years.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I learn so much from you so thank you.
Hugs,
Debbie
Aww Debbie. Thank you; such a sweet comment.
~ Dori ~
I just ordered the Hovea pattern! So excited!! Just love the quilted coats you sewed. Hopefully I will be successful too. : )
Yay Claudia!!! If you run into ANY problems and want some help, just send me an email: redfeedsack@gmail.com and I’ll try to help you out! But honestly if you can sew, you can do this!!!!
~ Dori ~
Love this! I did a dress and bolero jacket for my 6 yr old granddaughter. I had a quilt top I had sewn together very quickly outside where I could not press it as I went. Of course it came out not so square. I could see that I could get past that by cutting in small pattern pieces for garmets. I lined it with preshrunk very light weight muslin and sewed together a sweet sundress with a gathered skirt, patch pockets, and jacket. Everything smoothed out nicely and it was a darling patchwork outfit. When you have sour lemons-make sweet lemonade!
Holly,
Oh my word, that sounds SO sweet!!!!! What a perfect way to use your quilt top! And yes to the lemonade!!! Ha!
~ Dori ~
Amazing! I wish I had some family quilts to do this with. I’m thinking I need to keep an eye out at garage sales and thrift stores and see what I can find. Plus, if I’m not so attached to it maybe it’ll be easier to cut up LOL!
Heather,
You are absolutely right!!!! A quilt that you don’t have an emotional attachment to would be the way to go!!!
~ Dori ~
Oh WOW WOW WOW, both coats are so gorgeous! I love the colors, the style, the red trim, the cheery colors, the sweet history and sentimental meaning behind the quilt. and you, my friend, what TALENT! I agree with the hesitation…”are you sure…” it’s how I’m wired, I fold, refold, and then fold again until I hide those parts of a worn quilt, I just can’t bring myself to cut into one, even though the best parts would make lovely cutter quilt projects. But these are stunning…I’m sure both Mom and daughter were absolutely thrilled! They just shout from the coop-tops “Farmgirl” and all that MaryJanesFarm is about – home, family, sweet memories, girlfriends, old & new friends, and the almost lost art of sewing – I am in awe. Thanks for sharing this…what an inspiring post!
Mary
Hi Mary,
I hate cutting into quilts… even the old ratty ones. It is so hard!!! But I absolutely do say that projects made from old quilts are so awesome!!!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Mary. Big hugs to you.
~ Dori ~
Hi Dori, as always, I am blown away by your mad quilting/sewing skills! Love this! I love vintage anything, and how cute are these quilts!? I have a relative who is an avid quilter – she makes these from new quilts, as well, but wow! This is repurposing at its very, high-fashion best. LOVE LOVE LOVE! How cute these would be with anything – over a dress, jeans and a t-shirt… I want one! Oh, and what a stunning beauty your granddaughter is! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl)
Nicole!!!
Thank you, sweet friend. I actually thought of you when I made these quilt coats! You would rock one for SURE!!!
Big hugs back…
~ Dori ~
Hi Dori
In the April – May issue of mary janes farm magazine , you have a project ” gifting words of encouragement ” . My granddaughter would love to make these with me . What kind of printer did you use that prints on fabric ? Thanks for your help . Brenda
Hi Brenda,
I am going to send you an email with this info! It’s easier than typing it all here!
~ Dori ~