Thursday, August 23, 2012

What I did on my day off!


This little quilt (about 10" sq) was started about two years ago....worked on it occasionally and decided this week it needed to be finished!  I have Way Too Many quilts that need to be finished but I choose this one that day!  Inspiration is from the Chitra book "Little Bits of Whimsy".......however, I made several changes, mostly the triangle border.  I didn't care for the "spikey" triangles along the outside edge of the original so I made a paper-pieceing pattern for "flying geese" triangles followed by the plain border.  These colors are a bit wild for me!


Now, having said I have Way Too Many quilts in progress, I am off on another tangent!  This always happens when the frenzy of July is over and I can get back to my quiet life!   I was reading An Moonen's "History of Dutch Quilts"
 book the other evening and became enthused to use the panel below along with the other Dutch reproductions drying on the line in the other two photos.   At the Maine quilt show in July a vendor from PA had Dutch fabrics that reminded me that I had some SOMEWHERE but could not find them!!  Off and on for three weeks, I would search various boxes and fabric piles to no avail.  As I was about to leave the sewing room to start a search in a bedroom storage area, I spied two boxes that I hadn't yet checked because I had been too lazy to move the pile of fabric stacked on top of them!  When I moved the fabric and picked up the top box, you guessed it!  There was the bag of fabric in between the two boxes!  Bet this never happens to anyone of you!?!??!?!

I've had this panel for a while, having been bought for me by a friend traveling to Amsterdam.  I knew that I had seen them for sale on an online shop and wanted another.  I thought the shop was in TX so I found a list of TX shops and hoped that when the right one appeared, I would recognize it.  Could not believe my good fortune when I did!  It's here at Happiness Is......
Quilting in McKinney.  I see they also have the History of Dutch Quilts book.

For now I think I will make just a small quilt using the panel surrounded by some quilt blocks and the border fabric strips seen on my clothesline.  The border strips are less than a yard long so that determines the size of my quilt.    I have Petra Prins' lovely "Josephine" fabric that I plan to use in another Dutch reproduction.   From studying the fabric pictures in the book, I think I will be able to find more early 19th century reproductions in my stash because, for me, the more different fabrics in a quilt, the better!!  Looks like stripes and dots were used in the antique Dutch quilts so those will definitely add interest to the mix!





Well, I see the little clock says it's 9pm so that means it is time for handwork while I listen to "Doc Martin" on pbs!  

11 comments:

  1. I love your little mini quilt! The triangle border is perfect. The cheddar looks great in it.

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  2. I really like the border you chose to tie it all together. Sweet little quilt. That is about the best line of laundry I have seen drying in a long time!! Good thing you went looking for them & found them. I am moving into my new sewing space--finally--and finding all sorts of goodies I have in bags & boxes!! I say finally, because it was before my first child was born when I had space to myself for sewing. Like every other mom, I have been sewing in every other living space there is in the house. Now I have a door to shut out the mess & don't have to move a machine to have dinner!! I have planned the space in my head for the last few years & it is fun to actually set up. Thanks for the pictures of the beautiful fabrics & your neat quilt.

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    1. That purple did look great to me too! Somewhere I heard/read that purple is a color you can use to tie things together so I thought I would try it tho it is not my most favorite color! Goes to prove what I tell my customers/students that you don't have to like a certain fabric alone but when it is in your quilt, you will like the effect!

      It is important to have one's own sewing room! Makes us appreciate it all the more when we have to wait for it! Six kids went through the L-shaped bedroom carved out of an attic before I got it! Even if someone moved home for a while, I did not give it up! I have since spilled out into one of the small bedrooms and the hallways but that is okay....at least things are where I should be able to find them when I want them.....doesn't always work, but most of the time it does!

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  3. Who donot want to look to these line of laundry.
    With these it would be fun doing laundry everyday
    Cannot wait to see the first picture of your quilt

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    1. I love my clothesline and use it all time! I don't even own a Dryer! Even in Winter, I hang out bedding and work clothes, but also use racks and hangers in a spare bedroom for my clothes ......and fabric of course! I've cut triangles from my Dutch fabrics to start an Hourglass border.........let me know when your order arrives!

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  4. Wow, I love the fabrics on the line! Cute little quilt too.

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    1. I liked making the little house quilt....might make another....a little different....and hope it doesn't take me 2 years to finish!

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  5. your little house quilt is adorable. Loved seeing the fabric on the clothes line.
    Doc Martin - the best!

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    1. I've made another little 3-block mini quilt....maybe I should always keep one in the works so I will see a Finish more often!

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  6. The little house quilt is lively with its cheerful colors and quite lovely!!
    The Dutch panel is beautiful and will make a wonderful center!!

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    1. The colors in the house quilt are a bit brighter than I usually work with but loved it! That Dutch panel is my usual choice of fabric/colors.

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