Japanese Quilts at New England Quilt Museum and More

Visited New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA this week to view the Japanese Quilts!  I will start with My Favorite, that combines two of my personal favorite blocks....log cabins (Courthouse Steps variation) and houses, and post a couple each time I post......wish I could get to it more often!  I must mention that I have permission to post these photos from the Curator.  The photos were taken without flash.  The houses and tiny log cabins are amazing and the quilting is superb!!  Such a variety of types of fabrics!!  Feedsacks, even!  

 1/4" logs in those log cabins!  Recognize that yellow fabric from Nancy Kirk's Civil War collection of many years ago?

Several of the quilts in the exhibit used fabrics with writing on them.  

 I think the "shiny" fabric in the photo below is satin.  Hope you can see the exquisite handquilting!  And so Much of it!!

A most unexpected but gorgeous display of antique clothing was also on exhibit!  Wish I had had time to take notes!  Can't remember dates so well......tho the bustle is 1870's!

 The wool in this jacket was just about the finest quality I have ever seen!

 This is a wedding dress.  If I am able to get more info, I will add it later.

I've been making lots of little 4-patches this week to be used in upcoming Jo Morton Club quilts.  They are so darling and it's hard to stop.....oh, that fabric looks so good with this fabric, and so on and on!  You know how that is!  I found that I had a scrap box of strips from early club projects that worked perfectly, and I need to get strips cut from some of the newer ones to combine.  Well, maybe I don't.  Need 36 blocks and it seems I made 59 so I guess I am good to go.............when the setting fabric arrives.  Decided that I loved the olde-looking gray stripe in Jo's sample and it turned out to be a "Birdsong" fabric that I did not order......so I have to wait until more is printed!  Never have liked gray much but sure did in this quilt!  The tan stripe colorway came and while I really like it (and so did the customers who got the first peek at it!), I will wait for the gray!  These little blocks are 2", finishing 1.5".

 Large log cabin blocks (10") update.......need to finish this quilt for a summer customer!  Here are the last 35 blocks (need 90 total)with round One tails all trimmed nice and neat, ready to start round Two!  Not tired of making them yet!  Nor the little ones either!  Keep finding boxes of scraps I forgot I had so have lots of different fabrics to work with!  Like the scrappy log cabins to have as big a variety as possible!

Until next time....................................................................