New Stars and Maine Quilts Highlights

This "Stars in a Time Warp" QAL with Barbara Brackman gets more interesting each week!  Stars below represent quercitron (yellow), drab (no reds/purples), arborescent and Indigo.  Had to really dig for some, such as "drab"....did not have much of that, as well as arborescent's gnarly branches!  

Working on making Flying Geese for the final border of my "Colonial Medallion"......need 84 I think......21 per side.  Below are some completed geese....counted them after I laid them out and found 21!  So I guess one border is ready!  

And a second border!

But I never know when to stop in my quest to use each fabric only once!  The two photos below represent enough for the last two borders and that's not all....I do have a few more "Favorites" that I need to cut and then start pairing the dark geese with a light background.  

As I've said before, I am using what I call the Rectangle/Square method of making flying geese.....two reasons.....no need to square up AND adding a second line of stitching 1/2" away from the first and then cutting between them creates  2 loverly half-square triangles from each "goose" for use in a future project!  Always trying to think ahead!  This is one of the shoeboxes of hst's.................

The latest completed Jane Stickle block....A6, I think...LONG WAY to go!!

My block is a tad larger than the 5" but I will cope with that somehow.....really don't wan't to make another!  Used the same great madder stripe that I used in my first A6 block back in 1998(the one with the muslin that I feared would not hold up over time).  Isn't it a great reproduction?  From Judie Rothermel back in the 1990's before manufacturers added designers' names to the selvage!

Maine Quilts 2015 was last weekend and here are a few high of the highlights for me.....this is Mary Reynolds' "Mountmellick" mystery quilt with Di Ford.  Love her colors!

You know that big quilts with small (tiny) pieces are always topnotch in my book...love this one that contains 8000+ pieces.  

The machine-quilted feathers are beautifully quilted by the maker, Diane Dixon.

This is the version of the Jane Stickle quilt that my friend Wendy completed in nine months!  She did it in her potholder-style and it is absolutely gorgeous!

Here we have the Edyta Sitar (with permission!) quilt that Backroads Quilters will raffle at their show in October 2015 in West Gardiner, Maine.  The group works very hard to produce an excellent quilt that will go to a very lucky winner!!

This is a Jo Morton club project that Karen Legendre chose to make in many Blues!!

Wendy Reed's prize-winning Potholder quilt!  Well-deserved Blue Ribbon!!

This quilt hanging beside Wendy's naturally caught my eye....very nice Small Applique.....sorry I do not remember the maker's name....will try to find out.

And now we have the Antiques from the Maine State Museum collection, curated by Laurie LaBar.  MSM has a collection of about 130 quilts and 80% of them have the cut-out-corners for a 4-poster bed!!  In this exhibit of six quilts, 5 had the cut-outs!

This early 19th century quilt made with the popular-at-the-time flounce.  In excellent condition as it likely was a "best" quilt.

The blocks are just two fabrics repeated........but What Fabrics!!  The one on the right is a woodblock that is said to have been used in a 1750 wedding dress.  Hope I have the info right..........forgot to take a photo of the info card.

Would you ever have believed this vivid Yellow from then?  

An early 19th century wool quilt from Libby family.....

This Friendship quilt is the so-called "Bark Messenger".....see ship in middle block, which may have been a metaphor as several ships with that name exist but none from the time period of 1850.  This quilt made in Potholder-style.

Below, an 1840's (with some fabrics that could date as early as 1820's)
potholder-style Signature quilt from the Bristol, Maine area (coast). Each block is individually pieced ( or appliqued), quilted and bound before being tightly whipstitched to the others to create the quilt.  In this quilt, 40 little "quiltlets" were made to become the whole!!!  An ingenius method so that many ladies could work on their own time toward the end result.

Until next time.............................stay tuned for another Giveaway box of fabric samples!!

Stars in a Time Warp

From last week, Wood Block prints.  Want to know what woodblock prints are?  Early form of printing on fabric with designs carved into blocks of wood....... Check out Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts blog here.  You will learn more than you ever thought you wanted to know!

This week it is Pillar Prints.........never enough of those printed!!  The block on the left uses an OLD Jinny Beyer pillar that I found on sale years ago and bought all that they had left!  She was ahead of time then.......should produce it again now and will find there is a lot of interested people  looking for it!!!

We are making Jo Morton's Club #14 small quilts.   Had not yet used the "Charleston" line and now I have!!  A small quilt made from a single "Burgoyne Surrounded" quilt block.

Any log cabin variation is a Favorite block to make!  These little Courthouse Step blocks are bordered with Jo's "Hollyhock" line which I absolutely Love!!  My quilt is not just like Jo's as I just could not break from tradition and put sashing/cornerstones between the blocks for mine!!  I'm an old "stick in the mud!" 

Two quilt blocks for upcoming Jo Club projects.....a darling little basket and an even darlinger little flying geese variation!!!  Geese are 1/2" x 1".......I made a paper-piecing pattern.....easiest way for me to go!!!

Had a good time going through my fabric collection looking for "woodblock prints" for Stars in a Time Warp.   Fabrics not marketed as "reproduction" often can be used, such as the following four that come from Holly Taylor who designs beautiful landscape/wildlife panels for Moda!  

 Same design as above but with lovely brown background.

The next two Woodblock prints are "Florrie's Favorites" by Froncie Quinn with Shelburne Museum in VT.  A collection of fabric named for Florence Peto, an early quilt historian, author and collector of antique quilts.

I LOVE this fabric below...........excellent Woodblock design!  Cannot remember where I got it or when!  Nothing on the selvage.  The quality of the fabric itself is not as good as what we are used to today from my 4 favorite manufacturers:  Andover, Marcus Bros, Moda and Windham.  But I had to use it!

In this closeup, you can actually see how low the thread count is!  It feels very thin but that design is wonderful..........maybe someone will do it again!!  Hope so!

I was looking through one of my favorite antique fabric reference books, "Printed Textiles....English and American Cottons and Linens 1700-1850" by Florence Montgomery, a Winterthur book published in 1970.  (Side note:there were 3 "Florences" who authored books on antique fabric/quilts......Florence Montgomery, Florence Peto and Florence Pettit......I always get a kick out of such little details!)  On page 176 (my book just opened to that page like it knew it was what I wanted!), I thought boy that looks familiar (a black/white photo as are the majority of photos in the 1970 book....a revision has come out that has color photos).  Then I found this color photo of it in the limited, but excellent color section.  A reproduction was done by Andover Fabrics, called "Cadet Paisley"......two colorways.....blue/red (document fabric....lapis prints 1808-1812) and brown/rust.

I seem not to have any more of the blue/red, much to my chagrin...but things often show up later.....can only Hope!

This print was also included in the book, and in the fabric line.

And in the gorgeous blue/red which I do still have some!  Isn't it gorgeous!?!

Will leave today with the following advertisement for the New England Quilt Museum, Lowell, MA.  I recently received the book of the Civil War Era small quilt reproductions (published by AQSG) and plan to go to see the exhibit in person as soon as Wendy and I can fit it in!!!!!

  The AQSG Civil War Study Quilts  are up and open for viewing at the
New England Quilt Museum.  The museum is featuring a gallery full of
antique Civil War era quilts from the NEQM Collection.  Several of the
antiques are new acquisitions and are being shown for the first time at
NEQM.  The antiques include the "inspiration quilts" for two of the AQSG
Study Quilts.  A third inspiration quilt will go on display as soon as
it returns from display in Nebraska in "Homefront and Battlefield."
This is a rare opportunity to see the three Study Quilts hanging side by
side with their inspiration quilts.  The exhibit will continue through
October.  NEQM has a Facebook page that often has quilt photos.

Giveaway Winner and a Favorite Oldie But Goodie Fabric

The winner of my Giveaway of a box of fabric samples is Sandra Henderson!  Please contact me with your address and the box will be on its way to you!

Since I like to see photos on blog posts, I'll include this from my list of blog topics.     Going through some old fabric boxes and found some larger pieces of this old fabric from over 20 years ago........still love it.......and use a piece in lots of quilts.  Do you have such a favorite fabric too?  Back later to catch up on Stars in a Time Warp......need to find some Pillar Prints!!

Time-Warp Stars and Doll Quilts

Actually was caught up by Sunday by did not have time to post!  Probably spent too much time chasing around the internet to see everyone else's Stars!  

White Ground Chintz

Blotch Ground Chintz

Fancy Machine Grounds

Here are two doll quilts I made a few years ago, but are still Favorites of mine.  First one is made with "Dargate Botanicals" by Margo Krager  (blocks) and the sashing/border is "Sisters" by Mary Koval, both for Windham.

This is a copy of a baby quilt from "Small Endearments" by Sandy Fox.  Mine is a smaller version of the baby quilt from first quarter 19th century.  The toile in the center is from "The Rising Sun" collection.......Smithsonian with RJR Fabrics in the mid 1990's.

Found some antique fabric hexagons in one of my boxes of vintage/antique fabrics  that were sewn in a row so I thought I would take them apart to make something more useful.  Wish I had taken a photo of the "Before" as they really looked quite nice.  When I took them apart, they are all sizes and shapes....amazing that they looked fine when sewn in row!!  I found a old metal window template made decades ago by Roy Daniels that is just the right size.  I have drawn the sewing lines and will sew them together just for a little tablemat...may have to add a few from my stash if there aren't enough.

Three colorways of the same fabric.

 See how there is extra fabric on one side?

And if you have stayed with me this far.................................

 I have another Giveaway ready!  I am trying to "downsize".....I really am!  Own too much Stuff!!   I have a huge box of small fabric samples accumulated over the years of owning a shop, since "back in the day" when ordering was done without internet.......yes, there was life before the Internet!!  I have filled a postal box with them and have enough to fill several more....will try to do one every month or sew!  If you are in need (or want!) of small pieces for your scrap quilts, just leave a comment and you will be in the running for a random drawing!

Talking about "back in the day" reminded me of something else I wanted to mention..........found this photo on Facebook and it just shows that there was life before clothes dryers too!!!  I do not own a dryer.....love my laundry dried in the fresh outdoors!  Of course, during the preceding LONG winter, I could not get to my clothesline for a few months.........so I used drying racks in a spare bedroom.....even have the huge rack that belonged to my great-grandmother who lived from 1870-1958 and I cherish it because it was hers!!

Now off to find some "Woodblock" print fabrics for this week's Time Warp Stars with Barbara Brackman!!  Check out other folks' stars and learn some history at the same time here.