A New Old Quilt Top

I love making new quilts.  Sometimes I want them to look old.  At all the shows I go to I spend time with the vendors who sell antique and vintage quilts, tops, and blocks.  There are a few I have gotten to know and I go to them almost exclusively. 

At Quilt Market in Minneapolis earlier this month, I bought this top from  Pique', owned by Julia Kelly-Hodenius.  It is kind of funky, with very rich colors for its' age, full of those quirky things we love about old quilts.  There are several pieces that were pieced to make the patch the size needed.  The sizes of the blocks vary a little, they are about 12" or 11.5" square, more or less.  If she didn't have the same 4 squares to surround with the double pink, she substituted something else.  Quilters today wouldn't do that --they would spend 2 weeks searching the Internet for a fat quarter of that ONE fabric.  It's 62" x 82", more or less.  And LOOK:  on the far left side there is a row of partial blocks.  Isn't that great?!  I would love to have known this woman, and why she made this quilt top.  And why it didn't get finished. 

Here are a few close ups:

Plaids and sashing strips are pieced

The basic block pattern

3 of one blue fabric, add something else, problem solved

 

I will be replicating this top--still deciding on what size to make the blocks.  It is Brackman #1873, Economy or Garden of Eden.  Those patterns have dates in the 1930's and this top is older than that. Any other names for this block? 

In the meantime, I keep working on my Stars in a Time Warp blocks :

 

This week the fabrics are "eccentrics" or "excentrics", those unusual patterns that are so distinctive when used in small amounts.  Love them.  I'm up to 42 finished blocks so far, making 2 most weeks.  Barbara Brackman started this sew-along in January 2015 and it continues.  These are such easy blocks to make. 

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Sending prayers and good thoughts for those impacted by floods and other bad weather this week.

Let's quilt!

Barbara