A "NEW" OLD QUILT

 I have a friend who is selling off most of her antique quilt collection. A few years ago I told her she had one I wanted so if she was ever ready to sell it, to let me know.

Now it's mine: 

76" square

It is well-loved and very worn in spots. But I still love it so. The hand quilting is inspiring, 10 stitches/inch, so tiny and even. The soft colors appeal to me, as do all the various shirting fabrics used as backgrounds.

 I like that sometimes there are several fabrics in the same position. Maybe this block was one of the last to be made and the original quiltmaker was determined to use up the pieces she had already cut. I do that with scrap quilts: 

Sometimes all the fabrics in each position are the same or very close. The pink/white stripe is used quite a lot and it adds movement.:

Red/cheddar with indigo blue: 

Pink and green, with a red center: 

The hand quilting is wonderfully small and even. There are lots of straight lines, and a beautiful feathered wreath in the large blocks. The outer borders have a lovely feather vine too. I LOVE FEATHERS! I will do my best to replicate the hand quilting when my reproduction quilt is finished:

The back because the shirtings on the front make it hard to see the quilting

You might be able to see the Feathered Wreath in this large block

There are quite a few yellows too, and a few plaids, always good for movement in a quilt. Here you can clearly see the damage on the outer pink border: 

As I often do, it is my plan to reproduce this quilt to honor the original maker, sadly "anonymous" to us. The seller tells me it came from Indiana, that is all we know about it. PLEASE label your quilts with the who, what, why, when and where!!

The block is called Goose Tracks or Cross and Crown. They are 7.5" finished. First, I pulled fabrics from my substantial stash that resemble the original fabrics. I did the math for a 9" block, cut a few blocks out, and got to work. Here are the first two:

Expecting to use this as a new class sample, once I made these two blocks I thought long and hard about that plan. The points are 45 degree diamonds, and the background squares and triangles are "set-in" with Y seams. Most people don't want to fiddle with a pattern they consider "difficult". 

I often say about a pattern like this: "It's not hard, it's just not fast". And that is very true. It doesn't bother me to make such a block if just to prove that I can. But not everyone feels that way.

So I selected another, "easier" block that feels like Goose Tracks. It has several names: Duck and Ducklings, Hen and Chickens, Wild Goose Chase, Fox and Geese, Corn and Beans. 

I did the math for a 7.5" finished block--the cutting measurements are very easy at that size and it replicates the feel of the original quilt. 

They sew up quickly--especially because I use a really fast technique taught by Debbie Caffery in her book SCRAPS TO YOU, TOO.   It makes two Bird in the Air blocks at once and four are needed for each block. Cut two sets and you have them ready to go. They are sometimes referred to as "Mary's Triangles" though I don't know who Mary was. 

Here are the first four: 

So, now, apparently, I am making BOTH of these quilts. One to replicate the antique and one to teach. 

UPDATE: A brilliant friend reminded me of the Carolina Lily block that has a similar feel to Goose Tracks but is much easier to make. Amazing! How did I forget about that?! I love making Flying Geese, four at a time (see Tutorial for my method above in TUTORIALS) and this method uses 8 Flying Geese per block. Thanks, Ellen!

Now I can make 7.5" blocks as a tribute to the original quilt: 

I have already made 4 blocks 9" using the set-in seams Diamonds method--they will become a small wallhanging. The reproduction quilt will be made from these "Goose Tracks Variation" blocks, 7.5":

Two Flying Geese and a Half Square Triangle and Viola! The look is the same and from any distance will look exactly like the original: 

Here is the current "Fabric Pull" I am working with. If I get bored, I'll open the closet and add some more. What is the point of having all this fabric if I don't use it?

What do you think? Is the original block too hard or fiddily for you? Which do you prefer? Do you ever reproduce a beloved quilt just to save it? 

The value of an antique quilt is based on several factors but condition is very important. I did not pay a lot for this quilt but it is precious to me. In pristine condition it would have been out of my price range. Now I get to love and care for it until it goes to live with someone else someday.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

LESSONS WE CAN LEARN REVISITED

 While I am traveling on a Cruise teaching job, I am going to share a couple of my previous posts. They are some of my favorites, most meaningful, and posts I want more people to see.

The first was written 4 years ago and features a humble quilt with a HUGE lesson to teach:

Check out the story of this quilt and it's lessons here, I hope you will be moved as I was:

LESSSONS WE CAN LEARN

Let's quilt.

Barbara

ANTIQUE QUILTS # 5

 Here is one I haven’t had out of storage for a while.

I bought this at a shop in New Hope, PA, about 30 years ago. It is a “Summer quilt”—the edges are finished but it is just a top, no backing or batting. I bought it because I loved the colors and knew I would never make one of these myself.  

Back then, I thought it was a top that hadn’t been quilted. And thought I would quilt it. Then I learned about Summer quilts so I am now just the caretaker of this piece.

Let’s quilt.

Barbara 

Antique Quilts #3

 Currently working like crazy to get ready for my big De-Stash Sale Thursday-Saturday January 13-15, 2022. Local friends, I really  mean it when I say "Don't Miss This".  These sales only come along every few years and they are really great, if I do say so myself.

Here is one of my favorite antique tops. I plan to reproduce this one day. I bought it from Cindy Diller Rennels at AQS Paduach, 2014, to celebrate my retirement from H&R Block after 35 years. Little did I know, there would be much more to celebrate in my quilt life a little later that year.,

Little Churn Dash blocks at first glance, but NO. They are Old Italian Blocks set on-point:

A tattered Chrome Yellow border: 

A piece of 1876 Centennial fabric--a real treasure to find here:

Back to prepping for the sale. If you are within driving distance, I hope you will come by.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Antique Quilts #2

 My most recent purchase. This one seems destined to be a Christmas display quilt each year: 

It is a terrific collection of old fabrics, I can study it for hours: 

The quilting design is hard to see but fun--large circles, perhaps marked with a dinner plate, then a small circle inside that, like saucer size: 

I love how they change direction for no apparent reason: 

The back: 

Let's quilt. 

Barbara

Antique Quilts #1

 I'll show a few of my antique quilt collection over the next few posts.

This one usually gets shown at this time of year. I found it at a "trade day" sale years ago. The price was really low and the condition is great. The handquilting is beautiful. One of my most favorite antique quilts: 

Upon closer inspection at home, I saw a handquilted letter "W". My husband's last name is Wilkins so it was meant to be: 

                                         

Then I found a handquilted dragonfly motif--my favorite insect and one I collect images of.  This quilt had found the right person to love and care for it: 

Look at that lovely quilting: 

This one only comes out at Christmas time, to display on the unused guest bed. A real treasuure.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Houston--What I Bought-- Part 3

 My final post about International Quilt Festival 2021. This will show my purchases.

Having put myself on fabric restriction, I didn't look at or buy any fabric. The closets are full and begging for the "de-stash" process to begin. 

Instead I bought thread. So now I am on "thread restriction" too. Superior is my thread of choice. This isn't all of it: 

Always looking for more rulers/templates for ruler work, I bought these two. Now I am eager to try them out: 

And I bought a book full of good quilting ideas for pieced blocks. Deciding what to quilt is the most challenging part for most of us--this will help:

That would have been enough for this trip but then I saw an antique quilt I really liked. It has two things I love in antiques--flying geese and LOTS of fabrics. The dealers are lovely people, Carolyn and Don Springer, Quilts from Mulberry Lane

The tag from the dealer said it was a Mennonite quilt, made by Ada Wadell of Carlisle, PA. It is 72" x 78" and in excellent condition. A quick search for Ada Wadell or Waddell in PA hasn't been successful yet but I'll keep looking. I grew up in PA and took a Girl Scout trip to Lancaster County, PA that first introduced me to quilts and started my passion for them: 

Border quilting: 

 

The rest of the quilting is two concentric circles with a few small stitches in the center of each:

Sometimes the geese change direction for no apparent reason: 

Wonderful collection of old fabrics--she had a deep stash too, just like I do:

The back--three widths of this fabric, the middle one is 25.5" wide. The binding is the back turned over to the front:

                                                  

The perfect addition to my small antique collection. This just might be my Next Lifetime Quilt!

Let's quilt.

Barbara 

Quilts I Want To Make, Maybe

 In no particular order, here are quilt designs that inspire me.

An antique:

An antique:

Pineapple Log Cabin blocks by Barb Vedder:

An antique:

An antique:

One BIG log cabin block:

Another BIG pineapple log cabin:

A simple antique:

Let’s quilt.

Barbara