BUCKET LIST QUILT # 6

As I sort through all my fabric, I continue to pull fabrics for specific quilt projects I know I want to make.  Now I am up to BUCKET LIST QUILT # 6.

Last year I had a fabulous trip to Texas in April--Beaumont, Austin, and Victoria. Austin was "playtime" with 3 new-to-me friends and we had a great time. Read about that trip here; TEXAS 2024 

At a terrific quilt shop in Wimberly Texas I bought a yard and a half of a panel I loved, planning to make a special quilt for my granddaughter Stella. Click for a closeup to read the words of inspiration:

Now I've decided to make a quilt with this for ME--Stella will get whatever is left.

Once I decide on a BUCKET LIST QUILT, or any quilt project, really, I go to the closets and start pulling fabrics I think will work. Mostly I am concerned with COLOR, then TEXTURE--or the "feel" of the fabric designs. And I always want a variety of Lights, Mediums and Darks. At lease one DEEP DARK and one SPARKLER--like bright orange or lime green.

I LOVE "shopping in my closet", after all, I bought this stuff because I loved it or knew it would be right for a "someday" project. 

Here is the fabric pull for this quilt. It is surely more than I will need but it gives me lots of options for design as I have no idea at the moment what this quilt will look like: 

Safely stored in its' own tote bag, waiting for the day I say "it's your turn!" This ensures I won't use these specific fabrics for some other project and wish I hadn't when I get around to this one:

These BUCKET LIST QUILTS are in no particular order. I simply wrote about them as they made the list. At this point in my life, I am deciding what  quilts I REALLY WANT TO MAKE going forward. My plan is to have 10 quilts identified by the end of this year.

See the previous quilts:

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 1

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 2

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 3

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 4

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 5 My Next Lifetime Quilt  I am actively working on this one now

What is on YOUR Bucket List?

Let's quilt.

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 5 AKA MY NEXT LIFETIME QUILT

 As I try to make a list of the quilts I REALLY WANT TO MAKE, and EXPECT TO MAKE, it allows me to sort through the huge stash of fabric I own and make a plan to use it or lose it.

Here is the NEXT QUILT on on the list:

I bought this antique top in 2014 from quilt dealer Cindy Rennels,  of Cindy's Antique Quilts. I remember clearly buying it at her booth in Paducah--to treat myself for my "retirement" from H&R Block, and my 60th birthday. There was something about it that just spoke to me. The tag says "from Pennsylvania, 1860-1880 fabrics" Well, I'm from Pennsylvania too and I LOVE a quilt with lots of fabrics.  See many detail photos BELOW.

Once I decided to replicate it, I thought about the easiest way to cut fabrics for the 3" blocks.  Questions I asked myself:

1. What size quilt do I want? The original is 16 x 16 blocks.  Mine is 17 x 17, so I will have a CENTER block, more about that later.

2. Should each block be a DIFFERENT FABRIC? I have more than 289 Civil War reproduction fabrics, that's not the problem. At first, I decided to go with making 4 blocks exactly alike and then spreading them around the quilt. This requires 73 fabrics. Then I changed my mind. All of the blocks will be different. 

3. What background fabric to use? It will take 6-7 yards. The original used all the same cream solid. I only had one solid fabric in that quantity--Paperbag. Pulling the bolt out to the closet I found it had 7 yards on it--decision made!

It didn't take long before I was pulling fabrics and cutting. This makes the perfect LEADER/ENDER PROJECT. These 3" blocks practically make themselves as I am working on other projects.

One fabric I absolutely had to use was a small scrap--just enough to make ONE block. I decided it would be the CENTER BLOCK--which is when I changed the layout from 16 x 16 to 17 x 17. Here is the sketch from EQ8, when I learn how to make it that size, I will fix this layout:

;

This block is called the OLD ITALIAN BLOCK, Brackman # 2881. Here is that center block, laid out, ready to sew:

Here are ALL THE FABRICS NEEDED for all 289 blocks, all cut into the size needed, 6.5" x 8" to make 4 blocks from each. Then I pulled out the next big tub of reproduction fabrics and cut many more 3.5” x 5” pieces, enough to make ONE block, 289 DIFFERENT fabrics. No photo of that pile: 

Before I committed to making this I used completely different fabrics to test my plan. If it becomes another Workshop offering, I will need a smaller sample in more contemporary fabrics:

3" finished blocks

These are so much FUN to make!  

I was eager to make a few from reproduction fabrics--here are the first few done:

The only problem? If the idea here is to USE UP FABRIC, this is a fail! It didn't make a dent in the stack I pulled from the closet. At least I'll use up 7 yards of solid.  Here is what went back IN the closet after all cutting was done:

As promised, here are more photos of the original antique top. If you love 1800's fabrics as I do, it's quite a treat for the eye:

There is one SPECIAL BLOCK I am trying to research. I believe it is CENTENNIAL FABRIC, printed to celebrate 1876 in America. If you know this to be authentic Centennial Fabric, please let me know:

I am considering offering this as a Sew-Along project here on the Blog. I would provide instructions for cutting several different sizes, 3" might be a bit too small for some. It will teach you the 3 important BASICS OF PRECISION PIECING: the cutting, sewing and pressing. Let me know if you're interested...

UPDATE: here is the Sew A Long post:

2025 Summer Sew A Long

There is no rush to get this quilt done fast. As a Leader/Ender project I can allow it to take years. It's my NEXT LIFETIME QUILT. Since I  can't die until it's done, it is smart to make it REALLY SLOWLY.

Here are more Blogs I have written on LIFETIME and LEADER/ENDER quilts:

Lifetime Top is Done

Lifetime Leader/Ender

Having a leader/ender project is always part of my quiltmaking journey, with every quilt I make. With this one, I can achieve BOTH  a BUCKET LIST completion and have a Leader/Ender project ready.  Isn't life grand?!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 2

 This quilt caught my eye at the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange TX last year:

In Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Patterns I found it as Glittering Star # 3738. But that only has 5 diamonds on each side, this quilt has 7. 

Playing around in Electric Quilt 8 I have these two ideas:

One Central Block, with the center square and rectangles pieced in

Four separate blocks, much easier to make

I studied the original at the museum and I am sure the center block is pieced in--there are no seams in the center white square. I didn't think to check the white rectangles but it stands to reason they were also pieced in.

Making four separate blocks would be easiest for a machine pieced quilt.

The fact there are 6 diamonds on a side instead of 7 doesn't bother me, at least not enough to redraw the entire star to have 7 as the original does. 

I was able to use the diagram from EQ8 to determine yardage. I have plenty of fabrics what will work for the colored diamonds and the squares on point on the border. The white background requires more than 4 yards. That might mean I have to use more than one white. Easy enough.

My first quick "fabric pull" for Bucket List Quilt #2. Turns out I do have enough of a white solid for the background to be all the same fabric:

I want to hand quilt this one so the solid background is the best choice.

This will be fun!

Let's quilt.

Barbara

BUCKET LIST QUILT # 1

 For the last year I have been thinking about what quilts I still really want to make. You know, those "BUCKET LIST" quilts you really want to make while you can. 

My thought process is to make that LIST. Then pull the FABRICS for each quilt. That should make it easier for me to let go of so much "extra" fabric I have no plan for and can't live long enough to use. That's the theory, anyway...

Why should I let go of fabric? Because there is just too much! My 3 closets, so full:

 

So for the next few weeks I will show you one of the quilts that has made my BUCKET LIST. In no particular order here is #1

HAWAII SUNSET 1845: Quilters Newsletter Magazine Feb/Mar 2010.

Saved this magazine for 14 years

Yardage I have on hand that works--I have many fat quarters in these colors to supplement this group

The ONE RULE I have set for myself for these BUCKET LIST QUILTS is I will BUY NO MORE FABRIC TO MAKE THEM. I will use what I have.

There is only one fabric in this quilt that requires a sizeable amount--the Navy Blue sashing. I have enough of one, it's a bit lighter than the one used in the magazine. I have enough of two other darker Navy Blues, if I am willing to use one for the body of the quilt and one for the perimeter triangles. Time will tell which I decide to use. 

This resembles Western Sun I made a couple years ago but the fabric selection is very different and the Nine Patch centers will be much faster to make than these Star blocks:

Western Sun 110" square

Do you have a Bucket List Quilt?

Let's quilt.

Barbara