I was reading a Simple Sewendipity post the other day about using paint color cards from the hardware store to help in planning a quilt. This is, of course, a fabulous thing to do! You could stash loads of those paint cards away in your big quilted tote bag! Ha Ha!
But, it did remind me of The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors
I have made some progress on two quilts in the last week or so.
I finished my Midnight in Bali quilt top and have quilted it. I used an edge to edge pantograph called Big Leaf which I think suits the batik fabrics. I have taken photos of it, but I must admit that I still have not attached the binding! I promise I will finish this quilt! I have the binding cut out, but wanted to get outside and take photos in the snow before it melts … it is Spring, the snow must melt!
I also put a quilt top together with the Lorax panel. It might be a bit too abstract? But, I do like it. I have a perfect panto for this one, too. It is called Zephyr, but it reminds me of the Truffula trees!
A few years ago I had the idea to look at quilt tops on eBay. I was thinking in terms of practicing my quilting without taking the time to put a quilt top together. Not a bad idea, since you might even be able to buy one for less than the cost of the fabric it takes to make a quilt top. But, the tops that caught my eye were older tops. Quite a bit older! I ended up bidding on and winning this turn of the 19th century quilt top.
I was quite surprised when I received it. I did not truly understand how old the quilt top was when I bid on it and felt like I had one a prize! The woman who sold it to me said it was from an estate sale and she knew nothing more about it. I realized that I could not risk quilting it. I did add borders and a backing to the top to stabilize it. But, if I bought this top today I would just lay it on top of a piece of cotton batting to keep the seems more stable.
This got me started researching old quilts and fabrics. I enjoyed reading The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950
I now have a few more antique and vintage quilt tops. I tend to quilt the tops from the 30’s, but not the ones from the 19th century. They are too fragile for that.
These old quilt tops always intrigue me. I wonder at the beautiful fabrics and all of the hand stitching that went into them. I am inspired by the designs and the use of colors. I really do enjoy them!
I am working on finishing a Block of the Month quilt from last year. This one was with Quilters Common in Wakefield, MA. I have finally gotten the blocks and center medallion sewn together and now all I have to do is add the borders. The pattern is from Beyond Tradition by Pamela Culo.
Here is the top with the Borders waiting to be added. I think the finished top will look spectacular.
This was one of those BOMs where you would get the kit free each month IF you completed last month’s BOM … which motivated me to get them done. I also made a commitment to make a second block each month using reproduction fabric. My motivation for this was all the ewws and ahhs that I got from my fellow BOMers each month!
Quilting with Patrice 