Friday, March 16, 2007

Pieced for pleasure....

and quilted with love. This charming scrap quilt was given to me Christma,1995. My friend based it on something she had seen in a book or magazine. She is a very traditional quilter, reluctant to warm up to the rotary cutter age. Often her scraps(the small ones) are cut with a scissors, after the shape being drawn on with a template and pencil. She does lots of machine applique(satin stitch) but very little machine quilting. This one is hand quilted with Baptist fans...not freeform however..*VBS*
It's not a charm quilt, as some fabrics are used more than once. One of the tricks of this particular pattern was that one or two of the 'stars' be all the same color. I only see two when I look, this reddish one above, is one of the two.
Most of the stars are very scrappy. The finished size of each little section(a sq. in a sq.)measures 2". I don't know if she pieced it as a square in a square or did hour glass set with fabric squares. Either way, it's lots of piecing...*VBS*

You remember that I showed you my front yard last week on Thursday? It looked like this:

What a difference a few days of warmer weather makes. This picture was snapped this morning, same view...much more yard showing. I think I have seen the first robin, and last evening I heard geese going south. Spring must be on it's way.

20 comments:

Elaine Adair said...

That quilt maker must have loved her method of construction as much as we love our method with our beloved rotary cutter. The quilt is lovely, and more so, by thinking of the time and methodology. It's very pretty.

Melanie said...

Spring is on its way!!!!(but don't put the snow shovel away yet!)

Elaine Adair said...

Oh Finn -- me again - I decided to start at your first posts, since I enjoy your blog so much. Laughed out loud!!! when I saw the teddy bear in his ghost costume! Darling photo - hope I can remember that costume come October! Thanks again for a great visit.

tami said...

That is a beautiful quilt. What a nice gift.
The snow picture makes me wish I had taken one last week too because the amount of melting this week has been amazing. My yard looks about as bare as yours although we are bracing for a storm tonight. Supposed to get between 6 and 10 inches of snow. :c/ I never get too worried about these late season snow storms though as they have a tendency to go almost as soon as they come.

dot said...

Well lets try again. I tried and my comment was eaten, disappeared. I love the quilt. What a clever idea, your friend must have had a blast making this quilt. I did find 4 stars all the same color, the red one, a salom colored one, burgundy, and blue. Lovely.

McIrish Annie said...

Love the guilt and I love how that one yellow block catches your eye. I went to a lecture given by Marsha McCloskey on the color yellow and she said every quilt should have some yellow in it . it's a place for the eye to rest.

Judy said...

I agree with Dot, I found four of them!! The hot pink, and reddish orangy color(left side), a burgandy floral in the center about 3/4 of the way down and a teal blue in the bottom right corner,

Lovely quilt!

Holly said...

I still use that method on some things like tumbers or applecores because I find it relaxing and mindless :) It's better than ironing.

Pretty quilt and wonderful gift to get. I like the two yellow squares that "pop".

His Office, My Studio said...

I love your quilt!

meggie said...

Lovely gift! I love the scraps & stars.
It is amazing how quickly the snow can go.

tootsiesmom said...

What a great friend to give you such a jewel! Hope you enjoy it forever!

Patti said...

What a wonderful quilt and a wonderful gift to you. She must be a very special friend. When I look at the tools our foremothers had to use in creating their quilts, and compare them to all the tools we think we need today I just shake my head. So many quilters seem to be of the "make it as fast as possible" school. I often think they don't understand the sheer joy of working with small pieces one at a time to create a work of art such as this one. To use every scrap - sometimes piecing two or three together to get a piece big enough for the template to fit on. I don't know if we really have "come a long way baby" as quilters - compare this to what so many are creating today. In my mind there is no comparison at all. I so love the old quilts, and the more modern quilts made in the image of the antique quilts of old.

Cher said...

thanks for the size of the block Finn, it surely is a work of love and art - all wrapped around you in friendship...those are the very best gifts of all. hugs

Helen in the UK said...

What a super quilt to receive as a gift - lucky you! Looks to me like it was created as a square-in-a-square block. Love the like coloured stars that appear :)

QuiltingFitzy said...

This is just a lovely quilt, and is even more handsome because it doesn't have borders.

YUM!

Libby said...

Such a special quilt - and a wonderful gift.

The Calif. girl has a question - - where does all that snow go? Seems like you would have a pond in your yard about now.

Bea said...

a very special friend with a very special gift ... it´s great! You must be happy to have such a quilting-friend!

Kairle Oaks said...

Your quilt really makes me smile, Finn.

Looks like your snow is quickly disappearing. It'll be gone in no time!

Quilts And Pieces said...

Finn, it is beautiful! Did Betsy make it! I love the idea of only 1 or 2 stars being the same fabric! I hope your doing well, things are fine here, just very, very busy!

Maggie Ann said...

I love your scrap quilt...its so postively cheerful!