Red and Green says Christmas!

30" square

I didn't have time to do much decorating this year but I did get the falling leaves quilt off the kitchen wall and replace it with this  festive little treasure. The pattern, Folk Art Red and Green, is by Laurene Sinema.  It's hand appliqued and hand quilted and is my first, and so far only, attempt at a dog-tooth border.










According to Barbara Brackman, this style of border was very popular before 1860 - and especially before 1830. (Read her excellent discussion about this here)

It's fun to do - not hard at all. 

55" square

The interesting background on this quilt is that I had occasion to examine the collection of Laurene after she passed away. I opened up an unfinished top - hmm...it looked so familiar to me!  I finally realized the blocks were the same as  the quilt I was currently working on! Her pattern! She often created patterns from her vintage textile collection.


As you see by the finished size, she reduced the block size for the wall pattern. I have arranged the blocks differently, placing the one with hearts at the center, but they are the same nine blocks.

My quilt and the original top c. 1850

Later I learned that several women in Arizona had taken a class from Laurene  making the 9 block quilt in the full size. Here's one of those along with another quilt maker's version of the wall size! As you can see, we all positioned the blocks differently to make the quilt our own!
Could the maker of this unfinished quilt ever imagine that it would end up inspiring quilters 150 years later?  (Take heart for your unfinished projects!)

Would you like to see more red and green?

Here are two links to red and green quilts I shared last Christmas.....

    1     2

Check back soon ...

before the year ends I'll show you another 'red and green'...one new to my collection this year.

Also, coming soon: My 2012 'Wrap-Up'