Brick Series #8 Completed

15" x 20.5"

Here's my latest addition to the series of mini-quilts I've been making from an c. 1915 top I took apart.


I call the series Bricks because the original top,
was made up of rectangular bricks. My goal was to see how many small quilts I could make out of this one top, with the added goal of incorporating various techniques and styles.




The two previous blogs about the early stages of this one can be found  HERE and  HERE .





I love the finished piece - now that it's done! - but I was not crazy about the process and don't feel the urge to work with English paper piecing hexagons on any larger scale.

By this time my choices were more limited, having fewer and fewer pieces to work with, but that turned out to be a lesson in creativity and letting go of traditional design concepts. I couldn't go to my stash to find "the perfect fabric" to carry out an idea. I had to get the idea from the fabrics available to me. The result is more interesting as a result, I think.




I settled on one large rosette off center and two smaller ones as well as partial rosette in the upper right corner. The rest of the hexagons just got moved around endlessly until I finally stitched them together as background.

A period piece of striped brushed cotton from my friend Dawn became the perfect backing.









I was able to selectively cut two floral hexagons from the only floral print among the many stripes, plaids and dots; this one a centerpiece and the one in the upper right corner -  which had to be pieced to make it large enough.

top before ripping

I debated about using this BIG dot print at all but it demanded inclusion. As you see in the original top, this was the only such piece and only one hexagon could be cut from it.

I used it as a center of the black/grey rosette - at the bottom right. Then, to keep it from shouting,  I added my name and date to that plain white ground and a french knot in the center of that BIG DOT.

When it was all together I removed the papers and appliqued that whole piece onto a reproduction background fabric in the cadet blue of the period. (I've allowed myself to use a repro for a border on one other quilt and on some backings and bindings)

I didn't cut away the excess in the middle of that foundation until the piece was appliqued down. I turned it back for a 1.25"  border, trimmed the excess, folded it under and stitched it to the back.

It seemed only right after all that hand work to hand quilt this one.

I quilted closely around the appliqued piece and 1/4" inside all edges of that hex section. Then I quilted the outer edge to simulate the look of binding.

End wall of 'gallery' of the other seven quilts

I think I have enough scraps to do one more little quilt but I can't find the baggie of the snippets right now ....:) so I can't say when I will get to it. It's not a priority. I've already I've been at this for seven years so what's the rush?

(The first one, Tumbler, completed in 2011!)