Birds & Baskets. . . and lots of berries!

43" square
 My quilt photographed on black background

About two years ago, maybe three,  I visited the Wagon West Quilt shop in Wickenburg, AZ, owned by long-time friend Martha Walker.  

Her beautiful original designs are inspired by 19th century projects.

I liked one of the samples on the wall. Big ol’ baskets, simple one piece birds, big pointy star shapes. Easy, right?

 (How did I not notice the 1” berries. . . And those amoeba shaped blobs with finger-like protrusions all around? 

So I bought the book and got started. There are four quilt patterns and three wool projects included.



















I selected fabrics from my stash for everything except the stripe for the border triangles (which I think worked really well.) 

I made the templates and did needle-turn applique. 

I soon discovered that it wasn’t as simple as it first appeared, but I did get pretty good at round berries.

I looked at this close up photo and noticed I missed a quilting line!

Do you see it?

After all that handwork I decided it should be hand quilted. I outlined all the appliques then decided on a hanging diamond overall. That took more time but I think the result was worth it. From start to finish it was just under two years but I never work on just one project at a time. 

                                Here it is hanging on the wall in my entrance hall.

If you’re ever in the Phoenix area, take a drive up to Wickenburg. It’s a great western town with wonderful restaurants, a nice historical center, a cowboy museum and….the Wagon West Quilt Shop. 

Well worth the drive.

And don't forget to stop by the Prison Tree. From 1863 to 1890 prisoners were chained to this tree because they didn't have a 'hoosegow'. Escapes were unknown.  The wild wild west!

Luckily, I  was unshackled but my friend . . . 

https://www.wagonswestdesigns.com/

Who's Your Poppy?

Sorry - couldn't resist!  (I should have timed this for Father's Day)  I mentioned some time ago that I would show you my new poppy quilt and I just realized I never did!
(Do not hesitate to 'remind' me about things like that!)



Browsing an antique shop in Arizona, this striking poppy applique caught my eye. I  got a very good price on it, probably because it had one small hole needing repair - but even with that it was a steal. I love the gentle wavy edges. 

Rosie Werner, of Quiltkitid.com has thirty-two different poppy kit quilt applique designs on her website -  not including this one!

What company produced it?
What publication was it in?

A friend found this image in her files and it is exactly like mine. Sold as a kit, the white fabric would have been marked to indicate where the appliques should be placed and the kit would include stamped fabrics in dark red, light red and green to cut out and place as directed. Fabric pieces were numbered to correspond to the numbers stamped on the white ground fabric.The design for quilting stitches would also be marked. The maker would provide the backing and the cotton batting

Reading the details and directions on old patterns gives us information about how things were done in the past. In this case,  "No 50" thread was to be used for the quilting....the weight of regular sewing thread. 

These are examples from a different, unfinished, kit top. The poor construction on this one means it will never be finished; not by me, anyway.

Advertising of the day assured women that it was simple to make a quilt with all the pieces prepared for you ....sort of like 'paint by number'. By the way, kits drew criticism from some that creativity had gone out of quiltmaking.)

Many women who didn't even know how to sew were persuaded to give it a try but all were not successful!  Many projects were surely abandoned in frustration, like this one! 

My quilt is not soiled but I want to wash it - it smells and feels like someone got carried away with liquid fabric softener. But first - I need to fix that rip.

The damage - does not go through to the back

Searching my stash for the
'right' white

I clean up frayed edges ...
 add a little cotton batting

Cut an oval - match grainlines and applique

I was going to do reverse applique but the damage goes right up next to the vine so a traditional 'patch' worked best.

The quilting is rather sparse so it was not as easy to camouflage the patch with quilting....but I added a swirl line from the nearby vine to blend it in

Can you find it?

It washed beautifully and is ready for use. I have done very little quilt repair so I consider each project a way to learn and improve my skills. I can't say it's my favorite thing to do, but I know I'm giving the quilt an extended life. You know what they say, "A stitch in time...."



 Quilt Restoration: A Practical Guide by Camille Cognac is a great book with down-to-earth methods of quilt repair. Though out of print, there are some copies available on-line from time to time and both our county and local textile library have copies. If you have quilts to 'fix' it's worth looking up.

Red and Green II

Holiday quilt #2 is a c. 1850  floral applique.

Red and green was a popular color scheme at that time and many 'best' quilts from that period have survived. Their graphic beauty, originality and fine workmanship make them a favorite of collectors today.

Many seem to have been made for special occasions. I wonder if the hearts in this nine-block quilt indicate that it was a bride's quilt.

82" x 92"

In the full view you will notice that the center block is a bit smaller than the rest. Also, there are only three borders; very logical to me. Why do all that work on a top border that will not be visible when on the bed?
Also, in this view you see an unfortunate problem. Sometime in the last 150 years the bottom border was damaged. I wonder what happened? Could it have been  tucked into the bottom of a bed with wooden foot-board and the wood stained it? I'd love to hear your ideas on the possibilities though I know it's hard to tell from a photo.

Here's a closer look at the damage..... sniff sniff

When I bought it I thought I might be able to 'fix' it but now I think it would be a huge task and probably not turn out very well.






Back to its allure....The little shapes that look like kites on the floral vine border are unusual, don't you think? The embroidery thread attaching it to the vine is blue now - was it once green?

The quilting includes  triple rod straight lines and diagonal crosshatching - both done right through the motif .







Even a quilt with 'problems' can be appreciated as is. I  put it on the bed with the damaged side toward the wall and no one is the wiser!

Or display it on the quilt rack....












I like to study old quilts and incorporate things I notice in my own work. Here's a wall size quilt I made a few years ago on which I quilted through the applique motifs. The inspiration for this wall piece was a bed quilt in the collection of Anita Shakelford. I'll share more about this project in a future post.

42" square

I wish you all a wonderful holiday! 
May you be warmed by the love of your friends and family...
 and by a cherished quilt!