Quilts for Dolly's Bed - Small Wonders Part I

Simple 9 patch c. 1930

I recently did a talk and trunk show for a local quilt guild called "Small Wonders."  I included about thirty vintage doll quilts from my collection and a dozen or so small quilts that I've made as well as a few small non-quilt textiles.

Here are a few vintage examples:

c. 1880      16" square 

A few of them are reversible.

Was it a case of trying to use up fabric bits, or possibly more practice perfecting the stitching of a young girl ?

c. 1950       22" square

This one has a special backing. It's printed patchwork; now often called "cheater" print.

c. 1900            14 x 22

The back

14 x 17

                                                                                This one was obviously made with care, perhaps by a loving mother or grandmother. 

Small scale hand-pieced stars, two borders with corner squares and hand quilted.

                                         

11 x 16

This little strippy could have been made by a little girl for her doll but we shouldn't assume that children had inferior sewing skills. In the 1800's young girls may have had better skills than older women who may have had arthritis in their hands or poor vision.

This being c. 1940,  I'd guess a youngster made it.

Polyester knit c. 1960
22 x 22

We can't ignore the poly period!                               

This little log cabin is tied, has a green plaid polyester backing and will outlive us all.                                                  

And here's a special treat!

 I just came across this poem in my files. It appeared in Good Housekeeping, July 1886.

A Jingle for the Little Ones:  

The Crazy Quilt

O summer sunset give to me 

The crimson glow you shed. 

Violet give me of your blue - 

O rose give of your red. 

O parrot give me all the green 

That round your neck is spread. 

O thistle give me of your down- 

O spider weave me thread. 

I want to make a Crazy Quilt 

For on my dolly's bed.

-- Frank H. Stauffer

Next:Part II of Small Wonders; quilts I've made - including a Crazy!

Veering off-course....and February is over!

February has gotten away from me entirely as far as blogging but I have been quilt-involved in a number of ways.
Here's a brief report on the month with a promise to post more in March (how could I do worse?)

A couple of fun gifts got finished and delivered. For all my goals and priorities I admit that I quite often push all of that all to the back of my mind and proceed with something new when the spirit moves me.

First, another doll quilt. My dear friend, Laurel,  mentioned to me around the past holidays that she had  purchased a doll some time ago. She was shopping on her birthday when she came upon this beautiful doll...and her name was Laurel, too! She had to bring her home. She told me she had bought her a new outfit; jeans and a sweater and I asked her to send me a photo.

That's when I had a light-bulb moment. I knew I had to make a doll quilt for her.

58" x 68"

You may recall that I made Laurel a quilt when she retired (see this post) and thought it would be fun to make a small, related version for 'little' Laurel.

I used many of the same fabrics and simplified the border.

19" x 22"

I was thrilled when I realized I had some Dick and Jane fabric for the back.

Laurel is always so appreciative of the things I make - it was fun to surprise her!

Then I made a little scissor holder for one of my AZ quilting friends. She loves redwork and when I saw this pattern in Redwork Quilts and More by Laurene Sinema, I decided to make it for her.
She sets me up with one of her sewing machines when I'm in Arizona, generously shares her fabric stash with me, sends me home with her extra Ott lamp, makes iced coffee for our sewing days....etc. etc.

I used a red print from one of Laurene's fabric lines for the back. 

You have to look pretty close to see the scissors!

Lynn

On to my March goals...I'll try to say focused this month!

Here I Go Again.....Starting New Projects

Even though you all know I have lists filling literally pages (you've seen 'em) of 'old' projects/UFO's, or as Lynn calls them 'Works in Progress"...it IS a New Year and it's energizing to be starting a New Project.....or two.... okay, I happen to have three small quilts in mind.
I've chosen a theme for each month this year - a way to remind myself to  experiment and add freshness to my on-going projects.

January is Amish style.Here is an assortment of fabrics I plan to use for my first design; the classic Diamond in a Square.

February is Pennsylvania German style. I pulled some pieces from my stash that should work.

In March I'm going back to the '70's.  The 1970's!! 

Where did I get all of these? 

I've had to think ahead - pre-planning these three months because I will be traveling and won't have access to my fabric stash.

 I start sewing tomorrow.....

Stay Tuned!

The Won-derful One Patches - A Quilt Show

All of these quilts are from my collection and are made with just one template shape. From simple to complex, I enjoy seeing what can be achieved within that limitation. I've included some close-ups as well as the full quilt because I love studying the fabrics. You can click any image for an even closer look.
Vintage first........

Squares - Random                                                      1890-1920        5.5" squares

The fabric band across the top is sometimes called a 'whisker guard'. It's been tacked over those top few rows to project the quilt from getting soiled or abraded with beards and body oils. It can be easily removed for washing. I think it's a great idea. I often see it on vintage wool quilts which were not washed. It would also keep the scratchy wool from your face.

I won it at the AQSG silent auction in Minnesota last fall; a donation from the Sally Garoutte collection.

Though very plain and utilitarian in design, it has many really interesting fabrics! It is  unused and unwashed. I think it has a wool batting. 

These papers were pinned to the back.  It appears that Sally (or someone) got it in Flint, MI in 1973 for $15. I thought I got a great deal on the price but I did pay more than that!









Squares - Random
67" x 82"  
I know I've shown this one before but it IS a one patch. Squares are sewn in 4-patch units
                                                                               c. 1950  Fun Fabrics!



















Squares -Trip Around the World 
c. 1945
67" x 84"                                                                        More Fun Fabrics!!



Hexagons  - Billions and billions of hexagons! I didn't realize I had so many examples!
         
Grandmother's Flower Garden                        
c. 1930  
72" x 86"                    

Hexagons measure1/2" on a side

Random Hexagons 
c. 1885
75" x 88"

Almost a charm quilt - only two duplicates found to date; a brown print  (that took over a year to find! ) and one and a half 'cheddar' solids.





More and more hexagons ....

Fancy Hexagons

Velvets, velveteens, satins and silks.


This unfinished fragment was done in the English paper pieced style still has the papers in place on the outer edges. You can see the basting

Crib and Doll Examples

Grandmother's Flower Garden Crib Quilt
34" x 42"


This somewhat atypical arrangement of colors creates stars (squint) but only hexagons are used.

I  don't see too many of this popular Depression era style in crib size.





Simple Squares
22" square
c. 1950

Tied

This little quilt is reversible. It's been used and loved. It has no batting.













Squares - Checkerboard

Hand quilted

c. 1940
34" x 42"


The combination of a two color quilt in a simple checkerboard arrangement is always effective. Quilters today don't use plain solids like they did years ago but I like them.

Add even very basic quilting and you have a classic.







Triangles



Doll Quilt
10" x 14"
c. 1980










Dolly Quilt
15" x 22"

I use this as a cover for my sewing machine. It's a perfect size.

And a few that I've made:

Applecore
47" x 63"
I used fabrics from an internet swap of 5" squares. There are lots of plaids and checks but I thought the addition of calico prints made it more interesting.

Trip Around the World 

50" x 66"

 Made for a long time friend who loved to travel but was unable to do so - she was battling cancer. 

Triangles
29" square




 I used a packet of squares from a quilt shop promotion for this one patch. I saw an project in a magazine where you cut the squares diagonally and make two identical piles and then arranged them to make two quilts. I thought it would be fun to see how different the results can be using exactly the same triangles. Well, it really would be fun to see - maybe someday I'll get the other one done!

In Progress:

 This is another doll size quilt - I'm auditioning borders now. The squares are 1" finished. I love using the little leftovers.

It was inspired by a quilt I saw ...somewhere!
Do you have tons of photos of quilts you want to make?



Here's one of the bulletin boards in my sewing room.

Oh - I almost forgot the very first quilt I ever made!!!

Another Trip Around the World; this time in rainbow colors for my first born son, the one wrapped up in it! We had limited fabric choices for quilting in1976. Solids are poly blends and of course a poly batting. It's tied at the intersections. And here are my two little darlings enjoying it! That's what it's all about!!

The Tumbler quilt in my last post started all this. There are many more shapes used than I have in my collection.

How many one-patch quilts are in your collection?

Doll Quilts - Vintage and New

I've been inspired by blogger friend Dawn's doll quilt replicas and her plan for displaying them. I can't wait to see the end result.  Visit her blog at Collector with a Needle.
I happen to love doll quilts, too - both vintage and newly made. Here's the doll quilt that started my collection.

16" Square      c. 1940

I found it at a local quilt show boutique about fifteen years ago. It was displayed on an old ironing board and I thought it was adorable.

Little did I know that it would be the start of a very specific collection and would also lead to my interest in making doll quilts.

The embroidery was done after the top was pieced and goes all the way through to the back - serving as the quilting.

I enjoy trying unusual techniques that I notice on old quilts so I made a replica to donate to the silent auction at my next guild show. I used some of my vintage fabrics and variegated pink thread as seen in the original. The embroidery took longer than I thought! I was happy that a quilter friend had the winning bid.

My replica - 2001

Sorry about the photo quality but it's the only one I have of  the two quilts together (being  shown at the guild.) The original is in front as I can see yellow patches in the corners.

Making small quilts is even more fun than collecting them. It's a satisfying way to try different techniques, color combinations and styles with a better chance of completion. Recently, I made this Joseph's Coat, the name being a reference to the biblical story of Joseph's Coat of Many Colors.

21" x 26"
Sometimes it's called "Rainbow"

It is found almost exclusively in a three county area of SE Pennsylvania. Made by both Mennonites and non-Mennonites, no pattern has been found. I guess it doesn't really need one!! It was most likely shared among individuals living in this particular geographical area. 

When our Minnesota study group studies a particular style, some of us choose to make our own example for education and fun. I knew I would never make this quilt full sized so it was a perfect project when we studied the Strippy style.  

I used only solids and quilted a different design in each color strip as is typical in early examples.

Hand Quilted

Here it is full size as shown in Quilting-Traditions-Pieces From the Past 

c. 1900 Pennsylvania     82" square 

I had to revise this post after I realized I had some great photos of large Joseph Coats quilts that were part of the American Quilt Study Group seminar I attended in Lowell, MA, 2007. The late great Cindy Cawley did a study center on Pennsylvania quilts. I don't know if she owned these particular examples because many in the class brought quilts to share. You can see how the quilting is done. Most use rainbow colors - one includes white.

Whether vintage or newly created, a doll-sized quilt is versatile; it can be used on a wall or table top - at least until the chilly winter evenings come and dolly needs it.

Poor Andy (c. 1972) lost his left arm somewhere along the way but he remains cheerful!

Watch for more of my doll quilts in the coming weeks but.....

Next: Mariner's Compass Medallion Update