Quirky Old Quilt number xx...I've kinda lost count?!

Whenever I buy a vintage quilt I have my own intake form that I record all the info.that I can glen about each quilt.  Purchase date, location, any vendor info, size, the pattern/s, color/s, style of quilting, general condition, if it's dated, etc.  I also put each quilt on my design wall and take lots of pictures to show all the visual aspects of the quilt both back and front.  It's kind of my own archive system.  I have about 50 vintage quilts/ tops now so I'm getting to the point where I really could not keep all that info straight if I did not write it down!

You might have seen this quilt on Lori D's blog a while back.  It's one of the quilts I purchased at the Sister's show this year.  I'm posting it here, now, because since I've had a chance to study it I've noticed a few interesting details that I thought I'd share...

The tag said c 1870  I'd go along with the vendors guesstimation  plus/ minus. There are a lot of brown / pink, red, indigo and shirting fabrics that are consistent with that time frame.  It's pretty worn and somewhat faded but for all that it's pretty intact!

 Every central block (the flower part) is framed in a light strip but then separated by scrappy sashing so it's hard to tell is the blocks were assembled in rows or 4 patch style?!

There certainly is an amazing variety of old calicoes and shirting fabrics in this quilt!

Another interesting thing about the blocks is that they were pieced not appliqued.  You can see that clearly in this block where the seams have come apart and there is no foundation fabric underneath. al There are also seams leading off to the corners which you would not do if it was appliqued!

Here's a look at the edge.  The front and back are simply folded in at the edge and machine sewn together.  Lori called this a 'knife edge'.  I had never heard that term before but it is certainly fits!

 The batting was very thin and the quilting was simple; vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines

The back was plan muslin and has some water marks here and there.  But for all it's wear and tear it's still a grand old quilt!

cheers, CW

More Road Trips more Blue Work!

My husband and I have been doing a lot of car trips this summer and that means making progress on my blue work blocks.  I think I might have enough blocks by the end of the summer to finish the quilt so I'm auditioning settings!

I like this set because of the way it sets off the blocks.  The other option would be to make puss-in-the-corner blocks to go in between.  That would give more of a latise effect like single irish chain. This set is not so traditional but I really like the way it looks.   Here are the blocks I've finish recently.

I really like this one the children look so sweet.  I traced this from a children's coloring book that had a sellection of poems from Robert Louis Stevenson's  "A Children's Garden of Verses" 

These two were traced from a redwork book. 

This one is suppose to be California poppies.  It seemed an appropriate choice since I live in California.  Maybe I should do a California Quail too?  They are really fun looking birds!

I hope all is well in your neighborhoods, have a great week!

Cheers, Claire W.

More Orphan Blocks!

I seem to becoming the beneficiary of my friends 'cleaned up' sewing rooms a lot these days.  My friend Esther (not a  blogger) cleaned out her sewing room not to long ago and gave me serveral big bags of fabric to take to the Guild Flea Market.  Which of course meant I could go gleaning!

Amoungst all the fabrics were a number of Orphan Blocks.  This particular set were the product of a Row by Row swap that our small quilt group started back in 1998!  The blocks are really nice.  I think the only reason Esther did not finish the quilt was she got bogged down by trying to make the setting really complicated.  With a minimum of seem riping and trimming I was able to simply set the rows straight and out came this nice quilt.  It will make a fabulous donation quilt!

I always feel like I've gotten away with something when I use up some orphan blocks.  It's like I'm already more than half done when I start!!!  The challenge is to find a good setting or background fabric or some connecting units to pull the quilt together!  I like those kind of quilt challenges!  What's your favorite quilt challenge?    Happy Sewing, CW

Lots of sewing last week! Yipee!!!

I got a lot of sewing done last week!!  Here's are some of the things I worked on...

I made this top while on retreat at Sunriver with Lori and Randy.  I finished quilting this one this past week.  A real Almost finished quilt!!! tee hee

 I started these blocks while at Sunriver.  Most of the fabrics came from a fat 8th's bundle. I thought that since They came as a bundle I would not have to work to hard on the color scheme.  But I wasn't thinking about value so much?!  There is actually a pattern there!!! (Double Irish Chain) But it's pretty hard to see.  Well, it's soft and sweet and it will make a nice charitable quilt....

Randy gave me several bags of scraps and fabric to take to our local Guild to donate to the Flea market.  Which Of Course means I get to glean from said bags.  Randy donates the Best stuff ever!  I found this tree block and 6- 9 patches and a whole bunch of cool forest themed scraps and that was the genesis for this quilt top.  I will be donateing this to a patient at the City of Hope Cancer treatment center.  

I finished this top which was made from the rest of the plaids I used in an earlier project. view here http://cspoonquilt.blogspot.com/2013/01/dark-or-light-borders.html   The bars are a little wonky but these plaids are so loosely wolven I decided not to trim them.

I hope maybe I'll get a few more of these tops quilted this week.

I have several mornings free this week (my best time for sewing).  Do you have a favorite time of day to sew?  

Happy sewing! CW