Summer is quickly turning to fall, but I’m just not ready for the change of seasons. I'm still focused on this summer’s project, a mid-century inspired doll quilt that features a vintage embroidered strawberry. Perhaps you remember it from here.
Motifs like this are typical of the 1940s-50s when they adorned household linens such as tea towels, tablecloths and napkins. I added calicos, polka dots, and gingham checks for vintage charm, then bordered everything with a whimsical retro-style daisy print from American Jane.
The top itself was finished years ago but got set aside when I couldn’t do handwork anymore. What a shame, I thought, to leave something this sweet half-done. Apparently, my friend, Ruth, agreed because when I finally showed it to her, she offered to quilt and bind it.
She's quite an accomplished needlewoman. Just look at her beautiful stitches. Ruth chose perle cotton for the quilting, which adds a subtle luster to the overall design.
It turns out a quilt was the perfect way to preserve that embroidered berry. Thank you to Vicki Haninger for her inspiration and to Ruth, of course, for seeing this project to fruition. I couldn't be happier with the result!
Strawberry Preserves
15” x 17”
machine pieced, hand quilted
2019
