A Vacation Souvenir

Our family vacations tend to center around what my husband and kids enjoy--Civil War battlefields & other historic sites, museums, zoos & aquariums, or driving 22 hours to see family in Florida. Sometimes it feels like I’m just along for the ride. 

Of course, the best vacations have something for everyone, and our recent trip out West included a stop at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, home to both dinosaurs and an impressive collection of quilts!

This spunky nine patch was my favorite. Made by Mollie Stine for her daughter Alice, it traveled with the family from Missouri to Montana in 1898. Details of their covered wagon journey were documented in a Bozeman newspaper (below).

double CLICK to read

Two hundred twenty-four nine patch blocks pack a punch, especially when a wide array of browns are paired with bold cheddar. The interplay of color in this quilt creates an energy that's palpable!

Source

I began piecing nine patches the minute we got home! but I'm afraid my dream of duplicating the Stine quilt is a no go. The rotary cutting and machine piecing are beyond me

Updated June 2018: No quilt yet, but I did share some blocks with my friend, Barb. Hope she enjoys them!

Fiber Therapy

Vicki Hodge from "What a Load of Scrap" celebrated her first year of blogging with a fabulous fabric giveaway--a chance to win 5 fat quarters and 50 3” squares of beautiful reproduction fabrics. I seldom enter drawings, but Vicki's prize was hard to resist. Lo and behold, I won!

Vicki, thanks for such an awesome prize! I can't stop petting, sorting, mixing, matching, and imagining all the possibilities these fabrics hold for projects yet to come.

Update: Vicki Hodge has a new blog, “From the Button Box” as well as a book, Button Box Quilts. Check them out!

A Little of This, A Little of That!

With a little fabric...

and a little planning...

I made a little doll quilt...


that's just a little late for Christmas!


 I hope you like it, Barb. at least a little!

April Fool!

It's April Fool's Day and the joke's on me! I found these remnants of my quilting past (c1981) stashed at the back of a cupboard. Geez, I wonder why?

The blocks are Drunkard’s Path and Crown of Thorns, both hand pieced, hand quilted, and sewn into pillow covers. 

What was I thinking when I chose those fabrics, and just where did I expect to use them as pillows? They don't exactly blend with our decor!

I'll let you know when I find a spot. Meanwhile, they're headed back to the cupboard!

Preposition Proposition

I’ve done it again… uttered those words that send my family scattering like pins on a hardwood floor: “I’m looking for a piece of fabric.”

With frenzied panic, they fumble for excuses:“Dad wants me to shovel the driveway… now!" “Gotta finish my homework. It's due tomorrow!” “I’m on the phone… long distance!”

Fear not, dear ones. This time, I know exactly where it is:"Go through the kitchen, into the dining room. It’s amongst the sewing things, on the chair, nearest the door. It’s in that pile of stuff, under the magazines, between the homespun plaids and batiks."

Uh oh, I’m beginning to lose them. When it comes to tracking down fabric, they’re like puppies or young children. They can only follow one command at a time.

"You can’t miss it… it’s red… red toile." Oh no, I’ve confused them with a technical term. Better redirect. "It's Christmas fabric… with scenes of Santa."

“Found it!” I hear someone cry triumphantly.

“Great! Now can you find the coordinating prints?”

They have glazed looks. I know better than to push my luck.

Applique Hearts

There were some really bad looking fabrics in the early 1980's when I made this quilt (or maybe I had really bad taste). Many of my early projects look so dated now. There's no need to check the label for a date ~ those calicoes scream 1980!

Dreamtime

Hello friends! What do you make of this curious fabric? A friend sent it to me as a souvenir of her recent trip “Down Under.”

It’s an Australian aboriginal print featuring witchetty grubs, honey ants, snakes, lizards, and other symbols of indigenous culture--in other words, not my typical quilting fare.

I’d seen distinctive prints like this (African fabrics, Kaffe Fassett florals) successfully used in quilts before, generally to showcase a collection of designs. —a “more is more” approach to design. In my case

Ultimately, I maintained the integrity of the piece by keeping the fabric intact. Who am I kidding... I couldn't bear to cut it up! Instead, I framed the piece with a sawtooth border made of even brighter colors. 

I tried adding pieced blocks but they only made the quilt look busier. So, I pieced together the Broken Dishes blocks I had made and put them on the back of the quilt.

The machine quilting was a lot of fun to do. I stitched random wavy lines with a variety of threads. It not only added great texture but contributed to the freeform style.

Dreamtime
16” x 23”
© DJB, 2003

Hurrah for Red, White and Blue!

Collecting fabrics is hands-down my favorite part of quilt making. After working in a quilt shop for a few years, I've amassed an enviable stash of colors and prints, mostly reproductions of nineteenth century classics, or what many people call "Civil War Repros." I'm not a purist, but my taste runs decidedly traditional.

I've been making blocks for a patriotic sampler quilt. There’s no pattern, just random blocks I like. As long as they're made from vintage style red, white and blue fabrics, they all look great together. 

It’s best to have all your blocks completed before arranging them into a final design, but I can never wait. When I get a few blocks that fit nicely, I can't resist sewing them together. 

It' a work in progress. There are always more blocks I'd like to add: an American flag,   eagle, string pieced star...

Hurrah for Red, White and Blue!