Checkin' In

You know it’s been too long between posts when your nonbloggy friends point out your infrequent updates. I got an email from my buddy Sheila recently, asking what the heck I've been up to. Well, there’s plenty going on, just very little that’s appropriate to share here on a quilt blog.

Health and family matters require my energy and attention right now. I need a little time to process all that’s happening. When I can write about things without sounding like I’m completely spilling my guts, I’ll share. I know many of you have dealt with the same issues I’m facing. They’re not new, just new to me.

In the meantime, let’s look to quilts for the solace and distraction they provide. My quilt (above) was inspired by a late 1800’s quilt (below) which appears in Sandi Fox’s book, Small Endearments: Nineteenth-Century Quilts for Children and Dolls.


I don’t know if I tried to recreate the antique quilt from memory or if I was just lazy, but I substituted four patch blocks for the nine patches of the original quilt. The result resembles the antique enough to please me.

The primary fabrics are from Harriet Hargrave's Heirloom Collection, produced in the mid 1990's. It was a great line of reproduction fabric, with lots of fine detail and several strong colors.


The background fabric is a mottled chocolate brown print which makes the quilt look old while still letting the colors shine.


Mine looks like it could do with a good pressing before it gets quilted!

Thanks for checkin' in on me!

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Another birthday, another doll quilt... believe me, it never gets old! Here’s the beauty my friend Barb at Fun with Barb surprised me with this year. It's a four patch variation made of reproduction prints in the chocolate browns I love.

Barb and I have swapped several little quilts over the years, but I never stopped to consider how many other friends she might also be trading with. I'll bet she's made well over a hundred doll quilts by now! 

Enjoy these photos from my personal collection. A few of them I've shown before, but they're even better when viewed en masse.

Barb likes to add surprises to the back of her quilts. Many feature novelty prints, like the fish on the back of the Lewis and Clark Medallion, or sock monkeys on the Puss in the Corner quilt. Kitchen prints grace the yellow and pink four patch quilt.

Aren't they fun? Each one is a treasure, just like Barb!

Waste Not, Want Not

Wow, I sent my first blog post into cyberspace and someone answered back! Dawn at Quilts and Pieces wanted to hear more about this Amish-style four-patch.

It's a modest little quilt made completely from scraps. (11 1/2" x 14") that packs a big punch, thanks to Milly Churbuck's Country House Cottons! Her hand-dyed fabrics are known for their depth of color and soft, sueded finish. The four-patch blocks measure 1 3/4" because I was literally working from scraps.

I used to buy "swatch packs"  She used to sell patterns, kits, bundles and yardage at quilt shows. I especially liked herwhich 

In fact, I made the four-patches (above) with scraps left over from another project (below). Waste not, want not!

Not all my quilts are hand quilted, but I do love it on the smaller ones. The Baptist fan design is a favorite, and I used brown thread in keeping with the Amish theme.

Hope this answers your questions, Dawn. I welcome any input that helps improve my blogging skills!