Garden Maze

It finally feels like Spring here. Time to celebrate with something fresh and new! Aussie quilter Marian Edwards posted this little quilt on her beautiful blog, a must read for anyone interested in antique and reproduction quilts, especially of the small variety.

Marian designed her quilt with bits and pieces leftover from previous projects. Hmm... I had some of the very same bits lying around my own sewing room!

A single Dresden Plate block,

a couple of appliquéd flowers,
embellished with buttonhole
stitch embroidery,

and precut strips of 1930s repro fabric.

These particular bits were leftover from various classes I'd taught. By making class samples and demo blocks from the same style of fabric,  it was easy to incorporate them into another project later on.

Kathy Smith used my pieces to create a miniature sampler style quilt. She brought new life to what certainly would have remained scraps if left in my care.

Kathy hand quilted simple designs, reminiscent of 1930s quilts.

I've named it "Garden Maze," for the labyrinth pattern created by the strip pieced blocks. The quilt measures 27” square and is backed with a sweet jonquil print.

Our grand kitty, Gandalf, laid claim to it just as we tried taking pictures. I love the way his tippy toes rest right at the edge of the quilt. 

James' Baby Quilt

These blocks were made for the first quilt class I ever taught. Each block demonstrates a different hand sewing technique: piecing, curved piecing, set-in seams and appliqué. The blocks also illustrate particular quilting techniques: outline quilting, stitching in the ditch, cross hatching, hanging diamonds, echo quilting, stippling and all over designs like spider web and baptist fan.

Click to enlarge

I figured if I made each block from coordinating fabric, by the end of class, I'd have enough blocks for a quilt, rather than just a pile of random samples. Obviously, I chose fabrics with a baby in mind, covering both bases by including pink and blue.

When James was born, we hung the quilt on the wall above his crib. I continued to use it as a class sample, for years. It really was a good way to illustrate a variety of sewing techniques.

This picture? Just because.

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!