Mate, I have run out of complimentary things to say about your quilting abilities. It is so good and it really does keep getting better. I’ll bet my mum would have loved to see your postings. She quilted also. I still have one of her last ones on one of the beds. She made that one with her sister, my aunt.
Sjoerd, I would enjoy seeing a photo of your mum's quilt. That's a treasure to cherish. I have a quilt, made by my great grandmother Wilhelmina (Minnie). She was born in the Rhineland Palatinate. The quilt is probably about 90 years old. It's kept in an old steamer trunk, from my other great grandmother. Some day, I'll photograph it.
I think this will be a fun quilt. I'm making it as a gift for my sister-in-law who lives in China. I'm still procrastinating finishing the star quilt because Im not sure of what I want to do. These are samples of fabric, 10" square. One stack is batik and one stack is faint grey patterns on white. Pair each color square with a white square, facing together. Actually, with batik, both sides are the same anyway. That's why the colors are so rich. Sew them together around the edges, 1/4 inch seam. Cut the sewn square, corner to corner, both ways. Now fold open and press. It's four half-square triangles. Arrange to make an 'hourglass" center. Sew together with 1/4 inch seams. This is a nice, and traditional, kind of quilt block. Next we make it much more modern. Now cut into vertical and horizontal thirds, as exact as possible. I need to work on this. I'm not that precise. I added marked painter's tape to the cutting mat to help with measurements. Now flip around the corners, sides, 180 degrees, and the center square 90 degrees. The hourglass disappears and a star emerges. When the stars are sewn together, there will be a little hourglass at each corner, sort of an accent or memory of where we started. Now sew together with 1/4 inch seams. It's basically a nine-patch. Here are two of them. It sounds easy, and it's not too bad. I'm slow. Using the pre-cut ten inch squares makes it go a little faster, although they are not all cut perfectly. Also, the first corner - to - corner cuts make it all bias cut, which is kind of tricky. Using fabric samplers ("layer cakes") makes it possible to have a lot of different colors, although I might not like them all. The entire ten-inch square is used, so no waste. This block is on the internet as "disappearing hourglass". There are lots of traditional quiltblocks that get similar treatment. It's kind of magical. The last time I made a quilt, the intended recipient died before receiving it. I hope I'm not a jinx, please, please!
I took a break from the garden and got out this quilt. It was made by my great grandmother in the 1930s. The pattern is called "Grandmother's flower garden". These were often made from sewing scraps and from fabric flour sacks that were sold with fabric to use for quilts. Every stitch is hand-sewn. I hand washed it, gentle soap, and air dried it. Old fabric is fragile. It looks a little brighter than it was. My great grandmother's name was Wilhelmina. In all of her photos, she looks a bit stern. She bore 13 babies, only 4 survived to adulthood. She's the lady in the dark clothing. I would like to find a home for the quilt. I emailed my much younger cousin, maybe she would like to have it.
This is a beautiful work of art Daniel - you can count the time in every stitch, and see the pride. That is very nice that you are trying to pass it on in the family. It washed up nicely too
That is a very lovely quilt and it is interesting to see close-ups of handwork. The foto was also an interesting look into the past. That is a piece to be proud of. I hope that it will be kept and treasured.
Completed the red star quilt top today. I feel pretty satisfied with how it came out. There were lots of challenges and learnings along the way. The back is also pieced. It's OK, but it doesn't have to be too decorative since it's the back. I liked working with this pattern. I plan to repeat it with many-colored, richly colored batik fabric. But first, there are two others to complete as gifts, and a Christmas pattern is calling my name as well.
It looks as if someone in the last photo approves of the quilt Daniel. Maybe considering it for a new dog bed?
Nice looking bit of work there, Daniel. The grey tints look chic. You are as thoughtful with your quilts as you are with your gardens. Your quilts really are quite nice.
Thank you @Cayuga Morning . Now I'm organizing the fabrics and tidying up. There are several in the planning stages. I have been looking for quilt backings that cost less, without doing piece-work backing. One of the thrift stores here sometimes has unused, high quality, 100% cotton sheets. They are usually missing the matched sheet or pillows cases, but the cost is so much less than fabric store backing. And if I'm careful, the quality can be better. I found a few that should work. One will be a flannel backing, for a daily use quilt. I haven't quilted on flannel, so it will be interesting. The nice thing about buying in person, is I can evaluate the quality of the fabric. Some are really good. Most get rejected, for being too thin, too light, not a pattern I like, or too small (such as twin size).
