Reproduction Quilts

2012, i think it’s gonna be a good one.

January 8, 2012 by Margaret

It’s certainly started off well anyway,

Friends, quite literally, wandered in on a whim about 8pm New Year’s eve to see what we were doing…

Max and Benson,

…which wasn’t a lot, but we soon had something celebratory happening.

And it was 2012 when they left.

We have had very hot weather here during the first week of January, several days of temps around 36 to 40 degrees C (97 – 104F) so it was way too hot to be over in the cottage/studio.

Instead I decided to work in the house and get a couple of my own quilts quilted.

A quilt of many names and inspirations

Quilting this quilt top was on my Summer hol’s to do list after I finally embroidered the three pairs of legs and four eyes required to complete the quilt about a month ago.

I started this quilt back in 2008, it’s a Nonie Fisher pattern from a quilt she started in 1998 which she called ‘As Time Goes By’ after the (fabulous) British TV series of the same name starring Dame Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. I’ve known Nonie for many years and she told me the quilt was based on the one which was always on the bed in this show, but you only ever saw the sides (masses of pinwheels) and not the top of it so we never knew what the whole quilt looked like.

So Nonie drew up the centre from the 1818 Ann Daggs quilt and placed that in the centre of her pinwheel quilt.

Fast forward to 2008 when I was doing a class with Nonie, and she very kindly gave me the pattern sheet for the centre of this quilt and a photo of her quilt for reference.

My quilt then evolved just a little bit more as I took out two of the birds from the Ann Daggs quilt and replaced them with the Peacock and Elephant from the 1858-1863 Bird of Paradise quilt top in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum. I had been in Rajasthan, India in 2008 and was looking to have a reminder of that. The Peacock is the State symbol of Rajasthan and, well the Elephant needs no explanation, I saw plenty of those on the roads.

So at last my quilt is done, after I’ve stitched the binding down!!

Name…? it’s working title has been The Rajasthan Quilt but I’m not sure that now feels right. I’ll ponder it a while.

Next on the list was this…

Le Rouvray's house quilt

…which I talked about back here

Quilting in progress

I had fun quilting this, randomly choosing between bricks for the houses and trailing vines

Le Rouvray House quilt

Today it’s a bit cooler so, after lunch, I am heading off to the cottage/studio to complete the two half drafted Maltaville Blocks which are lying in wait for me.

Look at this though…I have made sure I’ve remembered to “slow down, smell the coffee“

Coffee, Central Victoria style

4 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Applique, Machine Quilting, Reproduction Quilts

Happy Holidays

December 28, 2011 by Margaret

Season's greetings from my house to yours

My wish is to have time to relax on that sofa with some hand sewing, and something festive to eat and drink.

I know that won’t happen on ‘the day’ but Boxing day will do.

The studio is taking shape and I have been over there doing some work, but I’m still in that transition stage, where whatever it is I need to put my hands on…it’s in the *other* building.

I’ve noticed a few of us are enjoying new spaces at the moment…

Sue from I Sew Quilts

And Sally from Feather on a Wire

I’ve not yet moved my fabrics over, I need to work out where I want my shelves. And I just know I’ll change the furniture around a couple of times before I settle…and even then I’m likely to change it again.

Maybe it’s a Libra thing.

I do know it’s a DH thing to want to put shelves up just the once

So here’s a pic of the studio looking a bit more lived in.

Ahem,

That was all written last week…and I’ve only just sat down to blog again.

And the first thing I did was pop a new header photo up top…it’s a fabric I got on ebay.

Never saw this Margo Krager Dargate on our shores, at least not at any quilt shops I frequent.

However I don’t think it really ‘goes’ with the other colours and unfortunately I can’t find the previous blog header photo. It’s possibly in the folder that Jenn made, it has sub folders and each one she has marked *don’t touch* mmmmm

When she comes out next I’ll smile and ask her to put it back how it was…please.

I hope you all had a super Christmas, I have to do secret shots of my family because we’re all a bit camera shy.

I managed to snap this one of them relaxing after making short work of the antipasto platter.

Christmas 2011

DH has his back to the camera and I have caught my two kiddies chatting away like the happiest of siblings that they are.

Christmas was a small affair this year, which was very nice for the cook, moi.

Since then, I have been catching up with hand sewing so my Christmas wish did come true

I had a few Maltaville blocks earmarked to F.i.n.i.s.h., they had been hanging around way too long in various stages of completed-ness, so they went to the top of the ‘to do’ list.

Block A5

Block A5 was pretty straight forward… four small stars and eight little hearts. Tick

Block H2 in progress

Block H2 was another matter entirely. I had in fact progressed beyond this photo and months ago had sewn the centre shape…

but horror of horrors, the middle bit of it where the blades come together looked lopsided, even tho it looked perfectly symmetrical on the pattern sheet.

Well that was how it has stayed all that time but this week was the week to get it off the wall and deal with it.

Back to the drawing board, making sure the centre was a circle.

Start again

And while I was at it, I decided to sew the star using Barbara Brackman’s method of a star from a circle which I mentioned a while ago, here’s Barbara’s method here

I had made a couple of hasty trials (with bad results) in the past but for this one I calculated I needed a 4″ star with 1″ cuts. That should give me the star shape I wanted. I know I’m missing the point of this being a ‘free-form’ star aren’t I!

Free form star

Nope…I can’t live with that. I know it’s a satisfactory replica of the stars on the original quilt but I just am not happy with the way it looks. I know they are supposed to be ‘imperfect’ and template free and I know I am missing the point of it all completely but it’s not how I want my quilt to look…not my Maltaville anyway, maybe on another quilt it’d work for me.

I think the ladies of the 19th Century were just plain better at doing it sans template than I am.

So for this quilt I’ve gone back to the other way ~ an eight pointed star cut from a template.

Block H2, last star being sewn down

This block is now finished, so H2 done. Tick

C3 The Iris… this was a block that required only four Dark Blue pieces and a clayx added to it.

Of course, the reason I procrastinate over a block (and I’m sure we’re all the same) is that I’m just not happy with it and I’m not sure why yet…but it will come to me if I leave it long enough LOL

As I added each of the last four Dark Blue pieces, The Brown became less and less Okay until it just had to go.

I know the block would have originally been much stronger tones and probably a purple, but I liked the way it has faded to a warm brown. But it wasn’t looking right in my version. So now it is Purple.

Off with the old, on with the new!!

And while I was at it, that free form star is going too cos I’m not doing them like that now.

I love that Smithsonian fabric but it’s just a bit ‘flat’,

Out

C2 finished. Tick

Block C2

And one more block to show, truly all this done since Boxing Day.

Block C3

This one has been drafted for a while but I hadn’t had a chance to do any more with it, but now finished. Tick.

I’d like to get a little more quilting done on the Welsh Quilt too but someone has other ideas.

In our house a cat can sleep peacefully knowing they will never be moved.

til soon

5 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Applique, Design, Maltaville Album Quilt 1847, Musings, Reproduction Quilts, Smithsonian Fabrics

All I want for Christmas is a new studio

December 17, 2011 by Margaret

And that’s what I’ve got, well one room of a studio anyway.

DH had to fit in the painting around the day job and other chores, and of course it takes so long when it’s all DIY.

So one room is complete and I have spent the last few days sorting & moving stuff and then sorting it and moving it some more.

Of course I up-ended two rooms in the house in the process, so there was a lot to sort.

Works in Progress

I started with the unfinished quilts/UFO’s/ Works in Progress

Call ‘em what we will, we’ve all got ‘em haven’t we… haven’t we??

I sorted but I didn’t count LOL

I only brought over a little at a time

Mostly I huffed things across in my arms but my Smithsonian fabrics came in one hit on a trolley

Four tubs of Smithsonian

of course I could have just bunged them in their slots on the shelves,

but nooooo…

I decided to sort those too.

Well it’s just that they get mucked up all the time as they come out of the box for quilt possibilities.

RJR Smithsonian fabric...The Groom's Quilt

RJR Smithsonian Fabric...The Little Sister's Quilt

RJR Smithsonian Fabric...The Copp Quilt

it’s actually better the way I have them now, I can see what I’ve got.

RJR Smithsonian Fabric...The Rising Sun Quilt

The room is looking a lot more lived in now (these photo’s were taken on Wednesday)

I have my office desk under the window

It (like a quilt) is still a work in progress and I will take some more photo’s to show you tomorrow.

On Friday I moved the books over, lots of huffing and puffing I can tell you.

So my plan for the holiday break, after the next Maltaville mail-out that is, is to start on a couple of those tubs of UFO’s,

first is the Red & White Pine Tree Quilt

Pine Tree Block

I’ve also been chipping away at the hand quilting of the Welsh Quilt

Welsh Quilt

I got some done when Jenn came over last week for a sewing day, but those borders are going to take a while…sigh.

We were pretty productive

Sewing Day

I aim to get another blog post in during the week so I won’t wish you happy hol’s just yet.

Take a look at Fiona’s Country Threads blog if you get a chance, she’s recently been in the States and has been quilt museum-ing.

There is quilt eye candy galore over several posts.

6 Comments

Filed Under: Musings, Reproduction Quilts, Smithsonian Fabrics

Gathering Dust…

November 22, 2011 by Margaret

Yes that’s what Jennifer said when she popped in yesterday,

“How’s that quilt coming along…it looks like it’s gathering dust?”

Pine tree blocks...still in progress!

It’s true I set the machine up on the end of the table so I would be able to sew the blocks in the evenings,

but it just hasn’t been happening. No reason, just not in the mood.

The machine has been there longer than I care to remember now, has to be a month I’d say!!

Never mind, I’ll get to it eventually.

Today the postie brought two treasures

Quiltmania magazine

and some fabric.

I grabbed a bit more RJR Smithsonian fabric from Heart of Dixie and *filled the bag* with some oldies but goodies.

Fabric goodie bag

Heart of Dixie is a great spot for those fabrics which have long gone in Australia, our repro stuff gets snapped up so quickly.

I’ve also been busy drafting for the Maltaville Quilt and getting very good at paper cutting.

I remember asking my daughter a while back about the pronunciation of Scherenschnitte

(she spent some time in Germany and then Zurich in her late teens as an au pair and going to German language school)

The conversation went something like this.

“darling how is Scherenschnitte pronounced?”

“How is what pronounced!!”

“Scherenschnitte, how do I pronounce it?”

“Mumsie, I don’t know, what are you talking about? I don’t know what you mean”

“you must know, you would have done it with the kids…Paper Cutting”

“ohhh, Scherenschnitte” pronounced in a way I could never hope to repeat.

Anyway here is my effort at that activity, I’m better at doing it than saying it LOL

Scherenschnitte galore

the above has now resulted in this

I find that the old fashioned paper cutting, like folded paper dolls,

is the best way to do some of these blocks and get them symmetrical (hopefully, though I’ve had a few rejects)

I should add that I’m sure my pronunciation is not too bad it’s just that where languages are concerned DD is a bit of a perfectionist.

Another nice thing that is happening is the arrival of Spring and soon Summer.

One of my cousins in NZ has joined me up to her Facebook Garden Group so I have been photographing,

and therefore enjoying more,

my garden as well as hers.

So here’s a lovely rose to enjoy from my garden.

William Morris Roses

Til soon

7 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Design, Maltaville Album Quilt 1847, Reproduction Quilts, Smithsonian Fabrics

Sunday morning…

October 16, 2011 by Margaret

I walked in to my workroom this morning to a table strewn with stuff…

May I have a bigger table please?

My best friend popped in about 4.30 yesterday to see what I’d been up to.

It was great to see her as we’ve both been so busy lately.

So I downed tools…I was doing the above…and we headed down to Kyneton for a coffee (I did turn the iron off)

then we came back here and DH cooked dinner while BF and I chatted and had a few drinks.

Then we all watched a movie and she went home about 11.30

t’was lovely to just chill.

So this morning I went in to the workroom to start the day and to try to remember where I was up to.

But then I remembered I had to leave that for the day because I was going to post the Maltaville blocks on to the other blog today,

so I went in to the ‘other’ workroom…

There's the blocks I had selected the other day...

and found more half done stuff.

Now of course it’s perfectly fine to have lots of half done stuff,

but I’m just not good at packing up after myself.

I’m a visual person,

if I can’t see it then I’m scared I’ll forget to do something.

I need constant visual reminders that I have things that need my attention.

If you turn 90 degrees to the left in this room you will see this

More 'in progress' stuff

I’m bringing patterns ‘up to date’,

LOL, I’ve lowered the ironing board to give myself another work surface.

I’ll leave that where it is even though it’s in my way…it will take longer to pack it away than it will to finish the job.

I can walk sideways for the day.

So, what’s that quilt in the first photo?

Another work in progress,

this one based on an 1826 quilt which will evolve in to something, something bigger than the original which is a cradle quilt.

For starters I’ve noted what I’ve done and the fabrics I’ve used my work book

this time I remembered to note the start date

The working title is The Cradle Quilt but it won’t be a cradle quilt.

This is how it looked a couple of nights ago on the design wall

Cradle Quilt 1826

Now I’m off to do that Maltaville post.

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Filed Under: Cradle Quilt 1826, Design, Musings, Reproduction Quilts

Short post…with pics

October 13, 2011 by Margaret

Now that my fingers have stopped bleeding from all that typing the other day

I just wanted to show you a few pics of something else I’d been doing over the last month.

I don't have a name for this yet, other than it's Cheddar and Indigo!

I just made this quilt on a total whim, astounding that the whim lasted long enough to finish it too.

I’m always excited to see my copy of Quiltmania arrive in the post box…

Issue #85

but this one doubly, triply quadruply so because it had not only articles about the Castlemaine Applique Group featuring quilts from talented Aussie quilters, The Sydney Quilt show featuring quilts from some different talented Aussie quilters and an article about quilts from the collection of Australian quilt historian Dr Annette Gero…

… it also featured my friend (I’m happy to call her my friend) Linda Collins and her collection of Antique quilts

you can see the Linda’s post about it here,

But it also featured

the pattern for the quilt at the top of the post which I fell in love with and simply had to make.

So I did.

In about a week and a half from ‘go to whoa’.

Set myself up with all my little pieces beside the machine

image of Cheddar and Indigo quilt in progress

Each pinned together bit is one block

I aimed for about six blocks per night, of course some nights I did more cos some nights I did nothing.

Laid out a few blocks

image of Cheddar and Inbdigo quilt blocks

Yeah...I'm going to like this

And voila…by Saturday night I had the top done (well actually it was the wee hours of Sunday morning), and on Sunday morning (proper) I pieced a gorgeous Cheddar and Indigo back for it.

Then I vacuumed the floor.

Hope to get it quilted soonish.

Another pic for good measure

The quilt was designed by Paula Barnes and went together like a breeze.

10 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Indigo Blues, Reproduction Quilts

I have not started a new quilt…it’s just a block.

September 6, 2011 by Margaret

image of 19th century Rising Sun Album Quilt

Truly.

Rising Sun Album block

Speaking of new, I’ve got a new blog friend too and that is how this new quilt block came about.

Please let me introduce you to Marsha, she has very recently started a quilt blog which I’ve been enjoying reading.

Marsha’s blog is called On The Go Quilting and she wrote to me a couple of weeks ago as she was searching for any info about a quilt she had seen in the Weathersfield Historical Society in Vermont, in particular the name of the quilt.

Of course Marsha had googled Rising Sun Quilt and because I blather on so much about the Smithsonian Fabrics, including the Rising Sun fabrics, my name monopolised the first page of searches.

Here’s a portion of the quilt from Marsha’s Blog (thanks Marsha)

detail of c. 1850 Rising Sun Album Quilt, in the collection of the Weathersfield Historical Society, Vermont.

And below is the link which will take you to the post where Marsha talks about her visit to the Weathersfield Historical Society

(you’ll see more lovely old quilts in the post, click here)

She (and then in turn I) was interested in the pattern name attributed to the quilt ‘The Rising Sun Album Quilt’.

We have both been on a bit of a search since then, looking for an alternative name. I have ‘yet’ to find that block anywhere under any name, and in all my reference material the name ‘Rising Sun’ will show blocks that don’t bear any resemblence to the above at all.

As I was in the mood for a little diversion I decided to quickly (huh) run up a block.

For eight pointed stars I pretty much always use the Easy Eight and Companion Angle rulers, so choosing a size and rotary cutting the diamonds and set in triangles was done in a flash.

That was the end of quick, I then decided to draw on the seam allowance and hand piece the block, well the machine wasn’t ‘out’ and I just couldn’t be bothered getting it out.

The original quilt does have signatures in the little triangle, it’s hard to know if I’ve made my block too big or too small but I do like the scale of it so I’m happy with it. I made it 8 1/2″ finished. I also appliqued the triangle for the signatures, though it does appear to have been pieced in when I look closely.

When time allows I will draft a block properly with a pieced signature triangle.

Marsha has also made a block, you can see it here, where she also talks more about the mystery, and a great quilting tip too.

So, what fun…

Has anyone out there seen this block/quilt pattern? In the flesh or in a book even?

I really love the colours of this quilt, I know I won’t be able to help myself…I’ll be making this quilt.

Just not this week.

4 Comments

Filed Under: Antique Quilts, Design, Musings, Reproduction Quilts

How much do you think I got done?

August 23, 2011 by Margaret

I’m back from retreat and I think I’m pleased with my efforts over the weekend…

I got all the blocks sewn for my modern quilt.

This was so quick and easy I had the blocks sewn before dinner on Friday night.

It’s not exactly how I saw it in my mind, of course it still needs its splashes of appliqued leaves here and there so it’s too early to tell.

I will leave the leaves (hehehe that’s funny) until I can have a quiet day at home to ponder colours and placement in my own time.

I think I will place some of the leaves to cover that blue…it’s taking over a bit and needs toning down.

I didn’t get a lot of the quilting done on the Welsh Quilt.

When I laid it out at the retreat I was surprised (and fighting back feelings of deflation) at how little I had done at my last effort…

bah humbug I thought I had done more than that

However I have started again on the quilting and that has renewed my motivation to work on it steadily to completion. Let’s see shall we!

Our LQG is making aprons for the members to wear at Quilt-ins and Exhibitions so a few of us had a little production line to get a further nine finished to complete our quota of 12 aprons.

The maroon colour is exactly the colour of my school uniform at high school.

I told Alison I’m glad she didn’t add a Gold, I would have felt I was back in form three.

Just had a little google search and the uniform hasn’t changed much.

Queen Elizabeth College, or as we called just plain QEC.

The tie has changed (I thought that was the one thing you never changed), we didn’t have the blue in the tie, just the girls’ summer tunic.

I digress…

at the last moment on Friday before leaving I threw in a half finished Maltaville Block.

And managed to finish it.

I’ll post a picture of it shortly cos there’s such a flurry of activity here with the Maltaville there’s more new blocks I want to show you.

soon

6 Comments

Filed Under: Musings, Reproduction Quilts

Spring is getting ready to…spring

August 3, 2011 by Margaret

Some of my recent posts have made mention of the bleak winter we have had, well look now…

First blooms

I took a little stroll around the garden at lunchtime

(it’s warmer outside than in because I let the fire go out last night)

I have masses and masses of Daffodils but the first are just emerging now, give it a few weeks and my garden will be a blaze of yellow.

Violets too…

I wish you coud smell these...heady.

I look out my window to potted Hyacinths… but I will plant these out in the garden when they die back.

ooops...Spot the spray starch through the window, this is my workroom.

And just to illustrate that here in Australia we know we really shouldn’t moan about cold winters, hanging on all through winter are two roses still in bloom…a bit ratty looking but they’ve seen more than a few frosts.

Dublin Bay, a (usually) very gorgeous climber.

I have been very productive on the Maltaville these last few weeks, drafting and prepping.

But before prepping comes auditioning the fabrics.

The Prussian Blue is a given, and the Red. At this stage I’m going with the fabric on the top right hand side for the arcs.

Some fabric choices fall in to place so easily and these next two I’m really happy with.

I ‘m really pleased how close these fabric choices are to the original…maybe the best so far.

Block D1

Block D8

I never did get any little yellow check of the right scale or shade for a few of the blocks so I have

repeated a light cheddar (or a dark butterscotch yellow)

which I have used in another block for this next one.

Block D3

Time to light the fire again, I have another Maltaville block partly sewn which I want to finish

this evening and I need to make sure the living room is

Toastie.

til soon…

2 Comments

Filed Under: Applique, Maltaville Album Quilt 1847, Musings, Reproduction Quilts

Catching up…again.

July 17, 2011 by Margaret

Violet (my trusty longarm) and I have been working overtime lately as the Melbourne Quilt Show is just around the corner.

The Exhibition quilts which had been booked in months and months ago have steadily been arriving in the studio as the Quilt Show draws closer.

I’m pleased to say that the final Exhibition quilt was finished and given back to its owner on Friday.

Apart from a quick trip to the Physio (routine maintenance) I have not left the property in over a week nor done any ‘other’ sewing so there wasn’t anything to blog about really.

I want to show you just a couple of other quilts from the Sydney Quilt Show last month which I really liked and then I think normal blogging can resume.

Many thanks to Pam Curtis and Shirley Gibson for letting me show their quilts and also to the repro lovers yahoo group for helping me find Pam and Shirley.

When I read on Pam’s quilt label that she started her Dear Jane in 1996 I thought “there’s gotta be some Smithsonian in there” and I wasn’t disappointed.

There are four Smithsonian fabrics in this pic.

Hand Pieced and Hand Quilted

Pam’s Dear Jane, named ‘A Passage in Time’, features lots of Smithsonian fabrics but also many other pretty but muted repros. The quilt has a very beautiful mellow look as a result of that but also because of the hand piecing and hand quilting.

This last quilt is Red, Green Again by Shirley Gibson. It won three awards including Excellence in Hand Quilting.

I didn’t take any closeups because what I admire is the absolute precision with the applique placement. See how the grids and circular shapes intertwine… perfectly. Just fabulous.

Red, Green Again by Shirley Gibson

I know the Melbourne Quilt Show will be just as inspiring as the Sydney one.

My LQG, The Goldfields Quilters, will have 16 quilts on display in a special area of the Exhibition and I’ll be helping to ‘man’ our display on the Thursday morning.

Please stop by and say hello if you’re there

3 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Reproduction Quilts, Smithsonian Fabrics

2012, i think it’s gonna be a good one.

Happy Holidays

All I want for Christmas is a new studio

Gathering Dust…

Sunday morning…

Short post…with pics

I have not started a new quilt…it’s just a block.

How much do you think I got done?

Spring is getting ready to…spring

Catching up…again.

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