Sunday, October 9, 2011

Concord, Cranston and Peter Pan



Here is my finished Triangle Quilt. I don’t usually name my quilts, but this one is titled Concord, Cranston and Peter Pan after the fabric manufacturers of most of the fabric in the quilt. It measures about 74” by 86”. The HSTs - all 957 of them - are 2 ½” finished. My inspiration came from this antique quilt I found pictured in Mimi Dietrich’s Quilts An American Legacy



Here is the back of the quilt. I can tell I was just trying to get it done quickly.



My inspiration for the back came from this quilt in the book Virginia Quilt Museum by Joan Knight…


Here are some closeups-






I had to chuckle when I read on Barbara Brackman's Material Culture blog that she has a new fabric collection coming out featuring calicoes from the 60's and 70's. Click here for a peek.




I’ve read on other blogs that some of you like making little quilts because they are faster. They may take less stitching time, but for me they do not necessarily get done in less calendar time. The Triangle quilt took me 4 months to complete. This little blue and white took about 4 years to complete.




I made the little top and it sat. I quilted it last fall and it sat. I wasn’t sure what fabric to use for the binding. A couple weeks ago I auditioned fabrics again and this itsy bitsy flying geese (Civil War Crossings by Barbara Brackman #8121 – Susquehanna 1860-1880 for moda) was easily my favorite. I picked this fabric up at a guild yard sale this past spring. So glad I did!





These are just the finished blocks.
I have 25 more in various stages of completion.



My poor sewing machine has gone 14 months without a proper cleaning. After making a gazillion pineapple blocks for a guild demo (it went well), I decided I needed to give the thing a break. I’ll take it to The Quilt Patch tomorrow and hope I can get it back in a week. In the meantime I will do some hand stitching and prepare t-shirts for a t-shirt quilt I’m making for my niece.





Here are some spools I’m hand piecing…

Do you see the little shoe pin cushion? Our Irish neighbors, the Murphys, gave that to me after one of their trips back home. That was back in the early 1970's. I would have been a young teen. I guess I brought my embroidery with me when I babysat their daughter.








I just outline machine stitched this table runner for my church auction. Others will bind it. Sorry for the blurry photo.


I posted about this lone star on January 1. It was one of three projects I wanted to make headway on this year. I’ve thought a lot about all three, but haven’t done anything. I finally picked this one up and pinned the 4 segments onto the background. I had to do some creative pressing to make them meet correctly at the center. I had tried sewing the segments together, but they just aren’t going together smoothly. I did a poor piecing job. Let me know if you don’t think appliqueing them to a background will work. I plan to do it by hand. My motivation on this one is to meet the Springfield QU challenge “diamonds are a girls best friend”.  The completed quilt is due in February.





I didn’t realize how much I like 8-pointed stars. I recently became reacquainted with this quilt in Scrap Quilts The Art of Making Do by Roberta Horton. Mabry Benson was copying an antique quilt top when she made it. It is one of my all time favorite quilts!



Happy stitching!

17 comments:

  1. Absolutely love the Triangle quilt!!! And the back is amazing - blogging has broadened my thinking about everything quilting!!! Hence the "rabbit chasing"!! (your fault LOL) But I love it. I love your spool blocks (I think I "LOVE" all your stuff!!) I have a vintage spool quilt top that I will post soon. Blessings

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  2. What incredible projects! I wonder if a future historian will mistake it for one made a generation, or two, earlier. The pieced back is great, too. I'm itching to try that myself. You have been busy!

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  3. So much stitching going on at your place. I agree, the triangle quilt, just amazing. And the backing - wow. I am definitely not going to be buying the vintage calicoes from the 60s and 70s, I think I have some stashed away, deep, deep away. I love the last quilt you pictured too. I am sure you could make that.

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  4. Wow, a lot of - beautiful- work in this post ! I love all .

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  5. So many projects--my head is spinning!
    I love that triangle quilt. Most of my early quilts were from those fabric manufacturers as well. The fabrics they made were about all that was available around here in that era. And I want to know how you can tell from the backing that you did it in a hurry? It looks gorgeous!
    That little 9-patch quilt is sweet and you found the perfect binding fabric.
    Do you use a special ruler for your pineapple blocks or not? This is a design on my bucket list and I am curious which method you have used here.
    Your star is beautiful. I've never attempted this design so I have no opinion on the applique. Good luck on the finish of it.

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  6. Love your triangles and spools! And love that quilt from the Roberta Horton book - returning the visit Maureen - thanks for visiting my blog!

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  7. the triangle quilt is wonderful I love that you made a pieced back, I want to do more of that too. ok those fabrics in your triangle quilt are just so fun, one looks like a cheater cloth I wish I had a bolt of!!!!
    your little nine patch quilt is adorable, I am so glad you finsihed it.
    love the binding, I take a long time choosing bindings too, this one is perfect. wow that star quilt is an ambitious project good for you!
    can't wait to see your version! and yes I would have no problem appliquing them down, I have done that on a wall quilt I made as a gift a few years ago.
    baste it well.
    what a great post, very inspirational, thanks!
    Kathie

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  8. That triangle quilt is so cool, and the zigzag backing is great.

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  9. Wow!
    What a fun and busy and wonderful post.
    Your triangle quilt turned out beautifully. You must be so proud! I absolutely love the backing, hooray for the extra effort! It's very inspiring.
    I love your little quilt, despite the time it took, lol -
    Love the pineapple blocks and all your other projects!

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  10. Oh my goodness! Where to begin on your beautiful quilty post!! Your traingle quilt is amazing. knowing me I'd have sewn them all wrong adn I'd lose the affect. The backing is amazing as well!!
    Love the little blue and white mini. It shouldn't have taken that long to complete, but with the other beauties being quilted I understand why. Congrats on all your fantastic projects!

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  11. Maureen, I love your quilts. The triangle quilt is fantastic. I love the little blue and white quilt. You have some wonderful projects going on. I really enjoyed the pictures. Hugs

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  12. WOW Maureen - when do you sleep?!?!
    Each quilt so special - that pieced back is amazing.
    Love the little shoe pin cushion - and the story of how you came to own it.
    I dug my star quilt from 1985 out today - might just finish it this year ;-)
    Thanks for the motivation!

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  13. Just love your HST quilt, it turned out wonderfully, it's gorgeous!!!
    Love your lonestar too, I have made 3 of them so far in my quilting life LOL!!! and I love them! I don't know how it would go appliquing it to the background, but I guess there's always a first time! Lovely post Maureen!!
    I've been having trouble leaving comments of some people's blogs, I think blogger is having a few hiccups, so lets hope this one get through!!!

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  14. Your hst quilt is amazing, so many hours at the machine. It was well worth the effort.
    Your little one is lovely, your fabric choices are perfect as always.
    You still have a bit of finishing to do so I won't distract you for too long.
    Still waiting for my books!

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  15. I just love that triangle quilt. You did a great job reproducing the original. The little quilt is cute. I don't know why sometimes it takes us longer to do one of the smaller ones than it does a big one. And your pineapple blocks are just WOW!

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  16. My head is spinning from all the quilty overload. And I love it!
    I adore meaningful quilt names. Yours is perfect, and congratulations for not giving up on all those HST.
    I found a used copy of the Roberta Horton book one day and I'm so glad I bought it. Unlimited inspiration inside.

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  17. Wow Maureen! Your triangles quilt is fabulous! And the quilting on it is perfect! Just right! And I'm loving your pineapple blocks.....I really want to do a pineapple one day....they always catch my attention!

    I love that you kept that pincushion since you were a kid.....that is wonderful! You had the stitching passion at an early age! :o)

    And you bowties and lone star look awesome! I think it's a very good idea to applique it to a background, especially if the segments are a little wonky.....you can 'make' it work!

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