Curvy Blue Vintage

This gorgeous hand-pieced, curvy blue vintage quilt top was so much fun to quilt. As with others in this series, the customer found these in the estate of a relative and wanted it to be used and loved. There were actually 5 quilts total, this is the first I am showcasing that came un-quilted.

Not only did I do the edge to edge quilting for this beauty, I also put the binding on as well. – I really hated to see it go, it was so unique. A modern-looking quilt done so many years ago.

This quilt was not without it’s challenges; however. At some point, someone had washed the top.

In order to ensure that threads didn’t bunch up and mar the back of the quilt (which was done in muslin – I spent at least an hour cleaning up all the random threads that had frayed from the piecing. The piecer did an amazing job with her small – tight stitches. No seam came loose!

Here is an example of her beautiful stitches:

Loading on the Long-Arm

While there was some issues with tension over the different pieced elements, considering this was hand-pieced, these were minor and easy enough to navigate.

E2E Pattern – Celtic Sea

As I will mention over and over – not everyone wants their vintage, hand-quilted tops finises on a long arm. In this instance, the customer wanted the quilt to stand up to use for at least one more generation. For this reason, she picked a fun E2E Pattern that really set off the block design:

E2E Patterns
Celtic Sea

Usually, I like to quilt an edge to edge pattern that is opposite of the feel of the piecing, in other words, curves on a non-curvy quilt and so forth. In this instance; however, we decided on a complimentary curvy edge to edge design, and we could not be more pleased.

I even loved the simple, muslin backing after the quilting on Curvy Blue Vintage was complete.

I really fell in love with this quilt and hated to see it go.

Check out other posts in this series:

Antique Pink Diamonds Vintage Quilt
Scrappy Log Cabin
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Scrappy Log Cabin

Scrappy Log Cabin is another of the five vintage quilts I was honored to finish for a sweet lady. This quilt is everything you would look for in a vintage quilt. It has color, textures and hand quilting that withstood even a trip through the wash as a top before being quilted.

Scrappy Log Cabin

Scrappy

This quilt is scrappy to the Nth degree. Random colors, textures and yes – Fabrics! The only non-random element is a cute red square in each block.

Any of you that have worked with various different fabrics in one quilt know just how challenging it can be. Luckily – this quilt went on and off the long arm quite easily. I had some issues with the fabric wanting to stretch due to some of the content, but with a little smoothing along the way, everything turned out nice and flat.

Lots of scrappy fabrics!

Hand Pieced

Yes, this quilt was hand pieced by a very patient woman. Lucky for me, she did a great job and her stitches stayed true. The client had washed all the tops before bringing them to me, so the risk was high for this one to fall apart – it did not! Even with all the different fabrics included in this Scrappy Log Cabin, the stitches held tight.

Edge to Edge

The Edge to Edge pattern we chose was “Seamless”. This is a very relaxed pattern that while random seeming, is also organized and adds curvy softness to an otherwise angular design. The overall effect on front and back is perfect for this quilt.

Edge to Edge Patterns
Seamless

I am quite a fan of log cabin quilts, in fact, I have created quite a few. Check below for more information:

An Elegant Affair – this quilt was later gifted to a long-time friend.

King Cabin Crane

King Cabin Crane

There is also a free pattern link for the King Cabin Crane – Here!

What are your favorite Log Cabin quilts?

Check out other posts in this series:

Antique Pink Diamonds Vintage Quilt
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Antique Pink Diamonds Vintage Quilt

Antique Pink Diamonds

This is the first in a series of posts that I will share with you about finishing several vintage quilts. The first quilt, Antique Pink Diamonds, was the only one originally quilted but it had many other problems.

Decisions… Decisions

It is not uncommon to receive a vintage quilt from a customer that is badly in need of repair. The question is always “do you repair it past the point of recreating?” In this case, we carefully assessed the damage and considered all the options. As you can see in the image above, this beautiful old quilt had been loved quite a bit.

Because this beauty was fairly good sized, it was decided to trim all the worst areas to make a smaller quilt and put on new binding. A new baby was expected in the family, so this will be a beautiful addition to the little one’s room.

There had been some attempt to repair worn areas previously. This sheath was installed to create a smooth edge and cover the damage. It was decided to remove this as part of the process.

We chose a small print pink and white fabric that has the feel of flour sacks to work for the binding. It was a very sweet addition to the overall look of the quilt. Antique pink diamonds vintage quilt will be carefully used and loved due to its delicate nature, but knowing it will be around for the next generation makes my heart happy.

If you want to learn more about how you can have our treasures preserved, start here: LONG ARM SERVICES

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Green Fleur & Gold Renaissance Gown

There has been a bit of interest regarding the gowns that I am making. Because of this, you will see more posts (I like to call them stories) about the gowns I make and their process. Recently, I finished a green and gold gown and can’t be happier with the results.

Green Fleur & Gold Gown

Patterns

  • A design wall works great to lay out pieces
  • Margo Anderson Tailored Bodice
  • Margo Anderson Sleeves

I used Margo Anderson’s Elizabethan Tailored Bodice and Lady’s Sleeves patterns as a guide as well as skirt patterns of my own design. All elements were altered to fit my own body.

Fabric, trim and embellishments

I was inspired specifically by the printed fleur de lis fabric that acts as a focal point of this gown. With this as my guide, I began to research other items that could be incorporated into the gown. The image below shows some of the elements I brought together. Not all of them made it to the final product, but you can see how each relates.

Green Fleur and Gold Elements
Green Fleur and Gold Elements

I fell in love with the double strung bead elements. The opalescence green and gold swirls were perfect for this dress. The brown/green filigree trim didn’t make the cut, instead I opted for a gold ribbon to overlay with the green. Other elements also found their way into this gown as time went on including gemstones to adhere to the green fleur fabric and strings of beads for trim.

Trim and beading

The process of overlaying the trim was time-consuming but not without it’s rewards.

Each sleeve receives a special beading treatment.

Unfortunately, the beads in the sleeve treatment above were not ideal, they tended to pop out of their light metal frame. I ended up affixing them with glue.

After the trim was in place, the work of adding beading to the over skirt began – over 3,000 beads in total. *Note, the white on the image above is not a smudge, it is chalk from the marks for the grommets that would be placed on the bodice and sleeves.

Beading the Over Skirt
Lots of beads!

You may notice that there are actually two versions of the Girdle Belt. The one above was just not substantial enough to be noticed with the green background fabric, so I made version 2 below.

Take 2 of the Girdle Belt – much nicer!

Below is the finished product at Scarborough Renaissance Faire. I say “finished product” loosely as I am actually working on another bodice version as we speak and would like to also make a jacket. Luckily, when I find fabric I like, I buy a lot of it just in case!

You will also notice that I created a matching hat and bag to finish the overall look.

So, what’s next on my list.. well below is a little sneak preview:

Red Fleur and Gold coming soon!
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You are My Sunshine

Every new baby deserves a quilt to welcome them into this world. You are My Sunshine is the perfect gift of color and warmth for a special child. Buttery yellows and vibrant blues – these are some of my favorite colors!

You are my Sunshine Baby Quilt

The blues, black and sunny yellows provide for the perfect contrast of this quilt. The next choice was the quilting. This proved to be quite the easy decision. Margaret had already decided on the perfect E2E flower design. You can find this and other designs HERE.

Edge to Edge Patterns
Blossom Cluster
Blossom E2E
Sunflower

The creamy yellow Superior Thread was a perfect compliment that worked with all the different values in this beautiful quilt. I don’t know of a child that would not love to keep this beauty forever.

What type of baby quilt is your favorite?

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