The Governor's Invitation

 Virginia Reel: 2022  (Started:2021)

I had in my stash a small collection of 1800’s reproduction prints, and had been waiting for the right moment to use them.  I’d seen a wonderful antique pinwheel quilt made in Maryland (1860-1880) in QuiltMania (141, p.17) and that sparked an idea. 

During our stay in Virginia, we had visited Colonial Williamsburg. I never tired of visiting the Governor’s Palace, for its beautiful gardens and inspiring décor.  The Ballroom was especially impressive with bold pinks and bright blues.  Given the local and natural dyes we had seen at nearby Jamestown (albeit used much earlier), the colours in the Palace seemed so surprising but the wealthy were, of course, able to access the best on offer from Europe and elsewhere.  So, there I was in 2019, at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum Gift shop stocking up on (just a few more) colourful reproduction prints from that era.  After all, they were also on sale for a bargain price.  Who could say no to an offer like that?

In the Garden Shed and loving it!

Back home, it took until 2021 before I found a traditional pattern called Double Pinwheel that coupled with my heritage print collection, conjured up a vision of whirling couples dancing the night away in their finery at the Palace.  Needless to say, I had to add quite a few non-reproductions (in the right colours & only from the stash) to fill out the required number of pinwheels.  Eighty to be precise!  Eight rows across and ten down.  I also decided, as I stitched, that I preferred the look of all blocks and no border, with just a “low value” binding so as not to detract from the energy as the colours whirled and soared.

To bring the vision together, I machined quilted (on my trusty domestic, Bernie Bernina) a dense pattern of sweet peas (you will have to use your imagination here, I’m afraid), leaves and vines – nature at its chaotic best.  Such quilting is rather stiff, but I’ve found that it does soften, or relax, a bit over time. 

On the bed in the motel room - the best out-of-the-wind spot we could find...

Sweet Pea Quilting

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 156 x 196cm
Block Sizes: 20cm (8 inch) unfinished; 7.5 inch finished
Cut in: 30 July 2021
Pieced by: 10 Aug 2021
Basted by: 18-19 Oct 2021
Quilted: Machine Nov 2022, over 6 days; 4 reels Gutermann Sulky 30wt 4010 (Caramel Apple)
using 24 bobbins Gutermann Quilting Cotton 50wt (variegated dark to light brown).
Quilt Type: Traditional
Quilt Finished: 16 Nov 2022
Exhibited:
Collection: Gifted to Florence 19 Nov 2022 (Greg’s 80^th Birthday)
Pattern Name: Double Pinwheel
Pattern Source: Hopkins & Martin, 101 Fabulous Rotary Cut Quilts,1998, p.75
Fabrics Purchased: From Colonial Williamsburg; also, The Calico Patch, long-closed quilt shop in Nicholls, Canberra; and a few more during RLI expeditions over the years.
Fabric Design: Reproduction Prints & Stripes, plus many extras
Fabric Style: Period Reproductions, American Revolutionary Period & Civil War & others
Materials Type: Printed Cottons
Wadding Type: Cotton (Warm & Natural, Needled)
Backing: Pieced simply using left-over remnants 

The Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia was originally built, starting in 1706, in English Baroque style however was destroyed by fire on Dec 22, 1781.  The existing reconstruction was started in 1931 in Colonial Revival style. 

We tried a few outdoor shots the next day
but it was way too windy!

Louisiana Charm

 LeMoyne Stars: 2020  (Started: 2020)

By April 2020, I’d realised that living with COVID was going to be challenging.  I belong to a (non-quilting) group with a small membership who had been unable to meet but we hoped to have a Christmas gathering in order to raise funds for those more deserving.  I thought a simple quilt would make a suitable auction item and help out a bit.

I settled on a Lemon Star pattern from Jenny Doan, Missouri Star Quilts (her fab tutorial 28 Feb 2020, is here) and a nice subtle colour palette of pinks, maroons, greens and creams.  It became my first introduction to making multiple HST’s (half square triangles) which worked out simply and easily, especially with being able to watch Jenny closely and learn from her tips & tricks. 

With little fuss, and seemingly in no time at all, I had a nice top ready to quilt, with time to spare (just) before the gathering.  I normally take at least 2 years to make a quilt, so I was actually rather worried about meeting my deadline.  It all worked out well in the end.  The quilt found a lovely home, a tidy sum was raised, and my stash is slimming off…albeit rather too slowly.

Scrappy stars, pretty in pink (hanging from the "sail loft")

To my mind, the finished quilt had a bit of a French air about it.  The traditional LeMoyne Star block is thought to have originated about 1834 and is named after the Le Moyne brothers who settled in the French Colony of Louisiana in 1699.  Later, in 1718, they founded New Orleans.  The State is home to the Mississippi River, wet-lands called bayous, shrimp boats and oil rigs.  Think vibrant jazz and foot-tappin’ zydeco.  And alligators.  Let’s not forget the ‘gators. 

Out in the garden with that cranky helper, again... 

Just for the Record:

Quilt Finished Size: 190 x 190cm 

Block Sizes: 10” 

Cut in: 17 Apr 2020 

Pieced & Basted: 22 Oct 2020

Quilted: Machine: 1 – 11 Dec 2020

Quilt Type: Traditional

Quilt Finished: 12 December 2020

Exhibited: 

Collection: Home #069

Pattern Name: Lemon Star

Pattern Source: Missouri Star Quilts Tutorial 28 Feb 2020

Fabrics Purchased: From the Stash…

Fabric Design: Traditional Prints & some Stripes

Fabric Style: Soft

Materials Type: Printed Cottons 

Wadding Type: Cotton

Backing: Pieced using left-over remnants & blocks

Underway & trying to find the right balance
of colour for the borders..as you do!

Out of the Box...At Last!

 Antique Toys#3: 2020  (Started: 2006)

Well, thank goodness this quilt, be it ever so small, is finally out of the UFO Box and on the Quilt Bed with all of its other buddies. Started in 2006, when I was confined to home with a broken leg, this seemed the perfect something to keep me busy.  And off my feet.

There’s not a lot to tell other than it was quite obvious that once I started this quilt, I regretted taking it on.  Not so much for the blocks; even the applique was quite enjoyable and finding a suitable border to contain it all was not so difficult.  I stipple quilted the blocks and achieved that finish in two days, so I can only say it was perhaps an “allergy” to embroidery that caused this project to sit for so long…well, it sounds a likely tale.  The good news it is finished.  At last!  An embarrassing 14 years UFO.

Not lavished with too much embroidery...

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 130 x 160cm
Block Sizes: 12”
Cut in: Prior to 2006 (some blocks started); Work continued from 21 Aug 2006
Pieced & Basted: Blocks worked between 2006 - 2011;
On Design Wall: 2011; Needs Quilting & Embroidery 2013
Quilted: Machine: 4-5 Jan 2014
Embroidered: Hand: Autumn/Winter 2020
Quilt Type: Traditional
Quilt Finished: 31 Jul 2020
Exhibited:
Collection: Home #068
Pattern Name: Antique Toys
Pattern Source: Cindy Taylor Clarke, 1983
Fabrics Purchased: From the Stash…
Fabric Design: Prints, Stripes, Mixed
Fabric Style: Vintage look
Materials Type: Printed Cottons
Wadding Type: Cotton

Backing: Pieced using left-over remnants 

View of the back & the Drum signature block

Previous posts about this quilt design can be found (somewhat embarrassingly) in 1988  and  2006.

Beyond Super-Slow

Windom Variation: 2020  (Started: 2013)

(Warning: I’ve included dates just to emphasise, to myself more than anything, how really “slow” this quilt was in the making!)

In 2012 we visited the Southern Highlands Quilt Show held at the local RSL and after, dropped in as you do, to our favourite shop, Timeless Threads.  I purchased a charming “Windom Quilt” pattern along with a Moda Charm pack that just could not be left on the shelf.  Sadly, Timeless Threads in Mittagong, closed in March, 2013.  (31/3/2013).  Our group had, over many years established quite a tradition of visiting the Southern Highlands to work our way along a quilt/craft shop “trail” that included visiting the villages of Berrima, Mittagong, and Bowral.  We tried for Moss Vale too, lunch and coffee stops permitting. 

This photo is from the quilt pattern showing the finished quilt

Timeless Threads had a sample quilt made up in the Windom pattern and I just loved the scrappy design.  I immediately imagined it useful for my many aging left-overs!  In the main, most of the blocks were small, 4” squares.  This appealed as a highly portable project, easy to take to group meetings, either the shorter evening sessions or even our longer monthly meetings.  The central medallion, a tree, did not suit me though, and I eventually decided to make good use of a semi-finished applique block that had been sitting in my UFO stash (since 1988, gasp!) for rather too many years! 

This applique block has a story all of its own – one of those dreadful blue marking pen stories.  The pen lines had heat set on the fabric (from sitting in my car on a rather warm summer’s day) and refused to budge.  In order to save the nearly finished block, a sampler block from Elizabeth Kennedy’s class at the 1989 Armidale Symposium, I embroidered over the lines and added a few decorative flourishes around the applique, including a few of my grandmother's buttons.  Pleased with my efforts, I felt the block did rather need a wash.  Well, my tub of Vanish took those blue lines right out!  I still shake my head to think of it.  This “magic” became a discussion point of our next (October 2014) meeting. 

Meanwhile I kept working on the blocks for the Windom quilt during both 2014 & 2015 even managing to take some away with us on holidays.  I had enough blocks for a photo shoot on my design wall in March 2015.  Aren’t mobile phones sooo handy!  Anyway, after fiddling around with the colours and preferring a pale colourway, I removed most “strong” or contrasting blocks and had the top being sewn up & basted by April 2016.

It took another 2 years to get that quilt machine quilted and bound.  Don’t think it was finished with me yet, though!  The central medallion still caused me grief and hand quilting seemed to be the only solution.  A pattern on the BeBe Bold packaging lent itself to an interesting quilting design.  One that took another 2 years to finish.  Joy of joys, I finished my Windom Variation on 14 June 2020, only eight years later.

Not the best of photos as light was fading from my verandah
& the holder was complaining. Windom Variation: finally finished 2020

Just for the Record:
Quilt Finished Size: 178 x 178 cm
Medallion: Cut in 1998; continued in Feb 2012
Block Size: 4”
Cut in: Mar 2013
Pieced: 2 Dec 2015
Basted: 13 Apr 2016
Quilted: Machine: started 15 Mar 2017
Bound: Jul 2018
Quilted: Hand: started 30 May 2018 & finished 8 Jun 2020
Quilt Type: Vintage
Quilt Finished: 14 June 2020
Exhibited:
Collection: Gifted 3 Oct 2023
Pattern Name: The Windom Quilt
Pattern Source: Timeless Threads, 31 March 2013
Fabrics Purchased: From Timeless Threads (a Moda Charm Pack) & my Stash…
Fabric Design: Mixed
Fabric Style: Soft
Materials Type: Printed Cottons
Wadding Type: Cotton
Backing: Pieced using left-over remnants 

Intermission

I’ve been doing a lot of wishing lately.  You all know what I mean; indecision that comes from wanting to do something.  Perhaps it’s something new or maybe just a project lurking in the box of the “great unfinished”.  But you’re waiting, waiting for lightning to strike.  And the resulting idea - you know it has to be really good!

So, rather than fret, I’ve been lurking on the net instead of petting my stash, and like Brenna Riley Gates (The Quilting Company) trying to decide what to do and where to go.  I’m currently on a mission to find quilts that make my heart stop a beat, that inspire me or are just crying out to be made.  I’m looking for the commonalities so I guess I’m looking for me.  I’m in the process of assembling a “little” collection of these images to make into a screen saver or similar – an easy-access on-line personal inspiration board.  I can hear you all shout “Pinterest” or “Instagram” but really, I’m not sure at the moment I want another reason to sit longer at my computer.  I’m really, really trying to find more time for sewing…

So indeed, WHY am I blogging?  Well, in my search for interesting Nancy Cabot blocks after my last quilt, I revisited an inspiring modern scrap block in a Flickr group (link here) called X & + (or X Plus or Criss-Cross).  It seems Nancy Cabot originally called it Spool Block.  My need for a pattern (with the math done to confirm my own guesstimations) led me to Elizabeth Eastmond’s blog with said pattern nicely done along with some wonderful wisdom that’s well worth repeating.
  
“I hate every project three months in.  I’m exhausted.  I’m questioning whether it’s any good.  I’m unhappy.  [But] that’s just the process.  You have to get through that.  You have to commit. . . there’s no pulling out–it has to work.  And then it works out, because of the commitment.  There’s always failure when you don’t see it through fully.” Andrew Zuckerman, photographer, film director & author (Interview link).  Isn’t it true that sometimes you just need to sit and listen to understand where you have come from and going to…

This same block (free download) also led me to Scissortails who indeed is asking questions and looking forwards (link here) in an admirably organised way – it’s all worth pondering and getting a little personal sometimes!  I’m wondering, given the connection seems to be either Nancy Cabot or her Spool Block, if this is what has lead us to this point of personal contemplation (just plain navel-gazing really) but it’s just so useful/therapeutic/Zen.  So, maybe it is back to the great unfinished, to accept the challenges and work with them – maybe just thinking outside the box or in a different light might just resolve those Gordian Knots.  Or just start a new one!