My mother gave me an antique quilt fragment--eighteen appliqued blocks sewn together six by three. They were in very good condition, and very old, but there weren't enough for anything. Right before we left for Savannah I had that desperate must-have-a-hand-sewing-project feeling, and I decided to carefully divide the thing in half.
After cutting the stitches, I had two pieces each three by three squares. They're about three feet on a side, just right for a baby's play blanket. I took one along in the car and indulged in some hand-quilting.
Yum, those soft very old cottons. I put a soft, thin cotton batting in too. Really feels good to quilt.
Oh, they are lovely. And, yes, nothing beats aged, soft cotton.
ReplyDeleteThere's something special about really old quilts.
ReplyDeleteMaybe one day a long time from now someone will feel the same way about the quilt I'm making. I'm about to start the hand-quilting.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteYour quilting posts have inspired me to try to complete a quilt I began a number of years ago. I am quite an industrious dressmaker, but quilting, I've never really done it. I am having great trouble trying to do the actual quilting. I've gone all out and bought myself a walking foot, but after many attempts still cannot get the top cover not to bunch, pucker and wrinkle when I try to do straight machine quilting. I've bastest per your basting instructions, but still with no good result. Would it be easier to hand quilt?
If you could help me I would be grateful.
Kind regards,
Sonya, Australia
Well, Sonya, you could hand-quilt, and you'd probably be able to avoid the wrinkling. Or, you could just lower your standards with the machine-quilting. After all, if the quilt top doesn't pucker a little, it doesn't really look quilted! I throw my finished quilts in the washer and the DRYER just to make sure they wrinkle up enough!
ReplyDeleteHow charming! I too love aged cotton. So soft and welcoming :)
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day Anna!
~Sharon
The simple joys of maidenhood. It's a "good thing". Lovely to think about,lovely that you shared it.
ReplyDeleteI've machined quilted a handful of quilts and am ready to try hand quilting--I remember your post about how you quilt without a hoop and am going to try your method.
ReplyDeleteAlso, your profile picture is really pretty!
Anna, I don't know if you are an eBay shopper, but if you are check out a store called "Charmedware."
ReplyDeleteRight now the owner is listing a broken china necklace featuring a Beatrix Potter owl. It's really cute. When I saw it, I thought of your owl softies.
How fortunate you are to be able to sew in the car - I can't. :(
ReplyDeleteThey are just lovely. I think you've inspired me to set aside the knitting for a while and get busy quilting again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reply, Anna. I might try the hand quilting.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Sonya, Australia
How beautiful.
ReplyDelete