Sunday, August 14, 2016

hearts and baskets quilt

This quilt is one out of my 'I'm so frustrated, I don't know what to do with it' tub.  I was rooting around through the tubs-n-dressers of fabric, looking for an idea for a wedding quilt and found a bunch of pre-printed blocks.  I found large ones, small one and some borders.  I sorted out the large ones and started to quilt them up as individual blocks all the while ruminating about what to do with the smaller blocks.  As I was quilting the larger blocks in this quilt, I had an epiphany.
The basket border strips had the same colors as the basket blocks.  Plus, the hearts-n-Dresden plate block had the same background and colors as the basket blocks.  And, what do you know, the grays in the house block match the other three.  Look at that, the colors in those little heart blocks match everything.  If I put them all together, they would make a nice looking little quilt.

So, I started measuring the layout and setting little blocks together, sewing chunks there and strips here, adding them to the already quilted blocks.  All the time trying to figure out how I was going to add the center strip.  I quilted the strips on the right side.  I didn't like how I quilted them, couldn't think of good, easy way to add the center strip if I quilted the left side.  So I threw the whole thing in the tub and walked away to let it simmer a while.  Like over a year-n-a-half!

Well, I got real tired of looking at that tub of unfinished projects setting on that dresser so I pulled out the easiest one (the half-hexie one) and finished it.  This quilt was the next one.

What to do, what to do?  The most prudent thing to do was get the seam ripper out and start picking. Sigh!  I picked the quilting out of the Dresden block did some fancy pinning-n-sewing and got the rest of top and backing added on.  I tried a new idea for quilting the strips of baskets and hearts on the left side.  I liked it so well; I cheerfully picked all the quilting for the strips of baskets and hearts on the right side, out and re-quilted them.
I went through Mother's stash of leftover bindings and found a couple of pieces I though would work for this quilt.  In hindsight, I think the pink gingham looks the best on this quilt.  The little floral print would have looked better if I had added a border of some sort, because there is not enough contrast between the background fabric and the floral binding.  Based on the measurement of this quilt (43"x68") that was probably the original game plan, because I like these little quilts to be 48"x72".

I finished using up all my scrap pieces of batting in this quilt so the next quilt will be with one big piece of batting. Yeah!
Well the label is on.

I hope each of you is having a good day!

Judy

4 comments:

Linda said...

How lovely! :)

Judy said...

Thank-you!

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

Leigh said...

I love it! Those were preprinted blocks? Perfect together. I have to say that my longest quilt in the making took about 20 years. It was for my dad and stepmom, and of course became the family joke. Finally Dan and the kids said they'd do everything around the house to let me finish the quilt. And I did (hand crazy quilt, so a lot of embroidering.) Was my dad ever surprised to get it for Christmas that year!

Judy said...

Yup, I've had, and come to think of it, I may still have some 20-year projects. LOL I know my limitation, I don't have the patience to do a true crazy quilt.

Yes, those are preprinted blocks. I have no idea where Mom got them or why. My best guess is people would bring into the quilt group Mom belonged to, someone's fabric stash as they were cleaning out a house after a death. Mom would take whatever the others didn't want. If it was fabric, Mom hung onto it. Probably steams from growing up during the Depression. When she passed away she had fabric stashed everywhere in the house. So, between her stash and mine I will probably never get it all sewed up. I now have a stable.

Hey, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!