Saturday, January 10, 2015

Scrappy Blocks and A Cheddar Version


Santa put some block sets under the tree for me this year.

What do you notice in this one?

Direction of the stripes?
Would you place the stripes on only one direction?

How about the piecing?
Would you put it in a quilt and cut off all of the outer corners?

See the make-do piece?

How about the bias corners?





Here's a detail photo.

See the corner piece - would you piece this way today?  This was probably from a garment.

Note how small the anchors are in the conversational print.





This one has a nice red ground equine conversational.

The little motif with the horseshoe looks like it might be a bridal bit.

The set has over 30 blocks with wonderful shirtings and conversationals.

I plan to enjoy them as is.

I've decided I need more dots in my stash.






Here's the block detail - 7/8" sashing - pieced.

The dot block is also pieced - see the 1/8" sliver?

The blocks are hand pieced.  However, where the small pieces are - machine stitching.  Perhaps a clue the blocks were made from machine sewn clothing.




The back - showing the hand sewn seams. 



See the pin?

This block has at least three 'patched' patches.

More stripes - any direction works.











 Detail of the patches, and the patch.
Does the corner patch look like the corner of a shirt pocket?


Last, but not least - I used cheddar (orange) as my neutral in this Catherine's Garden block.  It's been fun hearing from you and your fabric selections!  Pastels, Kafffe, Red and green - all fabulous!

Have a great week!  I hope it includes some stitching time.

Kind Regards,
Dawn














16 comments:

  1. Great antique blocks. they are so fun to study.
    Love your cheddar as the neutral! great choice!

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  2. Those are fun blocks to play with and interesting how they were done and why.

    Debbie

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  3. Wonderful blocks. It would be hard for me to make do like that, but I love it in antique blocks. It would be a great design to reproduce. Cheddar as your neutral just makes me smile!

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  4. OMG, I love the cheddar!!! Wow! I have to go look at the original again now. lol! I need more cheddar in my life. :D

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  5. Thanks for sharing your antique blocks, Dawn. I love to be able to study them up close and your photos are great.

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  6. A great study in scrimping and recycling on those little blocks - but the overall look is lovely isn't it? Mmm your cheddar block is beautiful!

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  7. I love the added detail the make-do pieces add to those wonderful patchy blocks. It's great to see you going ahead with cheddar!!

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  8. Great vintage blocks--what a thoughtful Santa!
    I love the cheddar background.

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  9. Love the vintage blocks. No, I wouldn't put the strips in all direction. A shirt pocket? Really? The more I look at it the more I think you might be right. Not something that would have crossed my mind to use "as is" in a quilt but it sure makes an interesting block. The fact that one has to cut off all the points when assembling these pieces together is probably why they were never put into a quilt. She probably realized her mistake too late. She did make a beautiful stitch though.
    You must have been extremely good to have such a lovely gift from Santa. Great blocks. Thanks for sharing. And yes, I love the cheddar block too. :D

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  10. I just love looking at the fabrics in old quilts/blocks. Have you seen the new line of fabric by Lisa Bongean called Lakeside Gatherings? It has those cute little anchors in it. And I have a piece of that red (reproduction) with the horse shoes. Fun! Love your cheddar block!

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  11. Thanks for sharing the antique blocks and I LOVE your cheddar block for Catherine's Garden. Yum!

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  12. You ask such good questions! I intentionally flip some of my stripes so they are not going in the same direction.
    Do you think the cut off points is why these blocks were never made into a quilt? Can you imagine the disappointment of the stitcher when she realized she didn't include a seam allowance? I wonder if she ever completed a quilt.
    Love those pinks with the cheddar background!

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    Replies
    1. Some blocks, like album blocks, similar to this one - often have the outer corners cut off in the quilt. I like that!

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  13. So very interesting to see old quilt blocks. The Catherine's Garden block is wonderful. Such a sweet looking flower.

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  14. Thank you for sharing images of the vintage blocks - they are so dear. Love to see how earlier quilters pieced each block while being so careful with fabric - today most of us waste so much- our great-grandmothers are shaing their heads.

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Thanks for your comments!