Ferns and Berries

Ferns and Berries Pattern

Thanks for stopping by - we're introducing our newest pattern "Ferns And Berries"

This is one of the most intricately hand quilted applique quilts in our collection.

This is an interesting 9 block setting/orientation, surrounded with a complimentary border - where corners were ... not too important.

What would you call the primary leaf motif?
Staghorn Fern?

Was the bed against the wall and the drop only on the left or right?

The vessels containing the ferns and berries have great detail.

pg. 42 - documented antique quilts

Having seen similar quilts, the pattern set includes the block in 3 sizes including one set straight.  The border is in two sizes.  All patterns are full size on large paper - ready to trace and stitch!

The patterns include the detailed quilting lines as well as the applique.

These examples are not contained within a 'vessel', they float or sit on sashing.  You could leave the vessel off and have the leaves meet at the bottom.
Similar quilts can be seen in the book:
In The Heart of Pennsylvania: 19th & 20th Century Quiltmaking 
by Jeanette Lasansky                ISBN 0-917127-00-5

Oral Traditions Project of the Union County Historical Society (1985) 

Antique crib size medallion center

Red ferns aren't really red ferns.  You can read more about the plants HERE.

Note the yellow stems in this example.

Stems in the examples we found vary - narrow applique, embroidered and applied cording.




The hand quilting is quite detailed on our quilt.  All of the motifs are included on the pattern and include:  multiple flower styles and sizes, stems with berries and leaves, leaf clusters, feathers, loops and clam fillers.

The pattern is available in our Esty Shop HERE.

Thanks for reading about Ferns and Berries.
 How about it...are you a red or green fern?

UPDATE:  Size Question:
You have numerous size options
   There are three blocks sizes:  23", 18" and 15 " as well as 10.5" and 6.5" borders
   Depending on your selection you could have a 9 block with the largest border at 90" square
          You might like a 15" 4 block with the smaller border that would finish at 43"- Sweet!
          Or, how about a medallion with the 18" center set square and some pieced 6" borders?

Prague Patchwork Meeting 2012

Beautiful piecing and handwork - love the colors too!

The Prague Patchwork Meeting in the Czech Republic was March 30&31- 2012.

What a great show!

Exhibits included:  France Patchwork, Wool Quilts, Art quilts and more.

All this in a beautiful city with so much to see and do.

Detail of a pieced block

Beautiful Hand quilting

Sunflowers - Pattern HERE
Reproduction of 1865 original

Hand applique and hand quilted

Beautiful hand work

Diamonds and triangles

Hand Quilted

Beautiful use of fabric - prints and color

So beautiful!

Pink, green and red!

Beautiful Points

Amazing tiny center

Triangles anyone?

Wonderful change in scale

Great colors

More Triangles

Hand Quilted

Rich Colors and beautiful hand quilting

See another beautiful triangle project HERE  by Judy - One Minnesota Quilter (USA)

More change in scale - dramatic!

Click HERE for Gallery Pictures from the show floor

Click HERE for more information on Association France Patchwork, Photo Gallery Links HERE

Click HERE for more information about a trip to Prague, best side trip: Cesky Krumlov
Have a great weekend!!

Out and About More Old Quilts

Nine Patch Quilt tacked to the wall

It's spring here - and a great time to be out and about.


These quilts didn't come home with me but I thought you'd still enjoy them.


Great colors - I can imagine how vibrant it was in the original deep indigo blue and cinnamon pinks - with the wide brown border and a few plaids thrown in for good measure...

Here's another angle.

Love the plaids and shirtings too.

See how wide the binding is?













Not quilt related - but in the same booth this 'childs toy' - can't imagine many children this would be safe for!  Note the label:  SAFE, FUN, CONSTRUCTIVE....right.











Back to the next corner of the booth - another quilt:

The stars are an interesting setting.

 What do you think of the sashing horizontal rows are narrow - vertical is wide - made the quilt the size she wanted?

Nice black and white shirting with a blue rectangle at the corners.

Interesting color combinations.

Note the hand quilting is kind of a triple line fan.



Have a great week!

AAQI Team Effort

Garden Maze  6.5" x 10"  Hand Quilted by Irene

These two little quilts are a team effort.

I am very lucky to know Irene.  Even luckier that she agreed to hand quilt two little tops I made for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI).

Irene is special for many reasons and I greatly admire her.
She is 91 and lives independently, in fact you could probably say Irene is fiercely independent.
She still volunteers, paints china and is still quilting!



This one is titled:  Garden Maze  #9761

I'll have registration numbers later in the week.

Spring Green   6.5" x 10" Hand Quilted by Irene

This one is titled:  Spring Green  #9760

She did an amazing job with such sweet tiny stitches - wonderful binding and 'Fast Finish Triangles' for quick hanging.

I'm just getting them registered and will let you know when they are available.

In the mean time there are many wonderful little quilts available for purchase.  I plan to do some shopping myself.  Lori, of Humble Quilts got me started on these treasures.

Have a great week - and I hope your quilting has some fun team efforts involved!

I'm going no comments for a while - email me if you'd like.

Toile and Transferware

Fabric:  Moda French General linen/cotton  #54093

I don't always use my fabrics in quilts.

Sometimes, a simple hem ... and a table cloth or runner is born!  It can always be cut up later...

Toile and transferware are perfect because there beautiful designs 'make' a  table setting - no piecing or quilting needed.
Currier and Ives dishes were collected by my grandmother at her local A&P grocery store as a point of sale feature.  She saved stamps earned with each purchase and then traded the filled books for the dishes.

In The Beginning Panel Fabric

I like to mix colors and patterns.
Dishes:  Rural England, Crown Ducal Gainsborough England
                     (beautiful textured edge on the bowl)
              Royal Stafford - black and brown colorway

The fabric is a reproduction from In The Beginning - I think it is out of print.  If you know - I'm happy to update this.

There is a picture of the same print on the cover of Antiques Magazine, August 1946 - Volume L Number 2
"The date and source of this cotton print are both a bit uncertain.  The original source of the window design was quite probably Mesangere's book on interior decoration published in France from 1802 to 1830, but we hesitate to guess whether the fabric was actually printed in France, England or the US."
The fabric pictured on the cover is a green colorway.

This is an Australian toile fabric.
Drover's Welcome

"This toile shows a drover returning to his home after weeks spent out in the bush. The main images show the solitude of 

his days and nights alone and the joy and relief of his waiting family as they run out to greet him on his safe return. Other images include the billy boiling on his camp fire, mighty gum trees and native galahs and kookaburras."

Dishes:
Spode Blue Room Reproduction of "Floral" first introduced c. 1830    Print from a hand engraved copper plate.
Harvard, England side bowls

This is a Braemore Toile Reproduction - home dec weight, but light enough it can easily be included in a quilt or hemmed as is.

Dishes:
Pink/Brown Spode Archive Collection
   British Flowers - 'Rosa' First Introduced c.1831

Spode Blue Room Collection 'Botanical' First Introduced c.1820
Both from hand engraved copper plate



Do you have toile prints in your stash?  Use them often?

Have a great weekend!!

Links:

Transferware Collectors Club

Currier and Ives Dinnerware Collectors

Antiques Magazine Archives

Australian Toile Fabrics

Spode UK

Books:
Toile De Jouy Printed Textiles in the Classic French Style
        (Melanie Riffel, Sophie Rouart, Marc Walter)
        ISBN 0-500-51149-7
Toiles De Jouy   (Judith Straeton)
        ISBN 1-58685-156-X
Toiles for All Seasons French & English Printed Textiles
         (Starr Siegele)     ISBN 1 593730306