Tuesday Quilt Project March 29

Hurrah, I have a long term UFO done!

This is my wallhanging in the Nosegay or Bride's bouquet pattern.  I described the start of the project in this post form 2010.  Goodness it has taken me some time to get back to this and finish the handquilting!

The photo cuts off the side borders - same green fabric all the way around.  I used the same fabric (thank goodness I saved it) for the binding.  Vintage fabric and real feedsack is used for the print fabric pieces; unbleached muslin and new solid fabric for the other pieces; and an older reproduction fabric for the border.

This image shows a closeup of the fabric and my handquilting.  So glad this is done.

I am linking up with Connie at Freemotion by the River and Quilt Story as I do most weeks I have blocks to share. Both blog hops have pictures of pretty quilt blocks and other projects.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

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Nosegay quilt - current progress

The nosegay quilt top (also known as Bride's bouquet) is pieced, layered, and being quilted by hand.  As I said in a long ago post, you have to really want one of these to attempt it.

This is my current project, quilted at night while listening to the TV.  I am close to finished with the main bouquets, and then to start quilting the partial bouquets.
I hope to show you more tomorrow on my Perkiomen quilt.
viridian

Whirling Star: New Project

As if I need a new project. But it's going to be a beautiful quilt.

First, I'll start with a vintage quilt that has seen better days. This was one of my very first purchases from ebay, lo these many years ago.

A somewhat unusual pattern, very energetic, and very bright with the red and green. The red fabric is weak though and is breaking. Certain other fabrics are weak too, wearing so much that there are holes in the top. Doesn't matter, I use this quilt almost every night.

Next: about a year ago, I bought a book on feed sacks (of course!) that also had patterns in it for recreating some classic 30's and 40's quilts.

Feed-sacks! by Edie McGinnis has some good information on feedsacks (not sentimental mishmash) and some projects I didn't care for, but also this:
A detailed pattern for my quilt! I've stared at this for a while now and I have decided that this summer is the time. As with my nosegay quilt (see this post) I have decided to use real feedsack fabric, vintage cotton scraps, whatever I have on hand. It helps that I recently purchased two box lots of mixed scraps of cotton and feedsack off ebay.
I could use reproduction fabric - but somehow the fabrics are too pretty and it wouldn't look right. Actually I am probably buying the pretty fabric, leaving behind the browns, navies, plaids etc.
I am using reproduction red for the corners, keeping with the theme of red in my old quilt. I am using new unbleached muslin, and yellow for the centers, so each block looks like a flower. Here is the first finished block.

This pattern finishes at 12 inches. In my vintage quilt, each block is 9 inches square.
I am excited by how this project is developing. I think I have enough vintage and new fabric to finish a lap quilt for sure, probably a single bed quilt.
So, alas, the nosegay wall hanging, the bunkhouse quilt - they are newly created UFO's (unfinished objects) - for now.
I'll post more as I get more blocks done.
Viridian

Bride's Bouquet - current progress

As I said in a previous post, you have to really love this pattern (also known as Nosegay) to get even this far. (Here is an image of a full-sized one). I have these 5 blocks done, and I am making partial blocks to fill in the sides and corners. Then I am calling it a day. So many inset seams!

All print fabrics are vintage. It's the only way to get the look that I want. The reproduction fabrics are mostly 'too pretty', if you know what I mean.

viridian

To make a Nosegay quilt, you have to really want it.

This pattern is also known as Bride's Bouquet. So many inset seams! Even using the sewing machine this is a painstaking job. Though on the up side, I was concentrating so much on getting this done right, I forgot about other troubles and cares.

I was cleaning out my sewing room and tossing stuff when I saw this pattern. It was part of a circa 1992 set of patterns that came templates printed on good template plastic, which i was going to re-use. -I've always liked this pattern, and vintage quilts in this pattern are rare, and prices are high on ebay. So I challenged myself to make a few. A small wallhanging. (ut-oh - fateful words?)

The muslin, green fabric and solid squares are new fabric. The six diamonds are vintage fabric. I've been collecting vintage stuff from the nearby antique malls and buying on ebay when the price is right. The pink on the upper right is from a feedsack, and the pink on the lower left is from a sugar sack. I have always planned to cut into these feedsacks and scraps anyway - they are not that collectible. why not now?

If you love this old fabric, why not enter my giveaway? you too can have some of my pink feedsack fabric. Deadline: March 31, 8 PM eastern USA time.

Viridian