What I've Been Up To...

...other than reading and writing book reviews!

I have about three hours work left on Love Entwined, first border. I worked on it while with my Tuesday quilt group this week.

I had to scrap two blocks of the 1857 Album quilt. I wanted to do reverse appliqué but the background fabric frayed too much! I hated how it looked. So no progress this week. Last week I finished the block with the toile insert. The quill pen and ink stand are my swap for carpentry tools.

I have a few seams left on my Fox Kit quilt.

I bought a Jeanne Miller handkerchief for $2.75--I suppose not many are interested in a handkerchief with  medieval halberds and shields depicted on it! It's mint with a label!

My husband found a quilting needle sticking out of a vintage quilt we had been gifted. I suppose it has been there since the 1970s!

 The vintage 1930s top had been sewn to a pre-quilted fabric in the 1970s.

We had a week of sleet, ice, and snow. It froze the bird bath. Luckily the daffodils survived and will bloom soon.

I finished sewing Little Hazel's center to the background fabric.

I keep plodding along without finishing anything!

Love Entwined Update

So many little pieces! I am finishing the fourth border and started prepping the corner blocks. I am determined to finish this section of the pattern! Well, some time this year!

The pattern includes two more appliquéd borders with even more little pieces! Quilters have actually finished the entire quilt! Hats off to these intrepid quilters! Each is beautiful. My workmanship is primitive in comparison. I am sure this border is my final addition. At this point I can't face all the little pieces in the next section. (But if my husband has his way I will trudge on.)

In 2013 Esther Aliu announced her pattern Love Entwined, based on a 1790 coverlet she found in Averil Colby's book Patchwork. Working from a black and white photo she drafted a detailed and complicated pattern. Read about it at her blog: http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/2013/06/introducing-love-entwined-1790-marriage.html

Esther continues to design new patterns which can be accessed for free, now on her Facebook groups, and later may be purchased.

Keeping Busy

On Sarurday I attended a local chapter of a decorative painting group. We did this snowman on a chalk board. I have to finish it still--it's supposed to have snowflakes on it. We decided it should read GO AWAY SNOW since we are pretty tired of winter, snow, and single digit cold.

I am sewing my Austen Album Sampler blocks together! I had to order more fabric for the sashing and borders.

 I got a free book, Sue Reich's Quiltings, Frolics, and Bees. I do surveys for a group that has books as a choice for rewards.

I am also ready to applique another Love Entwined border!

And started Pumpkin Pie from Bunny Hill patterns.

Sadly our Suki has an abscessed tooth and will have dental surgery. Poor girl.

Love Entwined Update

I have finished the third floral basket corner.

There are so many glorious interpretations of Love Entwined! It is wonderful to see all of the different fabric and color choices and various techniques being used.

Love Entwined Update and Pan American Redwork Reproduction

I finished the second corner basket last week. I am eager for the 15th of the month when  the next basket pattern is released! Love Entwined is Esterh Aliu's reproduction pattern based on a 1790 appliqued marriage coverlet found in Averil Colby's book Patchwork. The medallion style quilt has seven borders, three densely appliqued.

See more about the project at Esther Aliu's blog:
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/p/love-entwined-1790-marriage-coverlet-bom.html

The pattern is available to members of the Yahoo group found at:  http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/estheraliubom/info

I am also working again on my Pan American Redwork reproduction quilt. I am using the Blu Hill printed fabric from several years ago, and adding more blocks by tracing the patterns from the Pan American Redwork quilt I purchased last January.

Here is the 1901 quilt.

And here are the blocks I have finished. The Electricity Building is the first one I traced from the vintage quilt. President McKinley and the American Eagle is also from my vintage quilt. The rest are from the Blue Hill fabric which I embroidered. I use DMC #304 embroidery floss, three strands mostly but 2 for detailed areas. The background fabrics are not all the same, as I could not completely match the Blue Hill fabric background. I think the setting blocks will be varied so it will all work out in the end!

The printed fabric can still be found at times on eBay and also at Quilt In A Day's website shop:
http://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/fabric_display.asp?i=41936