What a Week

A truly wonderful week to share with everyone.

Starting with a trip to Brisbane.

Waiting for our flight to see the Exhibition of Quilts from the V&A.
 from left to right  Lynn, Me, Wendy, Freida, and Di.

A pause for lunch, I started from home at 6:30 am it took a 2 trains, an airflight and shuttle to arrive at the gallery. I was worth it. A chance to view up close and personal quilts from 1700's onward.

The Raja Quilt was also included in the exhibition. It is the earliest known Australian Quilt and treasured part of National Heritage.

Next Stop

Trip Around the World Quilt

Layout for the scrappy TAW blocks. The accidental laying out on the family room floor gave the quilt an interesting square on point border. NO this quilt is destined for a quick finish but an idea to remember.

 

 

The finished top

 

Sunday

 

 

 

Impromptu quilting for a challenge based on architecture over at 15 min play.  More on this as it progress.

 

I've had a happy week quilting  Friends.....Flying.....Finishes....First......

 

Terry   



Quilt names

Quilt names are often related to the method of constructing the block. Nine patch and log cabin are classics. Others names refer to layout such as the popular Trip Around the World and Bargello which are variations on the layout of 12 patch blocks. But have you ever heard of  Elephant Skin Blankets?
Neither had I until last night.

First to set the scene. Wayne otherwise known as DH and I were watching a show which showed a quick tour of Welsh Quilts. The quilts shown were whole cloth densely quilted in style. Turning to him I asked about the whole cloth tied quilts I remembered his mother having during our courting days.

 A similar quilt here.  follow the steps to tied quilts. scroll down to whole cloth quilt.

 Wayne described them as being "made of (cotton) flannel and filled with cotton battin' (batting). Only one piece of fabric was used not pieced and they were tied." We chatted about his using one to insulate the engine of his car in the winter. He went on to say "Grama Borton had lots of Elephant Skin Blankets."

Stop!  Wait! Whoa!!!!!  We've been married for  over 40 years and I have always quilted. I even quilted sitting on his families' couch before we were married. Never, never had I heard reference to Elephant Skin Blankets. He shrugged a little "I must have been about 3 when I named them that. They were heavy and it seemed to reason an elephant skin would be heavy like the blankets."

Now if you've done the math you can date the beginning of my quilting. I made tied pieced quilts until my first attempt at free machine quilting in the early 1990,s. The story of Elephant  Skin Blankets had never come to light and may have been lost forever but not now I will preserve this story forever. Some how some way. It's just too good to loose.

I found my whole cloth quilt. It was made as play mat for DD#1. The wadding is two layers of what my MIL would call outin' flannel.

  I didn't even stop to tie this one just enough stitching to hold all the layers together.

The reverse side is the same brushed cotton in an rusty orange. It is heavy enough to qualify for the classification Elephant Skin Blanket.

What are your quilt stories ?

Blocks

There isn't a lot to share in the way of photos BUT

a pile of blocks for my Trip Around the World quilt. All 40 blocks are completed and now starts the fun part. Sewing 12" blocks together should be much faster than making the 12" blocks.

It seemed like a lot of fabric when there were 360 strips but I really don't feel like I've made any sort of a dent in the bits and pieces. Maybe if I did some complicated math I would feel more like I've made a dent in the stash. 

I went to the quilt show on Thursday but alas no photos. There were lots of new signs saying no photos to be posted on blogs or anywhere else with out permission of the quilter. So all I can share is to say it was a nice show of quilts representing a variety of styles.

Terry

Decision Made

The triangle quilt top is together and it's time to make some design decisions.

borders       one ...two...pieced .....plain      HELP!!

On the design wall with the first possible border   Rejected and moving on.

A buttery yellow ? maybe     

Ah!    Now that's better. The aqua is strong enough to play with the strong colors of the large 15" blocks. The edge between the blocks and the border is visually too sharp so more trials and stash shopping in boxes and the trunk

The pieced border finishes the blocks on the edges of the quilt .

The floral print was tea dyed for a project that didn't happen and now has the perfect home. As a design element it carries the floral prints in the centre of each block out to the edges of the quilt.

Queen's Birthday long weekend or Cracker Night.  Fireworks and barbeques as those of us "Down Under" settle in for a couple months of short days.  Enjoy the weekend whatever it brings your way.

Terry