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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Another Great Lakes Beauty!

Going through these photos ---wow, what a great experience it was to see these quilts in person!

I’ve said it before, but the thing that hits hard at home for me is that these gorgeous works of art are simply made of “every day ordinary scraps” from the household scrap bag ----

There was “nothing special” about these fabrics in their day.  These are the left over bits saved from all of the other household sewing.  Not a single one of these quilts was made with “Quilt Shop Quality” fabric – there was no such thing!  They have stood the test of time.

I love my fabric wherever it comes from ---be it donated scraps or things I’ve bought in shops on my travels –or be it recycled fabric from thrifted clothing, or old 1980s calicoes that have lingered in the stash since my early days of quilting.  I love it all.  And future generations, should my quilts survive and last that long --- are not going to say “oh too bad – she should have bought Quilt Shop Quality fabric.”    For me, it’s whatever gets the job done.  That doesn’t mean I want something that is horribly made or doesn’t feel good as I work with it.

Today’s lovely is the last quilt I saw at the Great Lakes Quilt Collection ---I so love this one!  A variation of "Many Trips Around the world":

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Wowzers!

There is so much movement in this quilt, and of course my eyes go right to the cheddar solid in the center.  There is no cheddar in the border, and that makes the border recede, doesn’t it?  The center looks darker, the border less so --- and that inner border is also pieced from the same size of square to separate the inner from the outer – it does a great job!

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Watch the stripe!  They all go the same way!

Look at the corner “square”….see how the stripe in the inner border completes the round of striped squares in that border corner?  This took some planning!  This quilter made sure that all of her stripes were oriented the same way within the whole quilt.  And once I realized that, I sought out every stripe just to be sure!  Yes – she did!

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Glorious fabrics!

Can you imagine doing this WITHOUT strip piecing? Just one square at a time?  We speculated on whether this gal had bought yardage for her quilt to make sure that there was enough for each round to be completed….I started looking for  anywhere where one fabric was substituted for another because she “ran out”.  And then I found it along one border:
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Those browns on the right may have been purple at one time….but she’s used a few different solids to complete the pattern here.  And I love this ---it shows the ingenuity of the piecer!

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This quilt had a “knife edge” finish instead of a binding.  The backing was turned in, and the top was turned in, and they were blind stitched closed.  I love this method of finishing a quilt.  This is what I plan to do to the hexagon quilt after quilting…no binding required!

This quilt was also from the collection of Kitty Clark Cole.  Maker unknown.  Likely Pennsylvania, possibly Mennonite, dating to about 1880.  It was JUST STUNNING! All from one simple square.

Today I have the privilege of seeing a local lady’s antique quilt collection!  My flight doesn’t leave Lansing until mid-afternoon, so there is more quilty goodness in store!  I’m not being picked up until 9:45am so I’ve got a couple hours of piecing time on Aunt Elsie, the borrowed featherweight before checking out of the hotel this morning.

After quilt viewing and lunch – this girl is on her way home! YEAH!!  The next 5 weeks are MINE!  First on the list?  Carpet the studio side of the basement!  It’s about to get really ugly down there, but the results will be WORTH IT!

Catch you on the home front, everyone!

34 comments:

  1. Good Morning Bonnie! Have a safe trip home and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  2. Thanks for sharing this beautiful quilt!

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  3. Love the many trips quilt, thanks for sharing. Hope that you have a very safe trip home. I will be traveling this week to have Thanksgiving with my Parents. Happy Thanksgiving to you and whoever reads this!

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  4. Oh that one is just stunning. You are right - that one took quite a bit of planning - lots of graph paper!! Sue K

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  5. Oh wow indeed! Thank you so much for sharing the pictures.
    Have a wonderful 5 weeks off & see you on the other side of the basement.
    Cheers
    Lush

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  6. That quilt is stunning!! There weren't any rotary cutters back then, either. I can remember using a yard stick, back in the 70's, to mark and cut long pieces for borders and such. I wonder if she may have cut long strips and then cut them into squares or if she cut each square separately with a template. If only that quilt could talk!

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  7. wow, wow, wow Love it.

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  8. It's gorgeous! Boy, does Beth know you, or what!?! lol

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  9. What a beauty! Beautifully made.

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  10. Amazing quilt! Safe travels Bonnie. Remember to Breathe while you carpet the studio. Projects like that can be so stressful. Can't wait til the 23rd to see the first step in the Easy Street Mystery
    Faith in Maine

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  11. Anonymous8:51 AM EST

    These old quilts are amazing and so beautiful! I'm with you--good fabric whereever it came from --works wonders in a quilt; so much to look at, what joy!
    Karen

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  12. My 92 year old Mother lives with me, and she is leaving for a five days. I can clean my house and piece quilts to my hearts content. no distractions. Told DH he was on his own. Five weeks would be wonderful. enjoy. The quilt is amazing. Looking forward to Easy Street. Safe trip Home, there really is no place like Home.

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  13. Happy and safe travels. I too understand what you mean when you say the next 5 weeks is yours. I have worked a second job for 6 years and I finally decided I needed some time at home and quit the second job. I pray daily that I won't have to do that again for awhile so I can catch up on what has laid dormant for sooo long. Excited to sort and organize and sew, sew, sew again. LOL! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  14. A splendid quilt. Such imagination with limited resources. I love it.
    Have a safe journey home, a happy Thanksgiving and see you on quilt cam when you are ready!

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  15. Woowza, All those quilts were amazing, esp this one! They picked the right ones for you to view didnt they? You never said what size the squares were, unless I missed it. What do you think they were? looks like 2 inchers.
    My friend Terry and I have been collecting fabrics and going through our stash for Easy Street, cant wait! These are my daughters colors and she is getting married in Jan so this will go to her! Save travels and enjoy your much needed time at home. Now click those heals together 3 times and repeat after me....theres no place like home, theres no place like home, theres no place like home!!!!!!

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  16. What a fantastic quilt. Thanks for sharing! I love the red stripe with the navy placed next to it - looks like little miniature flags!

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  17. Wow, my fingers are aching looking at that, all that stitching! Very beautiful, but if it was Amish the purple squares may have been on purpose since I have heard they always put a mistake in their quilts.

    Glad you have the next 5 weeks at home!! Lets see if you find that missing block from a month ago when you pull everything out of the studio to la carpet.

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  18. All of these quilts were fabulous! I loved everyone. Thank you for sharing them with us. Safe trip home, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

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  19. Of all the quilts you've shown us from this collection, this one is by far my favorite! What amazing attention to detail! Have a safe trip home! Enjoy your Thanksgiving! Enjoy your five week break!

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  20. Anonymous10:41 AM EST

    WOW - love these antiques that you have been posting. I can't see the quilting on this one so it must be in the ditch. WOW again...

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  21. Ingenuity is right! That quilt may have been made with humble 'household' scraps, but that was one quilter who knew a thing or two about design and color placement.

    The softer, receding quality of the outer border was the first thing I noticed, and I love how the single row of inner border gives a subtle break between the center and the outside. I am in awe!

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  22. Great quilt...and enjoy viewing the private collection. You never know what you will see!!!

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  23. Amazing and I'm sure without a Design wall. She had to do a lot of carpet Yoga on this one. Wish it had a name! Re checking mine to be sure they are labeled. I saw one yesterday, changing beds that needs to be re-attached... I also re-located all my Antique machines to one location. Enjoy the 5 weeks off! Eat some Turkey!

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  24. Anonymous1:01 PM EST

    WOWSERS for sure! Bonnie, it is SO TRUE, folks did use scrap fabrics in wonderful ways. Sometimes, eventhough I buy quilt shop fabrics too, I wonder if we aren't beginning to lose so,ething vitality important when we all have the same fabrics, used almost the same way.

    HOWEVER, that said, Bonnieis helping us all not fall into that trap. Way to go BKH!
    Smilies
    JulieinTN

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  25. Wow, Bonnie. Thanks so much for sharing. Such beautiful works of art! Your inside information is so appreciated as well. Thank you for all you do for us!!!! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  26. All the quilts you've shown have been beautiful but this is my favorite! When I was in elementary school the teacher would hand out graph paper and we used crayons to color in the squares. This is the design I would color! I with I had some of those pages today! I should pick one and make a quilt! Thanks for sharing. Love your blog!

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  27. You are a very blessed lady to have seen these beautiful quilts. I have lived in Michigan all my life and have not had this experience. I guess I better write it on my bucket list and get down to Lansing. It was a pleasure meeting you and look forward to your visit to Traverse City in 2016!

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  28. Bonnie love your photos. Have always hoped you would teach a class someday on a strip pieced, planned colors 'many trips around the world'. ls it in one of your books? Wish l was smart enough to figure it out for myself. Nervous/excited waiting for mystery to begin, THANKS

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  29. Bonnie love your photos. Have always hoped you would teach a class someday on a strip pieced, planned colors 'many trips around the world'. ls it in one of your books? Wish l was smart enough to figure it out for myself. Nervous/excited waiting for mystery to begin, THANKS

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  30. Makes me think of crocheted granny squares

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  31. ¡Precioso¡, es un gran trabajo y es maravilloso poder contemplarlo, gracias Bonnie por compartir las fotos

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  32. The many trips around the world struck me as patriotic with the little blue squares and red and white wavy stripe blocks. What do you think?

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  33. Love, love, love this one!!! Could we replicate it in the next book? Or could this become one of your new classes?

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  34. That is an amazing quilt! Thanks for sharing! Do I see a new quilt pattern in your repertoire?

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