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Saturday, December 01, 2012

Claire’s Lone Star

One of the quilts that Claire knew that I would love is this Pennsylvania Dutch Lone Star, circa 1870.  And she was so right!  The piecing is phenomenal and the hand quilting superb.

And the colors!  wow!  Such small diamonds – each one traced and cut by hand and sewn by hand with needle and thread.  I don’t think I could do this without strip set piecing and a rotary cutter and a ruler!

That cheddar against the green ---yummy --- cooled down by the soft blues.  This is really a masterpiece.

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Wow!!

I love that the corner stars are seven-pointed rather than eight-pointed…and that even as precise as this quilt is, they all slant a tiny bit differently --- it gives the quilt movement and life, and a bit of insight into the nature of the maker.

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Cables that don’t quite turn!

I love cable quilting, but fought early on with getting corners to turn just right ---this gal ran one cable clear off the end and then let the second one turn the corner and away she went.  This way she didn’t end up with any unquilted area at the very corner of the border where the cable would turn…There was a folk lore associated with why a cable must be continuous and not be broken at the corners – I remember vaguely reading about it – but if anyone knows the reason, please leave a comment.  Am I remembering this right?

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Star Center showing the top edge with sleeve and a glimpse of the pieced backing which was alternating green and pink stripes.

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Glorious Radiating Center!!  This is the work of a master quiltmaker!

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Another corner

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Another!

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That beautiful quilting!

I’m so happy to be able to share these quilts with you, and of course it is with Claire on my mind that I do this.  For those who hadn’t read previously, I had started my post about Claire and her quilts on Thursday morning, only to find out on Thursday afternoon that Claire had passed away the night before.  She will be missed by so many!

First post found HERE.

Claire's Wool Crazy Quilt found HERE.

I have more of Claire’s quilts to share ---I hope you enjoy them in future posts.

PS--Some have asked whether Suzanne at Colorado Lady is hosting yard sale Saturday today.  I just checked her blog and a post isn't live about it yet, but keep checking back with her to see if/when she is doing it.  It could be that it is still very early in Colorado as I write this and her post just hasn't gone live yet!

PSS-- Just heard from Suzanne--she writes:
I had this scheduled to post  [Yard Sale Saturday] and I see it did not for some reason.
I am traveling home from out of town travel and won't be home until around five ct [Central Time] to fix post.....sorry I can't access dash board from my phone. Look for post this afternoon --

20 comments:

  1. What a beautiful quilt. And those are 7-pointed stars, not 6. Which makes the fact that they are balanced so well absolutely amazing to me - I don't think I could do that even with a ruler & cutter.

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  2. breathtakingly awesome needlework. true inspiration for us all...what a gift to be able to see this up close

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  3. I really love the colours in that quilt they are lovely together. What an amazing collection to have. You are so lucky to have been able to see some of them during your visit.

    Debra in Australia.

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  4. That is truely astonishing. We have rooms FULL of tools and tricks, only to see that our forebearers did such wonderful work with templates of cardboard and dedication to excellence. Thanks for reminding us how dedication can outweigh gadgets.

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  5. Bonnie, thank you so much for sharing Claire's quilts with us. Waiting to see more of her quilts. My great grandmother was named Claire. I have not tried a long star yet, but would do strip piecing. I love to do color wash, strip pieced.

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  6. Absolutely Beautiful! What colors! Thanks!

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  7. I'm glad you pointed out the fact that the corners are 7-pointed stars - I would have missed that. My mind boggles at the thought of drafting a 7-pointed star!

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  8. I'm glad you pointed out the fact that the corners are 7-pointed stars - I would have missed that. My mind boggles at the thought of drafting a 7-pointed star!

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  9. What a lovely tribute to Claire by sharing her collection with us. Thank you for all you do Bonnie.
    Lynne.

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  10. WOW! Claire was one awesome lady!

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  11. That is breathtakingly beautiful. I'm in awe. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  12. This quilt is awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping gorgeous!

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  13. Quilt was beautiful, sorry to hear that Claire passed away so soon after your visit but at least her collection will be a lasting reminder of her.

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  14. Oh no, what will happen to her prized collection? They are so marvelous. Just a reminder to us all that we should enjoy what we have today because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. My heart goes out to her life partner, he'll be lost without her.

    Thanks for sharing this beautiful collection and
    Happy Sewing

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  15. Bonnie,
    Answer your question about the superstition with cables - a cable or any other continuous quilt pattern should not be broken when going around a corner. If it is cut off, it will cut the quilter's life short.

    This is not good news for me - I must have taken YEARS off my life with the cut-off borders I've done!!!

    Cheryl in Friendsville
    www.katydidart.net
    katydidart60@yahoo.com

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  16. What a spectacular quilt! The execution of the piecing, the colors the quilting - I am in awe!

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  17. Another beautiful quilt, thanks to Clair.

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  18. Thank you Bonnie for sharing a truly special moment you shared with Clair and all of her beautiful quilts. It is like Christmas waiting to unwrap each special gift she presented to you!!

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  19. Anonymous4:22 PM EST

    That is one of the most gorgeous quilts I've ever seen. Thank you for sharing.

    -Bobbi

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