Nebraska’s International Quilt Study Center

April 6, 2012April 5, 2012 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

Hunter’s Star quilt top, c. 2003, unquilted

Recently I commented on another Debbie’s block, titled Hopscotch, saying that it was an interesting variation on a Hunter’s Star block. She wrote me back, included the link to the pattern she used, and said she couldn’t find a Hunter’s Star block that she thought resembled what she was making.

So I had to go and look at it again. Yep–she was right. It wasn’t a variation on a Hunter’s Star. And, yep. I was right. It was a variation on a Hunter’s Star. I could see that the author of the pattern had changed up the triangle to a 60-60-60 from a right-angle, and had extended the strips on the outside, leaving the center in a different fabric. But not wanting to irritate the Copyright Gods who are already pretty cranky this month, I wrote back to say that I LIKE blocks that have more than just a hint of traditional blocks, for I believe “that creating a new twist on an old favorite, or dreaming up something new that has overtones of the standards, makes me appreciate the long and rich heritage we quilters belong to and participate in.”

While doing this research I dragged out my Barbara Brackman Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (which if you don’t have, save up the grocery money and get one) and then headed over to my other favorite source: the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (IQSCM). If you haven’t seen this website, head over there. Click on Collections (in the black bar at the top) and then spend time scanning triangles or Log Cabins or whatever you feel like. My advice is to set the number of the results per page to 50, as you can scroll through them quickly, stopping to enlarge the ones that catch your eye.

Like this one, made between 1930 and 1950. Info below.

Or this one (IQSC Object Number: 2003.010.0009). I think the maker, who put this together sometime between 1940 and 1970, may have had our modern sensibilities when she made her colorful creation. Why are we always so quick to declare ourselves free of these amazing women and their quilts? What is it about our quilting community now that only wants to have the latest thing on the block? It’s well-known that any new idea is really only about 10% new, and while I hope to have a few new ideas here and there, I recognize my debt to these early quilters. I also love seeing what women in THIS day and age are creating. To me, it’s one big happy quilting world.

I think it’s interesting to notice in this screen shot of the listing, that there is a place for the “Brackman #” (another reason to buy that book). I have compiled hundreds of numbers of quilt blocks I want to make from Brackman’s book. Pinterest (of which I also like for the ability to “curate” my own collections of ideas) has feeble numbers of ideas compared to the riches of Brackman and the IQSCM.

(Note to Pinterest Users: Please don’t “pin” the IQSCM quilts without their permission; they allow only a one-time use of an image, with complete documentation per publication (digital or print)–with the IQSC Object Number.)

Happy Quilting, to all of us quilters–both modern and vintage, new and old!

Quilt Shows · Quilts

Scrap Attack Quilt

March 26, 2012March 26, 2012 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

Today, over at Stitched in Color, Rachel is having a Scrap Attack Festival of Quilts. Here’s my entry.

It’s a mini-quilt, roughly about the size of a sheet of paper: 8 1/2″ by 11″ and it spells out the word LOVE. You’ve seen it before, as I started this last month about the same time I started my Scrappy Stars quilt, which is still up on the pinwall.

Like any good distracted, slightly ADHD creative type, I am really good at thinking up new projects, as that proverbial red herring is dragged across my original trail and I veer off to follow that idea or thought or whatever. This spring’s been especially bad for this, perhaps because of my twenty minutes of cancer (which somehow seems to have permanently altered my thinking) or because I am not totally immersed in my job, gazing out my window as the wisteria blossoms when I should be grading Grammar Groups. Or maybe because I’m approaching a phase of life when I am forced to choose between my activities because of lagging energy (I can hear my parents and brothers laughing when I say this because they believe I have always had too much energy–okay, so maybe it’s just down to a more normal level) and a refocusing of aims and goals. It’s all very complicated in my head, but I try to unscramble it occasionally.

So, I knew that I wouldn’t finish the Scrappy Stars. So, in order to have something to show for Rachel’s festival, I went small. I went Do-In-A-Day. I went easy, paper pieced. I went to LOVE. It now hangs above my computer. I think at some point I may come back to it and add some embroidery stitching, maybe a button or two, but for now, it hangs there, as a testament of staying the course, albeit a mini-course. I’ll take it.

100 Quilts · Family Quilts · Quilts · WIP

WIP–Roses and Doll Quilts

March 14, 2012April 2, 2024 Elizabeth E.5 Comments

I brought along my third block of the rose window block series — still working on it — but I think a friend of mine wants to try doing this too, as she’s a “Band Mom” and needs something to keep her hands busy while she whiles away those long hours at competitions. Good luck, Lisa!

Before we left, I was also able to finish a series of doll quilts for my son’s daughters: Emilee, Megan, Brooke and Danielle. Their mother Kim got them the most adorable doll beds for their dolls for Christmas, and I’d been wanting to make them little quilts ever since I returned home.

Somewhere along the way, I had purchased Moda Candy Bars, which area pack of four stacks of fabric (measuring 2 1/2″ by 5″) and while I liked having the variety of pieces, I had no idea what to do with them.

One little stack makes the perfect-sized doll quilt. I was thinking I’d do four different quilts, but ended up with three different patterns (the two on the top are the same–a variant of rail fence).

I tied them up with some silky double-faced satin ribbons (hair bows for my granddaughters?) and sent them off before we left to our Spring Break vacation.

I hope these girls like them!

Many thanks to Lee, for hosting us on her website, Freshly Pieced, every Wednesday. Return there to see what others are working on.

Quilts

Scrappy Star, part II

February 28, 2012February 27, 2012 Elizabeth E.4 Comments

This is a continuation of Monday’s post, where I began showing you how I put together these scrappy star blocks. Head to yesterday to download a PDF file of my paper piecing template. But if you hate paper piecing, even though this one is an easy block to paper piece, consider making strips of fabrics (one selvage-to-selvage width should be fine) to match the widths on listed on the template, then merely use the diamond as a pattern to cut out your blocks. I’d still do the stay-stitching on the outside edge.

As with anything, the first time you make a new pattern, you’re in the process of figuring it out. I first thought I’d sew them all together with the paper on. So I did, but the ripping off the paper was horrid. So don’t do that. First rip off the paper, then piece it together.

I used “fatty thigh method” as taught to me by Katie Pasquini-Masopust in a class I took from her at Houston. Yep. Set it on that little thigh of yours, poke and rip that paper off.

Actually, it comes off a lot easier if you crease it with your thumbnail and you use that vellum paper. First rip off the outside 1/4″ edges, then go for the interior. Be careful not rip out your stitching; I sometimes rip from the side, like tearing off a piece of paper from a pad.

Set it up on the ironing board, give it spritz of spray starch, press it flat. Now lay it out to decide:

Funny, I how never get tired of playing this game.

Piece two diamonds together.

Don’t stitch right off the edge on either end of the seam — stay within the stay-stitching on that outer edge. Tighten up your stitch length as you approach the place where you are going to end. At the outer edge, the Y-seaming, that you’ll later have to do when you inset the outer pieces, is made easier with a little bit of wiggle room. And at the top, you’ll need room for all those points to meet together.

After you seam two together, then add one more to make three.

Then line up the edges, and stitch the two halves together, again, being careful to not sew across the point, but instead staying within the stay-stitching lines, breaking your stitching as you travel across that center point area.

You might freak out at this point because it has that “training bra” look in the middle, but be patient. Press each seam open, bit by bit, using a little bit a steam as you go. It will lay down flat.

Then take your thumb and place it in the center. Press hard and give it a twisty-twirl to get those seam allowances to lay down.

Back after twirling and pressing.

Front, after twirling and pressing. Remember that you left a little hole in the center because you stayed within the stay-stitching line.

Here are my first four. The first star took forever. The second one I finished in about an hour, from start to finish. The first two stars were scrappy, and the third I went into the stash so that’s why it looks more blended. There’s no rules. Because they are so big (about 20 inches across from point to point) they make a great impact. I’ve laid them out with points touching, so you can see that the diamond pattern will also serve as the template for that missing filler piece, if that’s the direction I head.

As soon as I get my other blocks made, I’ll start thinking about settings. I am wondering if I have enough guts to do a rich visual background, a la Material Obsession in Australia. I’m also thinking about some kind of borders that will punch up the stars somehow. I have no clue where I’m going with this, but I hope to enjoy the journey of creation.

Check back for tomorrow’s thread Leap Day Superior Thread Giveaway. There are ten of us participating; you can hop around and enter to have lots of chances for some great thread!