Victorian Shadowbox for the Aged P's

When I was a novice quilter, back in the late 80's, I depended on television to learn.  Eleanor Burns's TV show was excellent for this, and to this day I recommend Quilt In A Day books and patterns to beginners.  She did a Roman Stripe quilt, and I decided to make it.  I am not sure what drove the color choices, but my mom really liked this when it was almost finished.  Except she and my father had just bought a long bed.  So I had to figure how to add borders to a finished quilt.  The other television show I watched was Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson. On one of her shows she demonstrated seminole piecing, which appears in both the upper and lower borders. 

My sister-in-law Kim returned this quilt to me after my mom died.  My sister Paula chimed in and said she would like it - she has a pinkish guest bedroom and is trying to minimize the pink.  But I couldn't let her take the quilt just yet.  I made this quilt in 1991, waaaaay before I knew how to do a lot of things properly.  Most of the quilt is in good shape (except for the early primitive straight-line channel quilting).  But not the borders.  They are badly frayed because I didn't understand the importance of double-fold binding. 

So I will cut off the old binding and replace it and then give the quilt to Paula.  In Dickens' Great Expectations there is a minor character John Wemmick who has an aged and dotty father whom he called Aged P.  Mr. Wemmick tells Pip, "Nod away at him, Mr. Pip, he likes that."  Sometimes I would refer to my parents as the Aged P's - and not behind their backs either.  My mom refused to wash this quilt for fear it would lose its beauty.  So sometimes I would sneak in, get the quilt, wash and dry it, and get it back before she noticed.  The title for this quilt is apt, and I am pleased that Paula wants it and will use it. 

Still Learning...Binding, of all things!

 A few weeks ago my meeting of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild featured a lecture/trunk show by Oak Park quilters Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr.  It was so much fun to hear their approach to quilt design and quilting and very affirming of the work that I do.   Every step of their quilting is carefully thought out.  So when they talked about their binding method, my ears perked up - and I paid attention.  This illustration is from their 2007 book The Modern Quilt Workshop.  

Using 2" strips of fabrics (NOT cut on the bias) and a 25 mm bias tape maker (from Joann's for $7) and following these directions,  I'm now binding quilts even neater and faster than I was before.  And the look is tidy and sturdy from both sides. Following are pictures that illustrate each step of this binding process.

Weeks and Bill's new book Quilting Made Modern is just being released.  I'm sure I will have to buy it.

This little bias tape maker is such a simple tool.  Feeding a 2" strip through it starts with a diagonal cut.  The little handle?  Using your left hand to pull the tape maker, you hold your iron in your right hand.  Very very clever.

                           

Changing the Binding

 
This piece was originally made for our front hallway, which is dark and wood-paneled. The name of this piece is "Rays of Light" and it's quilted with gold thread. It's a scrap quilt that was paper-pieced onto newspaper. It was an interesting technique to try. My goal was to bring some additional light into this dark room. To frame the piece I used a tea-stained muslin.

Well, that was years ago, and we have moved old pieces to make room for new pieces in the hall, like John's Jazz T-Shirt Wall hanging ( see February 22, 2008) and an art piece I made from bits of niece Leslie's high school graduation (see March 23, 2007).

"Rays of Light" is now hanging in our living room, which has light walls. After cutting off the old light binding and sewing on a black binding, I think this piece looks like it belongs in our living room now.