Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts

Sunday, December 2, 2007

A Burst of Energy


















The past three years of quilting have developed a rhythm, which isn't quite cyclical but certainly repetitive. I'm coming out of a busy time that's been punctuated by holidays and vacations. ADD quilting periods are followed by those wonderful times when several projects get completed within the same week. And that sense of completion allows me then to concentrate on a project I've been putting off. And then? start those things I've been wanting to start. The Foundation-Pieced Reversible Quilt is a model for a workshop at SusanMarie's in February. The Attic Windows pattern on the front and the lovely Asian purples on the back have made this one of my artier quilts.

This Christmas Quilt was begun as a model for the Lawndale Christian Quilters. I finished it, intending to donate it to a fund raiser. Perhaps it will be used for a future donation/fund raiser. Its binding was part of a demonstration on binding. Notice the gold corners? Ran out of the green for the outer border and had to do some improvising.


The scalloped edges on this quilt restoration for Laurel were something I've been putting off. I usually don't work with bias bindings and haven't done scalloped edges before. Reading directions and practicing are two things I prefer not to do. But I finally did tackle this project, and it wasn't that difficult. This quilt top is a Double Wedding Ring. Most are done on white backgrounds. It's rare to see a pastel or colored background. And this one uses striped feed/flour sacks as its background. My conclusion is that the piecer of this top often had to "make do" with what was available. There's a lot of hand work in this quilt top. I used Warm N'Natural batting and a muslin backing. This once-flimsy top now has a sturdiness to it.

Now that my project list has become manageable, I'm devoting all efforts during the next two weeks to working on Greg and Dorothy's Jazz Bed Quilt.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Restoration

Friend Laurel found this piece of Redwork at a flea market several years ago and recently asked if I would turn it into a wall hanging. Despite some minor yellowing and general frailty, this piece of needlework looks great with its new border and some cross-hatch quilting. I think it will be good for another 50 years. Laurel is going to sell this at the "Day in the Country" market in Oak Brook July 1. It will be interesting to see how this sells; Laurel has some additional redwork pieces in her treasure chest!

It's satisfying to restore an older piece. All aspect of quilting - preparation, cutting, piecing, basting, marking, quilting, and binding - are things I need to do on a daily basis. To have a reason to do any of them, like for this piece, is even more satisfying.