I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Monday, May 12, 2014

Quilting - Antique Cheddar Baskets




auditions

Hi guys! A cold front and spitting rain blew through this noon, just as I was in the midst of my Monday photo shoot. I couldn't finish and so the exciting tales of weekend flea-ing will have to wait for a day or two.  I'll show the pics I took inside instead.



It's no secret that I love Basket quilts. I was thrilled to find a large group of Basket blocks in my recent purchase of antique blocks from my dealer friend.



An aha moment, I thought Oh these will be perfect for *this*:
below, two Basket quilts with cheddar grounds that I saved on Pinterest.







I particularly love the strippy one for this project. (I want to make tiny baskets for the other, maybe 3 or 4"? squares?)

In the new box of old blocks there were I think 13 simple blocks, plus I had another set of half square triangle Baskets from eBay.



I was surprised they are about the same size. The eBay blocks are prettier /  more colorful, so I'll intersperse them with the faded  plainer Baskets.



Fine. But what about the cheddar? [an orange cheddar, bottom.] Or poison yellow, aka chrome yellow  in the middle. I kinda love the awful chrome yellow!



I don't much like the main cheddar, below, at all. I bought 8 yards, sigh.



This cheddar or mustard, below right, is the best. But it's 25 years old and I only have that 8'' x 20" piece.




If I don't want cheddar I have a couple of very nice grey fabrics, including one that is a nature journal text print. For this sort of look.



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Other quilting projects to contemplate:
I love this greige , neutral quilt BOM that features Japanese taupe fabrics. link is here


 Serene, calm, reserved----It's different from anything I've ever made, though reminiscent of my Porch quilt, by Linda Hall.
The piecing looks simple and the  applique looks just about my level of easiness. (You should see me laboring over my Noah and Matilda blocks! I think maybe close-work/ reading  glasses are needed. Yikes!).The kit comes with a book and silk sewing thread. [extra charge] ; I'd like to try silk thread.

And I love flowers.

This taupe quilt would be a good beach sewing project, I think. I'll alternate it with Mr Sunshine, who came out of his winter storage basket and was contemplated yesterday on my briefly sunny deck. No good fairy or leprechaun snuck in and sewed all those damn 100 leaves on the Tree of Life block during the winter. Yes, they still await and as my friend Hunter says, I will sew love and blessings into each tiny ugly green leaf. lol.
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And I really really really want to make this new set of patterns  Common Threads that is being published by my favorite designer Cheri Payne. I had so much fun making my doll quilts during Lori's quilt along at Humble Quilts. This new set of designs by Cheri will be like making many doll quilts that combine into one big quilt! So much for my friend who years ago told me making doll quilts is a waste of time! Hah!---I didn't make another doll quilt then til I began following Lori's blog. But nevermind.
A great way to showcase my antique calicos and blocks.

My kids loathe ''cheddar'' unless it's on an antipasto platter! Is that influencing me to tone down my love of gaudy and garish, or what? I'll set my antique Baskets aside until the right cheddar comes along! Advice? Thoughts? 2 cents are welcomed.
:-)

love

lizzy

gone to the beach









Photos of completed quilts are from Pinterest, except the taupe quilt whose website is shown with a link. All other photos are by me.