Doll Quilt Swap

 *click any image for full screen closeups.

 

Hi! "What's a doll quilt swap?" you ask---
Well. This was just the most fun project!
Organized by Lori of Humble Quilts blog for all her fans and readers. I think she said 60-plus people entered the swap. Plan was, we'd each make a doll quilt and send it to another participant, who'd send her quilt on to the next, then on and on. (so not a direct one-on-on swap). We had one month to make our little quilts.

So---LOOK what came in the the mail last week. For me!?

All the way from Australia, imagine that. This sort of thing could never have happened without the Internet and blogs.

Here is my little quilt, made by Dorothy in Australia.   

Is it not so adorable and so very perfect!

I LOVE Basket design/ pattern quilts.

Dorothy used different Civil War repro fabrics in each of her tiny 4" blocks. And note how all her points match, how perfect her hand quilting is.

 

I love how she did her label....

 

 

 Dorothy also sent me a lovely card and a very sweet hanky with AU wildflowers. I am sure it will work is way into a project, Dorothy. Thank you so much, I will always treasure my tiny Baskets from Australia.

Right. Lucky me. :-) Picture me squealing and jumping for joy.
Meanwhile I had to make a doll quilt for my swappee. Oh I was so excited! Lori said it was okay to use my antique blocks and antique fabrics as long as they fit the mid-1800s parameters of the swap rules.

I was/ still am/ very inspired by the antique blocks recently purchased from a dealer friend.  I  dithered, I sorted, I wondered: who is my recipient? Will she like this? Or maybe this? Is this more authentic, is this prettier?

Yes I made three little quilts.....

The first is made of approx 6"? Evening Star blocks. I loved these fabrics, the florals are probably preCivil War.

 

I  used a wonderful 19th century block on the back, for the label block.

 

I am putting block names for Mel, who always asks.
 Pls feel free to correct my guesses here, I can't find my blocks book
.
*Churn Dash*

 

But then...I had the Blues out on my table.

"Snowball with Nine Patch"

 

 

I used my favorite of the antique blocks on the back.



*Anvil/ Shoofly/ Old Maid's Puzzle*

I hand quilted hearts in the large white snowball patches.

But then...I thought, Are either of these authentic enough? They're stylistically  true to form for antique doll quilts, which were often made of leftover blocks. But they weren't true miniatures, exactly And the blues could read as any era, even though they were part of the collection of 1800s blocks.

Back to the stash... Tiny Nine Patches, only partially sewed, with cheddar, oooh. And aqua. And homespun. The little squares are tiny, finishing about 1.25".

 I used larger blocks for the backing.

*T or Cross or Temperance*
* Modified 9 Patch/ Ducks-in-the Pond?*

It looks very much like an authentic doll quilt, I thought. But is it beautiful? What if the swappee doesn't like prim?

I used a pdf image freebie from Barbara Brackman's blog for my labels.

I sent my recipient, Jill, the original Evening Stars quilt. It is, I think, 16" square.

Maybe the back is even better than the front?

Jill says she loves it, that is what counts!

The Nine-Patch Cutie will be for sale in my etsy shop if you are sad you didn't get a  doll quilt like we did. I suppose I could part with Blues, too, if someone really loves it, please email me. Pls note it has been washed but has age stains which I liked and didn't try to remove.

Thank you, Lori, for such a fun project. Thank you, Dorothy , for sending me a beautiful tiny treasure of a quilt.
I enjoyed every minute---the planning and making and the exciting anticipation.

BTW, for my non-quilter friends: which is YOUR favorite [of my three?]?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach..................

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: May 1st: all doll quilts from Lori's swap are now on her blog, here at Humble Quilts. Scroll to end for posts of the little quilts.