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







Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Doll Quilt Swap ~ Tiny Stars, Tiny Baskets


Hello from the cold rainswept beach! Time to show everyone our adorable doll quilts made/ sent/ received for Lori of Humble Quilts second doll quilt swap. So much fun! But nerve-wracking too...will she [unknown recipient] like this? Or this? Will my sewing be nice enough? Can I finish on time? I'm not a worrier but I do like to please people, so I put a lot of thought into my quilt.


First I have to show you the wonderful quilt I received from Barbara Black.


Isn't it beautiful, such a perfect miniature.


Love the fabrics. The center squares are 2" so you can imagine how small the pieces are. Barbara said the pattern is from Temecula Quilt Company.



And Barbara's beautiful hand quilting. Such a smart idea, she used a subtle stripe for the setting triangles and followed the lines for her quilting. Her quilting is so amazingly straight and even, I had to look closely to be sure it done by hand.






Love the little stars and how the colors go so perfectly with my prim things...






For my quilt to send to Becky, in Iowa, I designed and made a Cheddar Tiny Baskets quilt. This was inspired by a conversation with Lori during last year's doll swap, where I mentioned I wanted to make itty bitty Baskets.


 In this year's Rules Lori mentioned that the quilt should look as if it had travelled through time. That guided me to make a little quilt that would look like a mother made it for a child over a hundred years ago.

Colors from ''her'' scrap bag--the little girl's pink pinafore, the brown of mama's long apron; Papa's dark blue workshirt; red that was treasured for a quilt back, and sadly, dark lavender half mourning, for those who lost their lives on America's battlefields.
I always wash my doll quilts for that pucker-y rumpled look.


The Baskets are  a 4" finished block. I made the pattern, it was easier than looking for one to copy aaaand I didn't want to do the baskets on point, the most common way.
I made this Evening Stars first, using antique madder blocks and antique turkey red cotton solid. But no.




I used a favorite calico on the back and---hard to part with!---indigo shuttlecocks print, a scrap from my friend BJ for the binding.



Here is BJ's quilt below. I don't know who it went to but lucky BJ got her quilt from our Lori. Note the cool backing she used.




Some doll quilt thoughts--- I've collected doll quilts for years though I sold all but two of my antique doll quilts. DQs fall into a few rather specific categories: Heirlooms with applique, silk, chintz, English piecing, fringe for a cherished doll, usually very old; perfect miniatures with scaled down version of larger blocks;  make-dos from single orphan blocks or cut from a larger worn out quilt and rebound by Mama; and sweet small quilts, not perfect in scale but made with care for a loved child or grandchild. This last style is the type of quilt that speaks to me and that I try to reproduce when challenged. (Rarely do we find a beginner's quilt, the myth that the little girls sewed their doll quilts is perhaps just that, a myth?)


Lastly, maybe you'll share your opinion. These are two antique doll quilts from my Pinterest board. When the challenge / swap began I had hoped to make one of these favorites, I've been gathering the fabrics for a long time. BUT are they right for Civil War to 1900 style? Or they look too 1930-40? If you got a little quilt like this---would you have been displeased, considering the swap's parameters?

antique from Pinterest


antique from Pinterest

What's your own favorite type of mini quilt? Or do you love them all?



Thank you, Lori, for the fun swap! Thank you, Barbara [and Dorothy last year] for sharing your tiny treasures with me. I'll love them always



love 

lizzy 

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










Weather note: It's June. It was 46* last nite. Today it is 51* with constant rain. I'm a bit sorry I took the flannel sheets off the beds. But sunny day tomorrow.

14 comments:

  1. Love all the little quilts. The two pictured from Pinterest are gorgeous with their old shirting and double pinks. I would be delighted to own either. Just waiting for my Doll's quilt to arrive, I know it is on it's way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How fun! Long journey for a little quilt. Thanks for the input about the antiques.

      Delete
  2. What beautiful quilts. I also love your quilt label. Did you order them or did you make them?

    And Mo in the drawer is priceless. Did he sneak or was he just cuddling up to stay nice and warm?

    I hope you're having a great week.

    I reached 903!

    Hunter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mo was looking for a cozy spot on a cold afternoon!

      I make the labels on my computer. :Print the info, tape fabric over the printing. print again. Iron, then when dry I hit the label with a spray of matte sealant. Take the tape off before you iron,lol.

      Delete
  3. Yay you got some rain! Weird but kind of fun to have some chilly weather in June...

    Love all the doll quilts! I don't know enough about antique fabrics to have an opinion about what looks the right age, but I think they all look pretty sweet. I really like the print you used as backing, and the colors of the one you got is just so you! BJ's has interesting colors, too. Most of my mom's quilts were light colors, I think because of washing them - she didn't want dark colors that might bleed.

    Silly Mo, in the drawer! Hiding from thunder? Are you sure he's not part cat???

    ReplyDelete
  4. I kind of agree about the cold weather, cozy! I had tea!

    Many quilts from the 20th century are pale in color, both for the not bleeding and it was also the style. People could wear / use lighter colors because with more modern washing machines they could launder things more often. The style for darks in the 19th century hid a LOT of dirt.

    Mo was being naughty, but he was also looking for a warm cozy nest---on top of the sweaters I was putting away for the summer! He s not afraid of thunder..every time there s a lightning flash I give him a treat. He thinks thunder is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, all of you ladies do fine work!

    The beach pictures are wonderful, and the Mo pictures NEVER disappoint! He is a scamp. What a wonderful idea to give him a treat as a way to keep him from being afraid of thunder. Love it.

    Kel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pugs will do anything for human food. LOL.

      Delete
  6. Great post, great quilts, all of them. I learned a lot doing this swap (next time - smaller scale blocks). Those two Pinterest minis look 19th century to me - with the double pink, madders, indigo, shirtings. Your puppy is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have to wear cheaters to just hem my pants...can't imagine what kind of magnification for the doll quilts!

    Gorgeous and generous of you to share!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have to wear cheaters to just hem my pants...can't imagine what kind of magnification for the doll quilts!

    Gorgeous and generous of you to share!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have to wear cheaters to just hem my pants...can't imagine what kind of magnification for the doll quilts!

    Gorgeous and generous of you to share!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Barbara did a great little quilt for you. I can only imagine how small those stars are via the internet.

    ReplyDelete

Hi! I'm allowing comments from everyone, even anonymous for awhile, to see what happens. With comments moderation. Hopefully the awful porn spammer has gone elsewhere. Or you can always email me! I love to hear from everyone.