Quilters Madder

Hello and welcome! As the months turn, October to November, it becomes time for quilt related  posts here at the beach. I hope you don't feel inundated---or bored! Next week we'll go out, I promise.
Today begins the Linky  party of Lori/ Humble Quilts' small quilt sewalong called Quilters Madder. Pun intended, I assume. This was a mystery sewalong, with clues each week, based on an unseen antique doll quilt piece. This is my Step one.

Lori's sewalongs go fast [and / or I am very slow], no time to dilly dally or lose focus. Or---finish! Both of my little quilts are unfinished, unquilted. Here is my first quilt, made with repro madder prints as Lori instructed.

[Madder = rusty red or browns],

 shirtings [tiny light ground figural prints]

 and a touch of Double Pink [pink on pink, a popular mid-19th century choice for children's clothing.

Quilt Index Fabric dating reference. A brief explanation of the colors and prints styles I mention here.

I had only one or two madders, so I put together a nice grouping from Fat Quarter Shop. I used their excellent color search function and was pleased with the results.

Lori had mentioned the secret mystery quilt had a border, so I ordered and ultimately used this stripe. Had I had more time I'd have like to make the original sawtooth border instead.

As always I dithered over the backing. I hand dyed this sweet rustic toile in what I imagined would be madder, mixed red and brown dye; if I were quilting this myself I d have used It, but it's too small for my quilter, who needs large backings.

I went with a nondescript brown floral, pieced with an authentic madder Evening Star block, c.1850-80? I'll add my name in the center when it is finsihed. The binding will be the dull purple mourning print.

.....

"Indigo Loves Cheddar" ~ QM version 2

The sewalong started easy and I was lulled, tempted, couldn't resist---cutting a second version.

I used very ugly cheddar and indigo fabric I had erroneously ordered thinking the scale would be small and sprig-like. Too bad. You can see that I ran out of the cheddar and subbed some tiny prints and vintage cheddar solid.

It started out pretty fun.

But with a mystery project, it was hard to judge design and value. In this case the values are too similar and the fabrics dreadfully busy, in my opinion. But cute.

Here are both quilts in grey scale. I was interested to read on FB that many quilters nowadays did not think value [light and dark / contrast] is an issue to be considered, yet I find it necessary for the success of a quilt. It is also one of my biggest challenges or fails as I tend to choose by color instead. Wrong, wrong, wrong! See how the hourglass-like pattern goes lost in both?

on both.

The pattern is called Old Maid's Puzzle, or maybe Hen and Chicks.

The back of Indigo Loves Cheddar will either be a double pink or the white ground cheddar and indigo ugly from the original batch. (I buy 90 % of my fabric online. [2% vintage from the flea, 2 % thrifted, 6% Joann's] Colors are usually okay but motif scale can be a disaster. And I'm stuck with expensive unattractive fabric.)

No border on this guy. I'll do a simple machine quilting when I get my other sewing machine set up next rainy day. Double pink binding.

This was a very fun and interesting challenge. I got to try a classic late 19th century piecework pattern; I added a new color range to my quilting palette; I practiced my mitered corners skills. And best I learned a new fast way to make half square/ sawtooth triangles.

Many thanks to Lori for her projects. When these little pretties are entirely done, I'll show them again. Quilts look so wonderful once they're quilted and washed.

Have a great weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Today is glorious, I couldn't just sit there typing! How can anyone ''hate'' November on a day like today? 60*, light breeze, fairly dry.

 See all the small quilts on Humble Quilts blog HERE

See the original 19th century inspiration quilt HERE