Thursday, August 06, 2009

Radom acts of piecing...

It has been too hot and a bit too stressful to get much sleep in the past week so I have found myself piecing at odd hours of the night...Christmas-y four patches are good "brain-numbers" though I strongly advise against using rotary cutters after 1 am....not that I have had an accident yet but did make a strange slice on a fat quarter and had close call on the index finger (not the best way to trim a fingernail!)

I've also pulled out an old project. A few years ago I helped a local history museum with an exhibit of local antique and vintage quilts. This quilt was made in North Carolina. The owner had a very colorful story about her family being "bootleggers" and pictured her grandmother working on these blocks while she stood lookout. Who knows if it is true but it makes for a great story! The blocks are very scrappy and have a fun layout. It has been on my to "play with" list for awhile.

The original blocks are a strange size...10-1/4 inches? I changed it up to 9 just to make the math easier. I'm using my box of 1-1/2 inch strips a-la-Bonnie and my box of 2-inch squares. the only piece I am cutting from stash are the HST for the corners. Isn't it funny that in my mind this quilt was red and green but when I went back to find the photos of it well...no green to be found! I think I will continue with my current colorway...I am definitely in a green phase at the moment and I was only using the quilt as inspiration not trying to replicate it (that is my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Still working hard to get some quilts ready for our local show in October. Yesterday had a bit of a meltdown. I had the label ready for my husband's red white and blue quilt but when I went to the shelf in my sewing room...no quilt! So I checked the carry-all bag I brought to bee -no quilt. Blood pressure rising I checked my closet, the spare bedroom closet...heck I even checked the cabinets with quilt tops and yardage. No quilt. So during dinner I quietly asked my DH if he had seen the RWB the past few days. Not looking guilty at all he said, "I hid it in the bottom drawer of my dresser...I though you'd lose it." Like I have lost so many quilts in my life! (OK one almost finished quilt top but that may still show up....)

So Bonnie wanted to know if he liked the quilt...what do you think!

5 comments:

Loris said...

Interesting old quilt. I like your inspired blocks as well.
I hope it cools off there soon so you can quilt in the daytime too :-)

Tonya Ricucci said...

it's miserable hot here too in the middle of the day with the iron on - bleah. but you be careful - you're sounding dangerous. love that antique quilt, beautiful soft colors. hmm, yup, think he likes it!

Mary Johnson said...

So funny, sounds like something my guys would do - they're very protective of their quilts. In fact when Chris was in college he'd load up all his quilts in his car (there were 4-5 of them at the time) when he came home for the weekend because his roommates would go in his room while he was gone and use his quilts.

Louise said...

That's a great old quilt. I love those 1900 era colors and patterns. I like the story, too. Fall will be here before we know it.
Louise

sewkalico said...

Aww! He loves that quilt!