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Friday, June 4, 2010

Quilt Show (off) Today

I have been collecting quilts for a long time and wanted to share a few of them with you. The number I have does not indicate the years spent in finding these treasures. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that I know what I'm doing while collecting these quilts, or hold me to accuracy when it comes to the information I write about them. I simply collect them as hand works of art by someone much like myself' a lover of creating beauty with a needle and thread. There are two that were handed down to me from great aunts long since passed and one that I purchased from the quilter nearly 30 years ago. All the others I have found poking around antique malls.

I only purchase quilts that are in good repair, no stains and those that are neatly hand quilted and also affordable to me.  One of my favorite quilts was purchased as a training lesson in restoration. It's colors are vibrant, the stitching is lovely, but there are a few patchwork pieces here and there that have disintegrated over time for one reason or another. It's the Dresden Plate with yellow centers shown. Look closely and you'll see the damage. I have yet to begin my restoration process namely because I haven't a clue as what it entails. But I thought I'd give it a try someday.
Then there is this one in my beloved "signature color" of turquoise. A beauty. The pink and white quilt on the right above with the signatures is called a "Community Quilt" and though I have no history on these (or any others for that matter) apparently this was made my many members of the same quilting club. The green Dresden Plate is the one I purchased from a quilter in Maryland in 1982 for $85. I wish I knew more about these lovely blankets and the quilters that made them, but for now I just keep them safe and appreciate them more and more every time I bring them out to breathe a little. Maybe someone out there may care to chime in and tell me more about any of them.

I cannot sit at the computer for any real length of time and this has given me the chance to at least say hello. I do thank you all for your thoughtful posts concerning the state of my side. It's slow healing and nothing to complain about. I have been stitching on small things and each day I make a little more progress on my cyber mystery piece. Thank you for stopping by today for a visit. If you blog, you know how much visitors mean to us. Take care til next time.

9 comments:

  1. I am not a quilter either but I appreciate the work that goes into them and their beauty as well as funtionality. I am glad someone who appreciates them is keeping them safe.

    Thanks for sharing and I hope you are feeling 100% soon.

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  2. Seeing your lovely quilts remind me that I have 1 (just one) more quilt top to quilt. Years ago there was a lovely elderly neighbor lady who was an excellent quilter. She had made over 100 quilts by hand. I've seen them all. She did the kind like you posted. Very traditional, and by hand. She taught me how to quilt. I cherished those evenings.

    I did the Double Wedding Ring, The Turtle Quilt, Log Cabin, Around the World... 9 in all. I have one remaining quilt top, already done, ready to quilt.

    It's the Ohio Star... as a Christmas Quilt. There are alternating Red & White Ohio Stars, and Green & White Ohio Stars... each Red or Green fabric in a different Christmas fabric. It really is cute. Then life occurred... I got busy, and it went into the Quilt Box.

    I Must.... I will quilt it. Just the simple hand quilting. Madonna, you have given me inspiration to move it out of the Quilt Box. Once TNNA obligations are finished... I will put it in. You know what I mean: lay out the back fabric, then the batting, then the top quilt. Do the Horizontal and Vertical giant Basting Stitches. Then begin in the center, place it in a Hoop, and hand quilt.

    Perhaps Peggy might allow for some quilting photos in her Needlepoint Study Hall Blog? It seems that's the only way I get things accomplished... unless... I create my own blog... Would anyone find me?

    Thanks, for all of your kind words! Please take care! Robin

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  3. These are lovely! I have only made one quilt in my life! I appreciate the time that these take, not unlike our needlepoint!

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  4. When my studio is built I will start making quilts of my own, but in the meantime, I have two quilts hand quilted by my mother-in-law's mother. One is "Amish" in yellow, red, and black. The other is a scrap quilt with '40s and '50s prints. I love your green Dresden Plate quilt and the white quilt has exquisite stitching. A very nice collection.

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  5. Pat, indeed the time involved in quilting is very much akin to all the precious stitches taken in our own work.

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  6. Kathryn, we will be here right along with you watching (and drooling) as you begin to put your new studio to good use. How inspiring if you should choose to display your quilts.

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  7. Robin, you most definitely must share your quilting with us on blog; they sound lovely. Having your neighbor's abundance of quilts to inspire I'm not surprised that you became a quilter...among your many other talents.

    Nearby in Golden, CO there is a quilt museum, two floors of the most amazing displays that rotate approximately every 3 months or so. The ground floor is for the traditional hand quilting and the second floor shows contemporary machine quilts. Both are equally amazing in their own right and seeing the contemporary quilts has completely changed my views on how I look at machine quilting. I hope anyone visiting in the area would take the opportunity to go to the museum. There's also a quaint shop filled with books, patterns, notions and some quilts for sale too.

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  8. Hi Kelly, thanks for your comment, it's good to hear from you.

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  9. Lady Madonna, your interests never cease to amaze me! These are beautiful! Thank you for sharing them.

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