David's Quilt

This wall quilt is brand new; I just finished the binding and the sleeve a few minutes ago.

The colors are golds and browns (hand dyed and very soft). I put some improvisational blocks in a bag with some solid squares, then took them out without looking and "let the chips fall where they may." No planning went into the arrangement of the rows either. I let randomness play a role in the design process. The squares are 3.5" This quilt is a gift to my son David. He says he likes it a lot. That was fun.

Do you sometimes let randomness play in your quilt room?

Cozy's Red and Whites - Family Antiques

Do you follow The Cozy Quilter blog? Take a look at her post about three red and white quilts that were given to her by her mother-in-law and father-in-law. They were made by his great-grandmother, and they are so beautiful. Gail lives in Ontario, Canada, and she grew up sleeping under her grandmother's quilts. That does sound cozy.

Green Eyelash Wedding Ring Quilt

Lureca Outland of Boligee, Alabama made this wedding ring interpretation quilt in 1991. It's part of the current exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum. Helen and I searched to find "the block," but we couldn't. It's quite a puzzle to us how Lureca put this quilt together. Viewed from a distance, this bold colorful quilt is stunning.

Silk Log Cabin Quilt

Harriet Rutter Eagleson of New York City started this quilt in 1874, the year she married. It was given to the American Folk Art Museum in 1979 by her daughter Jessica Eagleson when Jessica was 99 years old.

Helen is memorizing this quilt because she has one like it on her bucket list. Like most quilters, she and I have very long bucket lists so I hope we all live as long as Jessica.

This quilt was made from silk and cotton. The border is dark red velvet.

Susan Arrowood's Bible Quilt

Susan Arrowood made this "Sacret Bibel" applique quilt top in 1875-1895 possibly in West Chester, PA. It illustrates Bible stories and includes her hand-written descriptions. I've seen this quilt in books so it was exciting to see it recently "in person" at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC.

The block below shows Jesus and His twelve disciples wearing black suits.

The caption below says "The angel guarding the sleeping man." Note the broderie perse flowers and the netting used for the angel wings. Such a creative one-of-a-kind quilt!

Baltimore-Style Album Quilt

This is one of the most impressive quilts on exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum. Look at the extensive detail in these blocks! It's from 1845-50 and was found in Uniontown, PA. Maker(s) unknown.

The three baskets like the one below are made from individual appliqued strips. This seems to be a bedspread; it has no batting.

Amazing Bindings

Here are two quilts from the exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum with edges that just blew my socks off! The Dresden plate below has a double scalloped edge.

Antique Hawaiian Flag Quilt

This Hawaiian Flag quilt is part of the current exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.

And Happy Birthday to my sister, Lynne.

Soldier's Quilt

Yesterday after our guild meeting in New York City, Helen and I visited the American Folk Art Museum to see the second installment of their quilt exhibit. It was wonderful. This is one of my favorites. It's said to have been made by a soldier (around 1854-1890), probably in the US, the UK or Canada. That's really narrowing it down!

This type of quilt is known as a military quilt or a Crimean quilt. Most examples are found in Great Britain where recuperating soldiers made them out of wool used in the making of military uniforms. The wool seems to be felted. The workmanship is very precise, the colors are rich, and the design is stunning.

Trade this Book?

I'm looking for a copy of this book. If you have one that you're finished with, I'd be happy to send you a copy of my selvage book in exchange. Thanks.

Signature Block for Victoria

Victoria Findlay Wolfe of Bumblembeans in New York City is making a signature quilt and this is my contribution. I had no idea it would look like this. It's more traditional and reserved than I expected, but I like it. I chose this font (Monotype Corsiva) in Microsoft Word, printed it on paper, then traced it using a fabric pen. She's collecting blocks until the end of this month. Take a look.

Happy Mother's Day!

. A mother is a person who seeing that there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces that she never really did care for pie. -Tenneva Jordan

I hope you are having a wonderful Mother's Day.

Petroglyph Style Art

These rock carvings were for sale in a gift shop in Utah, not far from Moab. The designs are inspired by the petroglyphs in nearby Capitol Reef National Park and the surrounding area. The image above looks like the figure is wearing a big nicklace. But when my son David saw it, he saw it as a big smile with the ear-rings as eyes! Haha. Interesting drawings either way!

Monument Valley

This is Monument Valley. The teepee is located near a roadside stand where the Navajos sell jewelry. It provides protection from the sun and fierce wind at breaktime. It was desserted the day we drove through, but I thought it made a nice photo.

There is a new hotel facing this view. The hotel is just okay, but the view is amazing. You can see some cars on the dirt road in the bottom photo. It's a loop road that you can take on your own. The temperature was comfortable in April, but it gets beastly hot in the summer.

Selvage Chair

This colorful selvage chair is the work of Katherine Bollinger from southern Louisiana of the Lagniappe blog. Lagniappe means the little extra things in life that make it special. I think her chair is a good example. Nice job, Katherine!

Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary! Wow.