QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Sunday, January 9, 2011

More Polka Dot Problems


I've been collecting photos of quilts with dots. I've quickly found out what not to do if you are going to make a quilt with dots.

Forget about red dots. The quilt above from the Skinner online auction site illustrates the problem. The mid- 19th-century friendship quilt makes me itch.


This one's probably early 20th century.


Mid-20th century Sue

The problem is that we seem to have a built-in aversion to red spots.

These quilts unfortunately remind me of the chicken pox.



Something I saw entirely too much of when I taught kindergarten before the vaccine.

An idea I drew up in EQ but one I am going to forget about.




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14 comments:

  1. Maggey and JimJanuary 9, 2011 at 7:48 AM

    I'm with you on this one,Barbara.
    Maggey

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  2. sewprimitive karenJanuary 9, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    Barbara, you're a riot. Love the last, the little carnival gamepin.

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  3. irishgirlsewsJanuary 9, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    I agree, love red, but hey.....enough is enough!

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  4. YankeeQuilterJanuary 9, 2011 at 8:28 AM

    Just the thought of it has me itchy...

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  5. Becky in VAJanuary 9, 2011 at 9:26 AM

    You and your dots! Polka Dot Problems really is a good lesson in what NOT to do. Thanks for starting my day with a light-hearted posting.

    I'm saving NORTH STAR as my treat to myself, for later today. I'm all excited about the civil war blocks. Thanks again for doing this.

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  6. Robin's Egg BleuJanuary 9, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    In the nineteenth century, the term 'polka dot' didn't exist for this design style. They were called 'spots'. You had a 'spotted' dress. 'Polka dots' is definitely a more pleasing description!

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  7. Susan BriscoeJanuary 9, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    LOL, recently finished a quilt with some red on white spots, but tiny ones luckily! Several of the antique quilts at the V & A had a lot of spots - small ones - and Jockey's Cap as a popular English paper pieced pattern.

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  8. quiltmom annaJanuary 9, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    Your picture with the kids made me laugh- Some of my k kids still get chicken pox- we just had 4 kids before Christmas.
    My son had the chicken pox when he was 6 and he gave them to my husband- man was my husband sick with them. It was a case of history repeating itself as I gave my father chicken pox when I was our son's age too. In both cases the father was much sicker than the child. It is better to get them when you are young than as an adult.
    Polka dots are indeed interesting.
    Regards,
    Anna

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  9. RobinJanuary 9, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    Just returned from a trip across Kansas, Colorado and home to Utah. We passed a sign that reminded me of you but I couldn't get my camera out soon enough to take a picture. The town's name was Dotsero. It was in Colorado.

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  10. Bonnie HullJanuary 9, 2011 at 9:44 PM

    ...I love red dots...what atreat to see them all together...!!

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  11. WoolenSailsJanuary 9, 2011 at 9:46 PM

    Great subject and would love to know more about using dots in quilts.
    I have been collecting dots and circles, still not sure what I will do, but would be nice to know the do's and dont's of using dots in a pattern.

    Debbie

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  12. Nifty QuiltsJanuary 10, 2011 at 1:34 AM

    Red dots don't bother me at all. I really love that orange and red quilt. May have to make one of those.

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  13. Barbara BrackmanJanuary 10, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    And what about Spotsylvania, Virginia?

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  14. Sujata ShahJanuary 10, 2011 at 11:58 AM

    I love dots.. I would love to make an entire quilt with dots. Orange and Red would be nice.

    Oooo... I like the name Spotsylvania!!!
    Can I borrow it?

    ReplyDelete

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