QUILTS & FABRIC: PAST & PRESENT


Monday, September 3, 2018

English Applique #5: Patterns

  
Center from an English quilt advertised in the Clarion magazine
by Woodard & Greenstein in 1987.

 104" square
This was also pictured in the 1989 Quilt Engagement Calendar

Although this quilt made an impression on me I didn't associate it with the free-form/unconfined applique style until yesterday when I posted a photo of a British quilt with similar center.

Durham Frame Quilt dated 1844 from the 
British Quilters Guild Collection

I realized I had drawn the pattern,
 first in ink and then digitally.

Primitive Paradise by Karla Menaugh
Karla Menaugh and I published our interpretation for our Sunflower Pattern
Co-operative some time ago.


I have spent many pleasant hours this past year digitizing the pattern from
the large paper sheets (some more pleasant than others---arithmetic.)

The  appliqued border is my favorite part, but then again
the animals are so cute and the botany is so clever.

These fit on background about 6" square
in the published pattern.

I've been digitizing because Karla and I volunteered to do a variation as a block of the month for our quilt guild. Not the whole thing, just the border blocks.

Mock-up

which we figured would make a terrific small quilt---

A Little Bit of Paradise by Karla Menaugh. 
Actual quilt top
Karla's blocks here are 8" square with triangles.

Georgann Eglinski is making the guild model, hand appliqued, in 10" blocks.

It did not occur to me until yesterday that the original might be
appliqued with a herringbone stitch over raw edges...

Karla's deer
which would explain the tiny pieces. 

Karla who can machine applique anything did this small deer with antlers by turning under the edges and machine appliqueing with a blind hemstitch. Now I see an alternative. We are not, however, including the deer in the guild's BOM---as we try to keep unhappiness to a minimum.

We have digitized the pattern for the large quilt and the smaller
and I just posted it for sale at our Sunflower Pattern Cooperative Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/641053887/primitive-paradise-full-size-appliqued?ref=listing


It's 18 pages of 8-1/2" x 11 sheets---$20.

If you'd rather have us print the pattern in black and white and mail it to you see this listing:




And I see Carolyn Konig has a pattern for the center of the Durham Frame Quilt.

Mary's version of the V&A quilt

And there is the Kaffe Fassett pattern for the quilt known as the Greek Slave quilt from the book he and Liza Pryor Lucy did Museum Quilts.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Barb Vedder's version from 2007

Barb Vedder and Mary M were inspired to make their own version using some of their templates and some of their own. The pictures are from the Fun With Barb blog.

Inspired by them Lin McQuiston is working
on one with the date 2018 optimistically basted.

And that is all on British free form applique for now.

12 comments:

  1. Your knowledge and talents are amazing.

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  2. The gals in your guild should have a lot of fun making those blocks. You are so right, adding 2018 to my quilt might be a bit overly optimistic now that September is here. I think I need to change that.

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  3. Lin-It's a goal. You can change it on January 1 if you need to.

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  4. Several years ago I saw an antique quilt in the Rotary Show during AQS Qu8kt Week with herringbone stitching on appliqué. I knew immediately that was the solution for some stars I was struggling to needle turn appliqué. I was very pleased with the look of the finished starts.

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  5. I just love these free form applique quilts. Primitive Paradise is charming. I hope to [start] making one this winter :) Thanks for the pattern!

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  6. I have never bought or used a pattern, but I love those charming blocks. I may have to go fetch my sketchbook...

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  7. I adore these quilts and this style. I remember seeing the V&A quilt and it knocked my socks off. The motifs on your quilt Barbara are so charming.

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  8. I have a copy of Encyclopedia of Needlework by Th. de Dillmont. In it she says fabric for applique must be prepared by pasting with wheat starch to tissue paper or muslin. After drying, the shape is cut out and pasted onto the foundation material and attached with cord or buttonhole stitch, fine herring-bone or other embroidery stitches. There are no illustrations of scattered applique or horses, people, etc. Mostly flowers and curved shapes in repetitive patterns. No publication date. I believe originally written mid 19thC. in France.

    sueclive@aol.com

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  9. Sue---that's interesting that she has you back the fabric by gluing it to paper. That is not archival since the paper would deteriorate before the cotton. But if you glued it to cotton to stiffen it and stitched it with a fine herring-bone----

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  10. I love each and every one of these quilts!

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  11. Thanks for including me and Mary's quilts in your post today. I have been in contact with Lin McQ as she started her project and I think it's terrific!
    Love your pattern

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  12. Hi Barbara, this is Susanne from Germany. We met up with Lori, Karla and the other ladies of your private quilt group last year at Sarah's!!!! I just wanted to tell you that I happened to get a kit for this awesome quilt by a German quilter (!) yesterday and I can't stop screaming and dancing!!!!! I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!! Sending love and hugs across the pond!!! Those memories I took with me will last for a lifetime!!!!!

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