This is a quilt made using every last scrap left over from the bear claw quilt. It is quilted with an all over Baptist fan pattern. Last time I used this pattern I drew it freehand, but this time I used a stencil. It was satisfying to quilt and the end result looks really good on the expanse of white. The backing is a Kaffe Fassett print called Ribbon Stripe, which also appears in these quilts.
1930s
Colourful bear claws
This is another UFO which I put aside having becoming unmotivated when the cats knocked all my carefully sorted half-square triangles onto the floor. However, when I picked it up again a few months later I really enjoyed finishing it.
The quilt is from a pattern designed for the Bread ‘n’ Butter range of American Jane fabrics. I love the bright colours and the quilt makes me smile every time I look at it.
I started this quilt after a frustrating attempt to make a mariner’s compass block. I started off very excited with visions of a glorious quilt full of curves. On the third attempt, I did eventually end up with a finished block which I was fairly happy with; but I had to do a lot of unpicking and resewing to get there. The picture below is my second attempt.
After grappling with the curves, all I wanted to do was cut and sew some straight lines: hence this quilt.
A fourth 1930s scrap quilt
This is a final quilt made using leftover fabric from the faceted jewels quilt.
The thought of trimming 396 squares was quite daunting, so I did it bit by bit over several months.
I’m pleased with the final layout, which is perfect for such a large number of blocks. Another option was zigzags:
Baptist Fan
This is a quilt made from a kit using thirties reproduction fabrics (30’s Playtime by Chloe’s Closet). The pattern, called ‘Matthew’, is from The Fat Quarter Baby Book by It’s Sew Emma.
I decided to quilt it with an all-over Baptist fan pattern which I felt would work well with the rigid geometric shapes. The design, also known as ‘Methodist fan’ and ‘Amish wave’ among other things, was popular towards the end of the 19th century, especially in quilts that were quilted by a group.
I really enjoyed quilting the fan pattern, as you can get into the flow of it. It’s drawn freehand starting from the edges and working inwards in a spiral, which means you can draw a bit, quilt it, and then draw some more (this blog post has some detailed instructions).
I was worried that starting from the edges rather than the centre would mean it bunched up in the middle, and it is a bit bumpier in places than I would like, so next time I might mark the whole quilt and then start from the centre.
Another 30s scrap quilt
This quilt arose after I decided, on a whim, to sew together some scraps (left over from the faceted jewels quilt) that had been cluttering up my sewing box. Most of the scraps were less than 2″ wide and I had debated throwing them away.
Once I had sewn together the scraps, I cut 20 4″ squares from the patchwork and brought them together with calico sashing. The quilt is backed with a Kaffe Fassett print.
I like the combination of order and randomness and the way that further patterns emerge along the diagonals.
cowleyquilter 