Freedom to Create

Anyone can design a quilt.  Every quilt can be different, even using the same basic pattern pieces.  With just 3 little pieces, a multiple of designs can be made.

While working on my Grannie Lewis' Conversation Quilt Block (the Far East variation of the Churn Dash)  I started playing around with different blocks that make up the pattern.  Remember that the block was basically a 9 Patch with a 9 Patch at it's center.

Here's some of the different designs I came up with, using enough of the original block pieces to make 2 blocks (with the darks/lights switched).  

I took the 9-Patch out of the center and just put a solid piece.

This time I used a light in the center.

9-Patch back in the center, but I turned all the outside pieces.

Swapped out the center piece again.

I worked with the different shades, using a combination.

Not sure I like these, but sill playing.

A friend pressed some of the flowers from my mother's funeral and presented me with this picture this week.  I think it turned out beautiful.

And then a sweet young girl is having a sweet baby and I pieced this 4-Patch.  I started playing with the two colors and then add a bit of the yellow when I ran out of the blues and needed to make the quilt a little bigger.  I got it machine pieced in one night and the quilted finished in just a couple of hours.  I got the binding finished tonight and delivered it to the family.  I loved the colors.

Oh, the fun you can have with a few pieces of material, some pressed flowers, and freedom to create!

Conversation Quilt - Grannie L.'s Scrapbook

While the photo to the right (the four hands) is four generations of quilters down through my mother's side of the family, my father's family also had talented quilters.  I have quilts from four generations back on that side of the family too.  Since I was going through the scrapbooks, I decided to pull out what little I have of Grannie Lewis' patterns.

Most of what I have of hers, is in tattered envelopes or actual blocks.  She did a lot of  chain letters where quilt patterns were passed back and forth between her and her friends.  She cut all of the envelopes up (saving the stamps),  most of the letters were from friends in Nashville or family members that lived outside Centerville, TN  (where she always lived) but some were from out of state.

The patterns are hand drawn on pieces of notebook paper or newspaper, some on cardboard.  She pinned all the pattern pieces together or sewed them together.  She put as much of the instructions as she could on most of the pieces, but not a lot.

Her blocks are more of a mystery than anything.    On the outside of the envelope, she labeled it "Conversation Quilt".  It was mailed from Reynolds, GA  sometime between 1954 or 1961 (which is when the 4cent stamp on the envelope was used).  There were several pattern pieces and a list of all their names.  There was one block in particular that I decided to play with today. On this particular, one, she drew off the pattern.

 She had the pieces for a 12 and a 14 inch block.  I went with 2 colors and it only took about 30 minutes to cut and machine piece.  This one could really be done even quicker with strip piecing.  I have no idea what the name of the block is.  Grannie labeled it "Mrs Morris Pattern".

The center is a Nine Patch and the outside pattern resembles a Monkey Wrench or Churn Dash, but the lines are off-set, centered on the triangle instead of even.

 I'm very pleased that I figured out this mystery today.  I've had fun in the scrapbooks this weekend.

Update:   I did find the pattern on-line and it was called Churn Dash variation-Far East, click here.  And here is another one without the 9-Patch in the center, click here.

Great Lakes Log Cabin - Mom's Scrapbook

After going through my grandmother's scrapbook, I went through my mom's.  It's amazing how many similar patterns she and I would clip for our scrapbook.  Mom loved log cabins (me too..even those you live in).  She also loved stars, so this pattern was one of her favorites.  It was from Grannie's copy of Quilters Newsletter Magazine, July/August 2005 issue.

 The pattern was with the article, written by Judy Martin.  She was showcasing some of her patterns featured in an article called Knockout Blocks.


The technique uses lots of rotary cutting methods and some tiny (1 inch) pieces.  The finished block is 12 inches.  The chart tags each piece with a code.  Based on that code, you cut the pieces out.  The center of the "log cabin" is a sawtooth star.  It helped me to cut out all the pieces and lay them out for placement at the sewing machine.  This pattern would be a great way to use up some scraps.  I do wish I had used a more solid burgundy for my second star.

 I also tagged the pieces as I cut them out.

 Once all the star pieces are done, it goes together pretty quickly with the rest of the log cabin strips.

 The  burgundy  I used had too much of the floral that seems to blend in with the lights of the log cabin too much, but I still like it.  It was hard to cut out just enough for one block...may have to make a couple more for a table runner.

 I pulled out the sampler that Mom had made her block for.  I really thought this was the pattern she used, but, as you can see, it was not.  This sampler was made by all the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and (at that time) the only great-great-grandchild.  Everyone made a block and then I sat it together and me & Mom quilted it.

 This was my mom & dad's block.  It's very similar to the above pattern, except for not being as big and the center star has a different backbground.

I like the way my mom signed it, with her true signature.  The quilt was made in 1999 and presented to Grannie as a gift on Christmas Eve.

Maryland Beauty Quilt Block - Grannie's Scrapbook

One of the things that my four generations of quilters have always done is keep scrap books of quilting or sewing ideas.  We cut out and paste or put in folders ideas of things we want to try.  My grandmother kept some of hers in this Jumbo Scrap Book.  She has notes of quilting guilds she attended, who attended and what their projects were.  This particular book has the guild information from the early 1930s.  Grannie was married, with only one child then, and some of the guild members were her sister-in-laws and her mother-in-law.  She was in Texas at the time.

 I'm not sure where she got her clippings, but most look like they came from a quilt magazine and for $.10, you could mail off and get the pattern.  Some times the pattern was included with a little information about the design, but the directions weren't quite as detailed as we are used to now.

This was the first clipping in Grannie's scrap book, The Maryland Beauty.  The directions give how much material would be needed for a full quilt.  If you look closely at the pattern, The block was to be 9 inches.  Using copies of the pattern pieces, to get a 9 inch block, those half square triangles are tiny!

I decided to recreate some of my grandmother's dreams.  My first step was to go to the internet, however I couldn't find any patterns with the half square triangle.   I did find what appears to be a cross stitch pattern here.  And I also found a variation without the half square triangles here.   I found a website which listed all the state block, but no directions here.

Since I had no luck with finding a good pattern, I made my own.  I wanted my half square triangles to be at least 1 inch, so....I made my own pattern using a 10 inch square finished block.  I divided the pattern into sections and marked where my HST would be.

Then I erased the extra markings on the pattern.

And added the HST placements.

The clipping suggested making the small triangles in light blue and then doing the HST in assorted colors, all on white, quilting with a curved feather in the large open space.  I added some color to my pattern just for fun.  Then I made some plastic templates for the triangles, tiny, small, medium and large.

Because I already had some HST made from this fabric, I went ahead and used a similar blue fabric for the small triangles and the background from the same background as the HST.

I pieced the HST (4) first, then the strip of 3.  To the strip of 3 HST I added the small triangle and then attached the strip of 4.  Oh, there is a tiny triangle at the top of each strip.

The final Maryland Beauty block.

Well, I saved my $.10 by making my own pattern....of course it took most of the day!