A few years ago, Bonnie Hunter shared a hexagon project. Here's the link. I didn't want to use her picture without her permission and I know how crazy busy she is. And I started cutting hexies in blues and browns and creams:
I liked having a portable hand stitching project and worked on it in spurts:
This is where I left off early last year:
And there it sat, abandoned on the back of a shelf. Now the hand stitching bug has hit me once again, but I've lost my passion for this one so I think I'll find a stopping point and finish it off.
When I was visiting my Mom back in February, we visited with friends of hers and the wife is a quilter. She took me upstairs and showed me some of her quilts. I'll share some at a later date, but she shared this one particular quilt top that I fell in love with:
This was pieced by her grandfather's first wife who passed away during childbirth in 1899. It was passed down to June and I was simply charmed by it. Old quilts like this are truly a testament to 'making due'. Not only are some of the stars made up of different fabrics:
But some of the points are even pieced using impossibly tiny scraps:
June is at a loss as to how to finish it, or even if she SHOULD finish it. Parts of it are so fragile where fabrics have deteriorated.
I was so touched that she shared it and the story behind it with me and I am now on a mission to make one.
I am using a package of these Quilt Patis templates that I bought 2 or 3 years ago
and pulling fabrics:
One down. Umpteen more to go, but this is a project I intend to savor one stitch at a time.
7 comments:
You have a very good beginning at the hexagon quilt. I love the blue and brown combo. I can understand falling out of love of a project. I have a hexagon project started in 2011 and I work on it whenever. Falling in and out of love for it every now and again. I find that going back to the original inspiration makes me fall back in love with it. The lady's EPP star quilt is so awesome! What a treasure of dedication and love. If I were you, I would show it to Barbara Brackman at http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.ca/ for her opinion about what do to with this beauty and how to preserve it. The owner should write down every thing she knows about this quilt before it is lost forever.
Thank you so much for sharing it. Good luck on you newest project and don't give up on the older one too soon. ;^)
What a wonderful old quilt! And your hexies are amazing. Those blue and brown colors are so pretty. Well done! I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Have a nice summer.
Your flower garden quilt is charming, Karin. What a great idea to use those flower blocks with scrappy squares.
I love the star quilt and as much as I'd love to have one I made, I'm just not interested in the actual making of it. I'll just enjoy watching yours come together.
--Nancy. (ndmessier @ aol.com, joyforgrace.blogspot.com)
Hope you keep us updated on these on occasion. I love the quilt top. Wouldn't you love to meet the woman or women that pieced that.
My hexie project was begun in 1997 or 98. I fell out of love with it years ago. But I really love the Irish chain version you shared here and it may help me actually want to finish it!
What a wonderful vintage top you have chosen for inspiration!
What beautiful hexies! Don't know if this is important to you or not, but on the blue and brown hexie star, one of the blue star points is "missing". It is the bottom left star point in your picture.
Your Hexies are great . I would bee charmed by that quilt too - wow - what a treasure she has!!!
Post a Comment