Waterwheel Quilt

This quilt is made with a block called Waterwheel. The alternate block is the same block, except that the half square triangles in the waterwheel block are replaced by solid squares.

The quilt has a chain pattern in the alternate blocks but because the chain is white, it’s not obvious.

Because the block is supposed to be a waterwheel, I hand quilted a circle in the middle of each of the wheels. I thought it would take me a quite a while to do the hand stitching but it went quickly. I drew around a mason jar with a chalk pencil for fabrics and then did a running stitch over the chalk line. I ran a 1+ inch of thread through the layers to start the stitching, did a tiny first stitch to lock the thread and then started stitching over the lock stitch. At the end took another tiny stitch, ran the thread back through the layer a couple inches, pulled the needle up and cut the thread. That’s how I was taught to do hand quilting.

Looking through my stash, the fabric that matched best is a Christmas tree and bird fabric. So here’s a quilt that can stay out from Advent to Valentine’s Day. I do like a multi-season quilt.

Showcase: Christmas Wall Hanging

I believe this is the only quilted item my mother ever made.

She had a bachelor's degree in interior design and had excellent tailoring/sewing skills. Sewing clothes was her gig. Quilting was mine!

In her interior design work, my mother's area of expertise was interior design for churches and Sunday School buildings. She was very interested in Christian symbols and had many books on this subject her library.

I don't know for sure, but I think it is likely that she designed this wall hanging.  However, it might have been based on a design in one of her books of Christian symbols.

Mom did her machine applique without any fusible web.  It probably didn't exist when she made this!! (Based on the red calico, I'm guessing this was made in the 1970s or 1980s).

I love that she chose to do hand quilting in concentric circles in the background! She'd be tickled to know that today's Modern Quilters would really enjoy her circular quilting!

Note that she braided the yarn cord to hang the pieced using yarn the three main colors in the quilt!

This wall hanging was tucked in one of my boxes of Christmas decorations. I took it out this year and had a good look at it. I really appreciate her work, especially her attention to detail.  In this season of Advent, I to have this little quilted wall hanging on my wall. It makes me happy in so many ways!

Family Heirloom Quilt: Goose Tracks Variation

I "found" this quilt buried somewhere in the linen closet when I was teenager and asked if I could use it on my bed. My mom had little interest in it so off to my room it went.  I did learn that it had come from my father's family. Sadly, I have no idea who made it. I've searched but have never found a signature. I wish I knew who she was--she stitched this quilt entirely by hand with amazingly tiny stitches.  It's a beautifully crafted quilt. 

It's been heavily worn and is threadbare now.  The fabrics have faded so it's hard to tell what they looked like originally. My best guess is that the majority of the quilt is muslin with tan, cheddar and a tiny bit of blue fabric.  There is one block with blue pieces throughout (above) and one other block with a single blue piece. Clearly, it's all the blue fabric the quilter had on hand!

The single block with one blue piece

Most of the blocks are cheddar and what looks like a light tan.  The binding is this same tan color fabric.

Cheddar and tan block

The quilt is 67 x76 inches.  The blocks are (mostly) 9.5 x 9.5 inches square but some of them aren't true--see the block at top.  The pieced blocks are comprised of nine patches.  The center square in the nine patch has a variation of a Double Monkey Wrench block. The four corner blocks are the corners units of a Goose Tracks block. Typically, there is a small square block in the center of a Goose Tracks block but this quilter has substituted a pieced center patch, creating a very visually interesting block.

The pieced blocks alternate with a plain block with a circular feather quilting pattern.  On each side of the quilt is a 4 inch plain border.  There is no border at the top or bottom of the quilt. 

Circular Feather Quilting in the alternating negative space blocks

This quilt is now too fragile to use. But--I have the cheddar color fabric I picked up last year and a fat quarter of Koffman's Kona® Cotton "Periwinkle" which is a very similar blue.  So I think I will try to make a lap size reproduction of the quilt using Kona fabrics. 

So, off my Electric Quilt 7 program to draft rotary patterns for these blocks!  This quilt presents a few challenges, but it will be fun!  Stay posted for my progress on this quilt!

Quilt Show JP Knit and Stitch: Joyce Adams, quilter

Last evening I spent a couple hours at JP Knit and Stitch in Jamaica Plain, MA at a one woman quilt show featuring the work of Joyce Adams.  It was like no other quilt show I've ever attended!

Because there isn't a lot of space in the shop at JP Knit and Stitch, only a few of Joyce's quilts could to be put up on display.  That left a stack of great quilts which were all folded up. Joyce was happy to have folks touch her quilts so we had a quilt showing!

A wonderful group of Joyce's family, friends, and visitors all gathered around the semi-circle of window seats in the shop.  Each quilt was unfolded one at a time, rested on the coffee table but also held by the hands of the women in the circle of viewers.  Joyce talked about each quilt and answered our questions about fabric, construction and quilting.  We were really able to share her quilts with her. It was so much fun!

Polka dot diamond half square triangles

Joyce told us that she remembers that as a little girl, she watched her Mother, Essie, make a quilt with lots of wonderful colors. It is in her honor that Joyce started quilting about 10 years ago.  Each quilt Joyce makes is dedicated to someone special! 

Joyce is a self-taught quilter.  She uses purchased quilting cotton solids and prints, cottons saved from special clothing and white or cream muslin. Her quilts are entirely hand-pieced and hand-quilted.  They are so soft and drape beautifully.  Each quilt design is her own creation.  Her husband, Ed, a retired printer, is her color consultant.  Ed was there last night, and we enjoyed talking to him too!

Here are a few photos of some of Joyce's quilts.  The photos only show a small portion of each quilt but they will give you an idea about these bright and delightful quilts. (The photos are in a slide show and should change every 3 seconds.  You may also use the arrows to manually scroll through the gallery).

The quilts are only at JP Knit and Stitch for a couple days.  I hope you get a chance to stop by and see them.  Most of the quilts are folded up.  Touching is permitted--just make sure your hands are squeaky clean!  

Joyce Adams gave me permission to photograph her quilts and write this blog post on October 2, 2014.

Please note:  At the request of the quilter, Joyce Adams, please do not photograph her quilts.  You may not copy or otherwise reproduce or transmit any of the photos in this blog post without her express permission.  Thanks for honoring this request.