When I finished it I folded it away and moved on with other quilts in other styles. My memory told me I didn't really like this quilt at all, which was why I thought I would be donating it this year. (In my mind I think I thought hourglass blocks were a cheater's way to enlarge a quilt. I don't think that any longer, after I've seen and loved so many quilts with alternate hourglass blocks posted by other bloggers. Now I see that they enhance blocks and give them space to shine.) When I pulled this top out last week, I fell in love with it. I love those bright little churn dash blocks that look happy, fun, and almost whimsical. So this top will be staying with me for now.
Here are a few (maybe a few too many!) photos of some of the blocks.
Have you ever laid aside a quilt you weren't sure you liked, only to pull it out and find that your opinion of it has changed and you love it?
I best go make the other 20 or so blocks I need for the bow tie quilt top that I will be donating to MCC.
--Nancy.
It is a really charming quilt. I'm so glad you've decided to keep it. It's a window into your quilting past with lots of different fabrics. I love the color you chose for a border. It really enhances the blocks and make them shine. I haven't reclaimed a quilt I didn't previously like but I did make a quilt for my 2nd daughter when I was first seriously getting into quilting. I felt apologetic about my craftmanship on that quilt. She has never used it because of the white background so it's in pristine condition. I asked for a picture a few years back and so she got it out. I loved it and was not quite so critical of my borders as I thought I would be. Yes, it's not perfect but it's still pretty good and it too, is a part of my quilty progression. Again, I'm glad you're keeping this quilt.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your generous comments about this quilt, Robn. I like the border color, too, and was surprised to see that I sewed a narrow border between the blocks and the wider border. I can't imagine how I did it considering what a challenge borders are for me these days.
DeleteI love that the quilt for your daughter is better than you remembered it. I think it's interesting to look back at our early quilts. Sometimes I find that they're better than I remember (as is this quilt) and sometimes I find that they're worse than I remember. As you say, they're part of our quilting history, and are a step in our progress to become better quilters.
I love the variety! (I even spy a fabric or two that is also in my stash.) Sometimes we get too close to a quilt during construction and lose the overall beauty of it and your break from it was just what you needed. I've also found myself falling in love with a quilt after it's been quilted and I can step back to see it as a whole, not just all those parts I sewed together.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie. I think you're right about getting too close to a quilt. And for me, I become too critical, too. I guess the break from this quilt was just what we (the quilt and I) needed!
DeleteIt *is* adorable! 100 years from now some quilt historian will be poring excitedly over those scrappy blocks of wonderful fabrics.
ReplyDeleteYou know I rarely like my completed projects, can't think of any I have rediscovered and loved. I liked Katie's observations , above, about how we become too close with a project in work, and lose sight of the results, good, or for me, bad.
Thank you, LIzzy. I doubt this quilt will survive 100 years, though.
DeleteThat makes me sad that you mostly don't like your completed quilts,Lizzy. I think I've liked all of your quilts!
Oh, I am so glad that you have fallen in love with this, Nancy. I have to tell you that early on (I mean decades ago) in my quilting career I saw a quilt made with hourglass blocks as setting squares and I absolutely loved it. I told myself I wanted to make a quilt like that--and I still never have. But I still love the effect and still plan on making at least one someday.
ReplyDeleteYour churn dash blocks are adorable. In true scrappy fashion, the switching up in value placement from one block to another makes it look like some completely different block at times. That is a true quality of a vintage quilt.
Yes, I have laid aside a quilt I didn't love, and years latter pulled it out and forced myself to finish it, and then found I absolutely loved it!
Thank you for your kind words about this top and the blocks, Janet. I think the variety of outcomes in churn dash blocks (based on color and value placement) is one of the things I love about them. Of course, the variety doesn't always help unify.
DeleteI'm glad I unfolded the top to look at it again before passing it on. I've had some strange ideas about quilts and how I value them....
I wonder if it's something about the quilting itself that causes us to love a quilt we didn't love before the quilting stitches and binding finished it. Hmmmm.
Thank you for your kind words about this top and the blocks, Janet. I think the variety of outcomes in churn dash blocks (based on color and value placement) is one of the things I love about them. Of course, the variety doesn't always help unify.
DeleteI'm glad I unfolded the top to look at it again before passing it on. I've had some strange ideas about quilts and how I value them....
I wonder if it's something about the quilting itself that causes us to love a quilt we didn't love before the quilting stitches and binding finished it. Hmmmm.
Great top to save for yourself! Though I've had quilts that took years to finish I can't recall any tops that were abandoned for years. Anyway I'm glad you like this one again!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pat. I don't know that I'll really keep it, but just for now I'm holding onto it. Maybe one of my grandchildren will like it as a finished quilt.
DeleteI'm a slow hand quilter but I can make tops more quickly, which is why I have unquilted tops awaiting their turn to be quilted.
NOT too many ever! I like that block and the hourglass setting. A good one for not too many hours of sewing, and a great leader ender. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Those blocks are fairly quick to make, at only 6" and 14 seams. Yes, great for a leader/ender, and great for using small scraps, too.
DeleteI love the variety of churn dash blocks! I'm glad you took another look at this top and liked it! I think it's terrific and the alternate blocks link the churn dash blocks beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind comments, Cynthia. I remember having fun making the churn dash blocks. I think my mind thought they were discordant because there was so much variety in the fabric colors and styles. I wonder when I'll ever get it quilted!
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