I have been glaringly absent and will try to catch you up later on the things I was working on when I stopped blogging. But in the meantime, I need help!
Sometimes you just stumble across things that beg you to take them home and finish them. Today is one of those days. I bought these from a lady who said she bought them 30 years ago and never had time to do anything with them. I hope I am the one to bring them to the finish line!
How would you finish these if you were me? There are so many options! Here is what I have. I am only showing a small portion. I have twenty blocks. Ten of the blocks are a maiden done with one type of fabric and the other ten with the same fabric only the maiden is faced the opposite direction. I am not sure if these are authentic 1930's fabrics or 30's reproductions.
Would you frame them? Sash them? Put them in a setting with every other block being something else? Break them up and make smaller wall hangings rather than a quilt? What do you envision?
I will probably need to gently clean them as well as they are rather dirty.
I am anxiously awaiting your input!
I would sashing in between the blocks with cornerstones and also add a border. The blocks are beautiful, looking forward to seeing what you do with them. Happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteHi Janice - sooo nice to read a post from you. Hope life has been good to you. I LOVE these sweet blocks. I agree with Gretchen Sashing with vintage fabric corner stones. I think you'll be able to find a simple muslin type of solid fabric to sash them with which will keep the vibe of the whole thing. Considering the muslin background and the slightly dirty look of the blocks, I think they are quite old - 1940's maybe? This is just such a good find. Show us what you make with them, ok?? Take care, Bernie (needleandfoot at gmail dot com)
ReplyDeleteAgreed, and the sashing should be pale pastel to let the blocks come forward. Pale yellow or pink, something like that. And I also believe they are vintage. Beautiful work!!
ReplyDeleteThough they are personally not my "cup of tea," so to speak, they are certainly special, and worth finishing. Similarly, I inherited a whole bunch of redwork blocks - one of them embroidered with the year 1899. Since they were in the family, I felt obligated to turn them into a quilt. However, I didn't do it. I passed blocks along to a friend who washed them and turned them into a quilt top. What a blessing she was to do that for me! Anyway, she selected a simple print sashing - a pin dot. Considering yours, I would chose a solid or pin dot, or other subtle print. You really want the girls to to be the focus! I wouldn't add extra setting blocks either. In fact, I think I'd just sash these into a dimension that could be laid as a runner across the foot of a bed. No need to make it bigger, when you just want everyone to appreciate the blocks. I'd choose the best 8 blocks, arrange them 2 X 4 on the front, and put the ninth block in the backing.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking more of a solid background so that these sweet squares become the star of the show. Great find. Janice
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