Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Simply Swedish

After posting a pic of the fabric my DIL's mother gave me for my birthday, I thought you'd like to see an applique picture and a quilt I made years ago each with a Swedish theme.

I was influenced by this picture in the book Old Swedish Quilts by Asa Wettre as I wanted to make my DIL a birthday present. Something to celebrate the day when my son proposed to her on her birthday in 1996.


So I made an applique picture. Per Swedish tradition, birthdays begin with presents in bed so I depicted my son walking toward his future bride ready to pop the question with engagement ring in hand. What a lovely present to start the day! 


We were in Sweden the following year for the wedding and extended our stay. We took a day trip to Jobs Handtryck in the province of Dalarna to see how their beautiful handprinted fabrics were made.      


All were either block or screen printed on cotton or linen. 


Lucky for me they had a small shop with lots of remnants and samples for sale. 

 

Back home I had mentioned to Natalie that I wanted to make a quilt with the fabrics I bought. She found this Star of Sweden pattern which was just what I was looking for.


The large leaf was the perfect size to put in the center of each star.  


I had purchased 4 cloth napkins in Stockholm's Old Town and added blue sashing and yellow corner stones the colors of the Swedish flag


I couldn't resist the block printed reindeer panel and two more prints from a small coastal town :) 


Simply Swedish was finished in 2002. 


The back is a mix of some (yes, some!) of the fabrics I bought.  


The block-printed wreath made a perfect label.  

Thanks for coming along :)

Have a wonderful week!




__________
Copyright 2017, Barbara Schaffer



6 comments:

  1. I love the applique picture, and I especially LOVE the quilt. What a wonderful reminder of a wonderful trip. My favorite fabric is the reindeer on the back. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Your appliqued picture is a wonderful reminder of a very special occasion. You brought home some wonderful fabrics. How many new blocks are you going to be making? Have fun.

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  3. You have made a beautiful quilt Barbara with lots of investigation !

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  4. what a charming gift! I love it and the tradition of starting your B-day in bed with presents.
    Thanks for sharing your special Swedish quilt. What a wonderful memory quilt. The back is such fun with those great prints!

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  5. You have made a stunning quilt from beautiful fabric and wonderful memories!

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