August Mini +

 This month's mini started with three orphan 16-patch blocks . . . 

. . . and then I added three more. 

 

This little quilt with its large paisley border was my inspiration. It's from Merikay Waldvogel's book, Childhood Treasures.

I had just enough of this paisley for the backing and it was interesting to see how the pattern lined up when I sewed the two strips together. 

Wendy usually posts her mini on the last day of the month so be sure to visit :) But another reason to visit is the awesome Covid Community Supper quilt that she assembled from blocks that were contributed by quilters near and far. And the back is just as pretty as the front :)

This little guy was playing hide and seek when I stopped by my brother's cabin.

An impressive display of Queen Anne's Lace on the main road. 

 

And nearby was this Creeping Bellflower--another invasive.

Reflections of the sunset on the river always catch my eye.

Have a great week!

 

 

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Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

It's A Finish!

Two years ago Gay Bomers at Sentimental Stitches offered a BOM for an antique quilt she had purchased. Even though it was in poor condition there were blocks that were made in NJ so I decided to join in. 

Photo by Sentimental Stitches

 

This is the original quilt made in 1852 for Maxson and Sarah Dunham of Piscataway, NJ. Other NJ family names / locations are: Clawson / Marlborough, Blackford, Randolph / New Market, Titsworth / Piscataway, and Dunn / Plainfield.

My version has fifteen appliqued blocks . . .  

. . . and one pieced.

I started echo quilting this bird block but--you may ask--why?? I don't really know! I guess it "spoke" to me at the time but when I was done I had made up my mind to scratch that idea and do 1/2" cross-hatch in all the other blocks. So years from now when someone looks at this quilt they'll definitely wonder why that one block was quilted differently :)

The border is quilted in a fan pattern which mirror images at the center point. 

I came up with this simple border and corner treatment . . .

. . . with this 1860 NJ quilt in mind. Of course I tweaked the idea for my version but this quilt has always been a favorite. 

I love this botanical print on the back :) The finished quilt is 43-1/2" x 43-1/2".

The finale!

 

Now it's time to prep another quilt :) 

Have a great week!

__________

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer

 

Deacon Blocks 41-44

 We're half-way there! 

 Here are this month's blocks. 

I couldn't figure out how to foundation piece the center square so I appliqued it instead. 

The original oval-shaped Dresden Plate block . . .

. . . and mine.

I redrafted the center of this block so the petals would touch the corners of the triangles.   

The original Block 44 . . .

And mine. Oh, no! Do you see what I see?? I just noticed I forgot to applique the center circle. Oops! Anyway, I try to choose fabrics that are close to those in the original blocks and what I realized with this one is that those little leaves were cut from the same large red and green prints. Not something I would have normally done but it worked really well! 

*****

 More wildflowers and -- mushrooms! 

 Bull Thistle just down the road a bit.

Have you ever seen Indian Pipes?? They eerily appear in the woods where they pop up from underneath layers of decaying leaves.

Large patches of Cup Plants seem to be everywhere. They are so pretty but they are invasive. 

My daughter and I saw this colorful mushroom on a trail hike last week.

This looks like it belongs under the sea :)

A cluster of little mushrooms with lots of color. 

Enjoy your week and don't forget to spend some time outdoors :)

__________ 

Copyright 2020, Barbara Schaffer