I bid on (and won) a group of square-in-a-square blocks at Dana's Auction more than a year ago. All of them were dated between 2003-2005, signed with name and location (mostly Belgium), embellished with inked drawings, embroidery, beads or even a button. Needless to say I was fascinated!
Some blocks had already been sewed together in colorways which I thought was an interesting way to assemble them. Rows were vertical, some horizontal while many blocks were loose. I spread them out on the table and continued with the colorway theme as best I could.
There were times when I had to take apart and restitch blocks so they would be the correct size but for the most part they fit together.
Looks like I took this pic before adding the last 2 rows but you get the idea. The top finishes at 58.5" x 58.5". I've contemplated adding a border but nothing seems to look right, yet.
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On another note, I finished sewing all those vintage string blocks together. The top is done and it is twin size 70" x 90".
Here are some of the rows laid out on the floor. Blocks are 10" and haphazardly put together.
The best view is draped over the railing. Actually, it should be turned 1/4 to the left so the diagonals run upper right to lower left. Not sure what I am going to do with it at the moment.
Just look at this beautiful doe! She so wanted to eat the bird seed I put out for the birds.
That's all for now.
I am so ready for spring!
Copyright 2026 Barbara Schaffer
Happy to know you won your bid on these wonderful blocks. There are so many and all more interesting than the last. Will you hand-quilt this one? Enjoy! ;^)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chantal! I'm not sure yet how I'll quilt it. First I have to add a border--at least that's the plan :-)
DeleteThose blocks are fascinating, what was their purpose when they were created, was the plan for one or more quilts, etc. Several of the blocks seem to have a baby or young child theme, the pacifier block cracked me up amidst the other blocks with more mature themes. An interesting find for sure. The deer have been hanging around the bird feeders here too. Pretty sure the bears have come out of hibernation since one of the suet feeders was raided last week. We're also anxiously awaiting true spring, very tired of this "third winter" we've had this week.
ReplyDeleteI loved studying the blocks you won! So very interesting. I can see that several of them had a rubber stamp design stamped on them. I recognize the stamps from the days when I was a rubber stamp dealer. There was a time I could have named the company each of the familiar ones came from. I love what you have created from them, and hope you will be able to find a border that "clicks" with the project.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great vintage string top. I was at a quilt retreat the past two days, and one woman had just brought in her large box of scraps and was making string blocks very similar to those, to use up as much of the scraps as she could. Her table mate offered to buy whatever was left of her box when she was finished. I thought that was funny.
That last photo is gorgeous! I wish we'd had snow like that this year! So little fell here, they are paying farmers who are willing to forgo irrigating this year, to let the water go to the Great Salt Lake. The shrinking lake leaves toxic matter exposed that is whipped up by winds, and animals and people alike could be affected.
Those signature blocks are really fascinating! You wonder how it made it way to you and from who.
ReplyDeleteI love those string blocks.
I am ready for spring too!
Those blocks are so amazing. So curious about their origin. I'm so glad that you were able to rescue them and put them to such beautiful use. I remember reading about the flour sacks that the Belgium women embroidered and returned to the US after we sent them relief flour after the war. There are few left in existence, but they were so beautiful! Happy Spring!
ReplyDeleteI remember a swap from around 1999/2000. The goal was to swap with quilters from as many different states, territories in Canada and Australia, and other countries around the world to collect 2000 blocks to commemorate the millennium. Most swappers also included a ‘bio’ as we called the letters…just to introduce ourselves, tell a bit about where we lived, our interests, really anything. It was very interesting and quite fun. Here is a little history I found on the internet. I’m not certain the ones you acquired were from that particular swap though. At some point the y2k swap ended, but as more quilters found out about it later, interest resurfaced and other swaps were started by various quilters for a ‘siggy swap’. I made one and gave it away as a wedding gift but still have quite a few blocks left. It became quite addictive……
ReplyDeleteThe Y2K Siggy Swap (short for signature swap) was a popular quilting project craze around 1999–2000, designed to celebrate the new millennium. Participants aimed to collect 2,000 unique fabric squares to create a "Millennium Quilt".
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Key Aspects of the Y2K Siggy Swap:
The Goal: Collect 2,000 different 2.5-inch or 3-inch fabric squares.
The "Siggy" Square: Participants created "signature" squares, which often included their name, location (state or country), and sometimes a small drawing or decoration.
The Swap Logistics: Participants commonly traded with at least 80–100 other quilters to acquire enough unique squares, often coordinating via early online platforms like AOL chat boards and email groups.
Global Participation: The swap was international, allowing quilters to get squares from all 50 US states, as well as countries like Germany, Australia, and Canada.
Quilt Design: Many quilters assembled these squares into patchwork quilts, often using the signature square as the center of a block.
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Common Y2K Quilt Types:
50 States Exchanges: Specific swaps focused on gathering one signature square from each of the 50 US states.
2000 Piece Quilts: Large-scale, scrappy quilts utilizing 2,000 or more, 2.5" to 3" squares.
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These swaps were a major community-building activity for quilters at the turn of the century, allowing them to connect over the internet and create lasting memories of the Era.
Thanks for the information about the Y2K swap. A few years ago I had purchased at auction 61 envelopes each with 25 3" squares including one with a signature. Most of these envelopes were from quilters in the U.S. but a few were from other countries. I sewed them altogether and made a quilt for my daughter and her husband. See my blog posted July 25, 2025 Catching Up #2 / International Y2K Quilt.
DeleteOh, I hadn’t seen those posts. Thanks! I love that you rescued all those blocks and made them into beautiful quilts 😊
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