Pages from 'Quilting News', March 1977

Some time ago, my sister-in-law, Annette, gave me a stack of old quilting magazines that she had found at one of the local secondhand stores.  I have enjoyed looking through them, finding unique patterns, looking at beautiful quilts, and especially reading the articles and stories.

Here is an article and accompanying photos from the Quilter's Newsletter Magazine of March, 1977, about Grace Snyder, 'The Quilting Lady' from North Platte, Nebraska.  The technique she has used to make her Flower Basket quilt is similar to the technique I will use for the Light of Peace quilt I plan to make after I finish the mug rugs.

Flower Basket Petit Point Quilt by Grace Snyder, North Platte, Nebraska. In the last issue we introduced you to Mrs. Snyder and told you a little bit about her life in a soddy house on the Nebraska Plains, where she made most of her fabulous quilts. She completed the Flower Basket in 1943. Although it contains 87,789 patches, it took her only 16 months to make. As far as QN has been able to determine, this quilt contains more pieces than any other ever made. Mrs. Snyder made her own pattern for this quilt after seeing a china plate painted in a similar design which was manufactured by Salem China Company of Ohio. A detail from this photo reveals that each patch is a tiny triangle. The overall size of this quilt is 91” x 93”. Mrs. Snyder, now 95 and retired from needlework, enjoyed making appliquéd quilts as much as pieced ones. She is shown in front of her Basket of Grapes which she designed and made in 1947-48. She has made 24 show quilts (not counting the ones she made for everyday use in her home), and there are 13 left in her collection. The remainder she has given to her children and grandchildren. (Photos from the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Grand Island, Nebraska.)

New Fabric for the Next Quilt

This is the fabric, purchased at Country Traditions in Fremont, for the next big quilt, a postage-stamp style, using a cross-stitch pattern by Thomas Kinkade, The Light of Peace.  Each cross-stitch will instead be a one-inch piece of fabric.

I got 39 half-yard pieces, plus a yard for binding, and three more pieces for three borders that will increase in size as they get closer to the outer edge of the quilt -- 1 ½ yards, 1 ¾ yards, and 2 yards.  Most of the fabric was from the clearance shelves, and was only $5.99/yd., even the batiks that are normally $13/yd.

I chose the fabric by matching the embroidery thread to it.

French Braid Lilac Table Topper

All done!

I started out making a case for my binoculars -- and ended up with a table topper.

Feathering and McTavishing

Quilting close-ups:

French Braid Mystery

Can you guess what this is going to turn into?  I'm ready to put it all together...

French Braids

The bucket skill for the month at Cyber Quilters, an online quilting group, is a piecing style called 'braids'.  I particularly like French braids, where a small square is added at the center of the strips comprising the braids.

I didn't have a pattern for braids, so I scanned through some photos online, then collected rotary cutter and shape-cutter ruler, and began cutting.  The center square was cut at 4"; finished size is 3 ½".  The narrow strips were cut at 1" x 4"; finished width is ½".  The small black squares were 1"; finished, they are ½".  The braids measure 14" x 6 ½".

I had originally thought to make a case for my binoculars, using this braided piece.  But after the first short strip was done, I changed my mind.  It was just too pretty to use as a binoculars case.

So I made three more.  I have now decided what I will make with them, but I'm not telling until tomorrow, when it'll be done or nearly done. 

Hint:  I will not put them together in the configuration shown in the photo.

Schoolhouse Quilt Finished

I'm all done!  As it turns out, the quilting looks so good that I'm sorry I didn't take the blocks apart and redo them.  I redid the worst ones and left the others -- so now of course the ones I left are the worst.  How in the world can a company stay in business, when they publish such inaccurate patterns?  Hmmm... maybe they're not in business anymore.

Just remember, when looking at this quilt, whatever is wrong with it --

wasn't my fault.  heh

Most of it was done free-motion, which is new and different for me.  It's not perfect, but I was getting better as I went along, and I am very pleased that I am finally able to do feathering without resorting to pantograph and laser light.  This way is much more efficient, to say nothing of fun.

This will be for Lawrence for Father's Day.

(No, Lawrence isn't allergic to cats.  Yes, I will use the lint roller on it before I wrap it.)