Two new quilts: Wonky Stars and Maureen's Linen.

Here are my latest quilts.

Wonky Stars turned out rather christmas-y. I didn't plan it that way. I just happened to have stash/up-cycled fabrics that perfectly matched the colours in the owl patterned fabric. Its the green/red thing which screams christmas no matter what you do with it. But, because the 'red' here is a deep maroon rather than post-box vermillion, and therefore not too brash, I think I've just about avoided it being crassly christmas-y and hit a slightly more retro note (that's what I'm telling myself anyway).

In fact, the colours are more saturated than the photo suggests, but it all seems to work nicely enough. I like the bold effect of the strong plains agains the fairly low-noise, mostly neutral pattern.

And, I LOVE this wonky star pattern. Some patchwork requires really accurate piecing otherwise it won't 'work' very well. The traditional version of this kind of star, done with even points all round, is one of those patterns. The wonky version, by contrast, is wonderfully forgiving. Plus it's great fun to make, and gives really pleasing results, even for beginners or for people (like me) who struggle with accuracy in cutting and sewing. I'm working on it...but I think I may always have a weakness for a wonky star.

Anyway - this measures 34" x 46" (87cm x 117cm). Machine pieced, a mix of new (top) and up-cycled cotton and poly-cotton (back and binding). Hand quilted. Machine washable.

Here is a look at the back. It's a bit puckered, but you can see how the quilting shadows the piecework of the top, with the homey but nonetheless 'wholecloth'* effect - both sides look nice.

And a close up.

It turned out ok.

Next up - another Jane Brocket style quilt made from up-cycled embroidered table linen. 29" x 36" (74cm x 92cm).

These are very satisfying to do. This is made - mostly - from a haul of napkins I picked up from the Melton Constable Jumble Trail - it was a quirky trip out with a friend to a very under-advertised village event which was meant to raise money for a local amenity (a park or something, to my shame I can't quite remember).

I am pretty sure that my friend and I were the only non-villagers who turned up to the jumble trail. This made it very nice for us, but probably rather disappointing for the trail participants and their improve-the-park fund. By the way, a jumble trail is simply a day of door-step-sales for whoever wants to join in I think.

I was going to say 'yard sales' but that's so American, and anyway in Melton everyone was using their front garden or the nearest thing to it, such as the pavement. Besides, us brits don't really have yards. We have gardens into which a surprising amount of planting can be achieved by the determined householder even if they are literally the size of a postage stamp.

I wish I'd bought up more. Maureen's stall was brilliant - she had piles and piles of this kind of table linen, and lots of other oldie-fashioned-y, very nice things. I was far too picky**.

Ah well. This then is the result of a brief and exhilarating flirt with lovely oldie fashioned things. And, slightly wavy edges aside, I'm jolly pleased with the result. It's definitely a baby quilt I think.

Here are a couple of close ups. The border material was from my stash, and the binding is made from pure cotton sheeting.

The quilting thread is also 'vintage': from my mum's sewing stash, so possibly even something my nan would have used... maybe for making her best undies or something else equally delicious.

Here's the back. This is made from a length of fabric also purchased on the Melton Jumble Trail, (from the lovely Saffron of the Bluejacket Workshop in Morston).

And this is the label that was still pinned on the fabric...

Gordon Thoday's used to be on St Stephen's Street in Norwich. I remember it though can't find much trace on the internet about the Norwich branch, or when it closed down. Long gone anyway. 

It is rather nice though, to have some local (probably) history in one of my quilts. It is this very thing that makes handmade and hand-making quilts so very appealing to me***. So with that in mind, I'm going to start 'signing' my quilts, probably with hand-stitched labels. Even if the only people who read those labels are family descendants****, it still feels like a 'right' thing to do.

I'm going to sell these at some point - if I can that is. So...if you're interested, make me an offer!

* Wholecloth quilts are usually pretty special things. I may try making one. May.

** Actually I'm a hoarder in waiting. I can feel this 'crazy-old-lady' version of me lurking perilously close on the side-lines, just waiting for a chance to leap in takeover. So I ruthlessly curb the impulse to snap up every single lovely oldie fashioned-y thing I come across. Occasionally it means missing out. Generally it means I - and my partner - can live a reasonably normal and uncluttered life. If it isn't swings it's roundabouts ain't it?

*** In a somewhat fraudulent use of the footnote, it should be said that quilt making was not necessarily a thing of necessity or make-do-and-mend, and has a very interesting and varied history... about which I know very little. Sorry.

**** This somewhat pre-supposes that my family descendants will want to keep the quilts, which is clearly not actually a given. But there will always be people like me and my friend Julie, those lone out-of-village visitors to the Melton Constable Jumble Trail and its like, and they'll be delighted to find handmade, homely quilts like these. It's enough for me.