Paisleys

Gorgeous basket blocks

February 19, 2012 by Margaret

for a gorgeous lady.

Work in progress, a Smithsonian fabric basket block

My friend Irene whom I mentioned a couple of posts back is having a special birthday this year.

Irene decided to plan her own birthday quilt project, how organised is she!!

So a request was sent to me to please make a 6″ basket block and write a message on it.

Of course I wanted to give Irene a block made out of my Smithsonian fabrics, cos they’re special and so is she.

I had fun making up this basket block, choosing the fabrics and stitching it by hand.

I was worried the message wouldn’t show on the background fabric so I appliqued a leaf on to it, what you see is the wrong side of the background fabric and wrote my message on that

Smithsonian fabric basket block

As well as our trip to the U.S.A this year, Irene and I are involved in a few projects together so I felt this Maori proverb was perfect.

Like all good proverbs the literal translation is only hinting at the deeper meaning of the words,

With my basket and your basket the people will live

or let’s combine our ideas and resources, good things will happen.

After I had made this block, I realised I still had something important to tell Irene so I made her another block.

"you can't go past a good paisley"

That’s a message that needs no explaination

happy stitching

Margaret

2 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Applique, Musings, Paisleys, Smithsonian Fabrics

The first Tuesday in November…

November 1, 2011 by Margaret

…is Cup Day, that’s Melbourne Cup Day of course and we get a day off. It really is the race that stops a nation. Why? I don’t know.

I’m not really interested in Horse racing but I do like horses and even used to hurtle about the countryside on the back of this trusty steed.

Robbie and moi.

But given that we do have a day off I am going to catch up with some long overdue blogging, that’ll include reading as well as writing.

I was bit out of action with a bee sting the other week, of course Murphy’s Law dictates that after I had prepped lots of hand sewing to take to my LQG’s Quilt-in I was stung and could not even pick up a piece of cutlery, never mind a needle.

Normal hand

Big hand

Yikes…it’s been a long time since I’ve been stung and haven’t really had that reaction before.

All back to normal now.

And sewing again, phew.

I promised a little while back that I would share some pics from Quilts in the Barn, I took close-up photo’s of the fabrics in Linda’s antique quilts because I spotted some originals of fabrics which I have the repros of…does that make sense?

So here is what I shot, with thanks to Linda

this one's the antique quilt

This one's the repro Windham True Madder #20331

Jo Morton did a great one too for Andover fabrics a while back

Jo's interpretation for Andover fabrics

The next fabric really caught my attention

This paisley fabric is in Linda's antique quilt

These are my two bits of repro (it also came in green)

Windham Civil War IV c 1860 by Nancy Gere #25310-52

Windham Civil War IV c. 1860 by Nancy Gere #25310-32

I am really liking little spots and dots (almost as much as paisleys)

image of Antique yellow fabric with spot

The real deal

this one's the repro, Scrappy Dots by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Bros. Textiles 2006

Aren’t we lucky that we have such great fabric designers producing excellent repro’s for us to use.

Another thing I’m happy about is finding more of this

I didn't think I'd see a whole bolt of this again.

I took a trip to Melbourne on Friday with Jenn to do some fabric shopping etc and stopped at Quilters Bazaar in Gisborne on the way. I couldn’t believe it when I saw this fabric as I have had my now paltry sized piece for a few years and guard it jealously.

She had a whole bolt of it so maybe it’s been re-released, not sure and the staff didn’t know.

Anyway I now know what it is as before I knew only that it was an International Quilt Study Centre fabric, but it is designed by Kathy Hall with Jo Morton for Andover Fabrics patt #4132.

LOL I now have enough to make curtains, but there’s more there if you want any too.

Here’s one more pic from Quilts in the Barn, this one is one of Jo’s quilts featuring the above fabric

detail of Jo Morton quilt using Madder Stripe fabric

and here’s my Maltaville saturn block using the same fabric

Saturn Block for the Maltaville Album Quilt 1847

I think I’ve got time to quickly post a couple of pics on the Yahoo group ‘repro lovers’ before Jenn arrives for this afternoon’s task.

I don’t think that race is going to stop anyone in this household this afternoon.

soon

6 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Antique Quilts, Maltaville Album Quilt 1847, Paisleys, Vintage Fabrics

Paisleys part 2…

April 17, 2011 by Margaret

While poking around in tubs looking for more Paisleys I found this, so I’ll start off with a Paisley in progress…I’m not sure how many years this has been up on the shelf, but I do get it down now and again and sew another block or two…I know this will end up a fave quilt so one can’t rush these things.

King David's Crown

This is a Michelle Yeo pattern and I did the class with Michelle at Threadbear. I was able to source some more of that delicious red paisley from a friend so I could continue with the quilt as I feared I would not have enough. It’s Floral Bouquets and Fancies II by Sharon Yenter for In the Beginning Fabrics 2001. All the blocks will sit on that pale lemon ~ Treasures Uncovered c. 1870 by Mary Koval pattern # 25826 by Windham Fabrics.

Last time I finished up with a tempter about my French and Indian Paisleys…so I’ll start with a couple of photo’s of some lovely Provencal paisleys.

The first fabrics are from Les Olivades in St Etienne du Gres, France and are current repro’s of Fabrics reproduced in that area in the 17th century and are typically what I think of when I think of Provence.

This is a selection of provencal prints, along the same lines but from a variety of sources (and collected over many years). The one on the far left came from a friend, it’s the remnants from a dress she made.

These Indian ones I collected when I visited Rajasthan a few years ago. I believe these examples were produced in 1910 in Gujarat, Western India and you can read a bit more about them in an earlier post here so I’ve only added a few images.

I also collected a few cards from companies in Jaipur who are producing block printed textiles in the traditional way for clothes and home.

www.somashop.com

www.anokhi.com

This is what a traditional Indian wood block looks like…

…and wood blocks produce this type of quilt today.

a modern Indian quilt

My search through my French and Indian fabrics also led me to fabrics in my stash like this…

India Chintz 1730-1800 by Windham Fabrics pattern # 27850

…which opens a whole other can of worms.

I may need to do some further reading.

Stay tuned…

Links www.somashop.com the website has images of block printing today

www.anokhi.com the link to the museum of block printing, very interesting.

4 Comments

Filed Under: French Fabrics, Indiennes, Paisleys

I really can’t go past a good Paisley…

April 14, 2011 by Margaret

Paisley n. 1 a pattern of small curving shapes with intricate detailing, usually printed in bright colours. (Collins English dictionary)

I might beg to differ about the bright colours bit…

I’m a creature of habit and I like my 10 am flat white in my favourite paisley cup…I try to stick to one coffee a day, but sometimes the aroma gets the better of me.

Its textile origins are Indian and Persian but the East India Company brought the Paisley shape to the rest of the world in the first half of the 17th century and production soon after began in Europe when the demand became too high. Marseilles in France was the forerunner (1640) but England and Holland soon followed.

Indian wood block for block printing fabric.

New Zealand doesn’t really have a textile industry but in the 1970s New Zealand’s own Crown Lyn pottery produced these beautys which I have now aquired from my Mum…yes these have survived in her cupboards for that long. Cute huh?

A little bit of Kiwi nostalgia.

But I digress…back to fabric

The industrial town of Paisley in Scotland was a centre for the manufacture of thread and linen in the 19th century and also the production of Paisley Shawls…the name taken from the town’s name.

I don’t know why I love paisleys so much…but I always have and I got some of my faves out to show you.

I couldn’t find a skerrick of this one in my stash when I went looking…but there must be some left because I had metres of it, metres and metres. However, here it is in a finished quilt.

A classic selection of Paisleys…anything in here you recognise? Some have been in the stash a while.

Red is probably the colour I use most in quilts and I have some lovely red paisleys.

I hope you’re not getting giddy…it’s visual overload isn’t it.

Got to have some light ones

Some I bought metres of with grandiose intentions of making something long since forgotten.

A serious paisley collector also needs a selection of different scaled paisleys…some small, some big, some inbetween.

I usually stick to only buying reproduction fabric but I really can’t go past a good paisley so if even if it’s modern I frequently succumb.

I even wear Paisley…

You won't lose me in a crowd.

And I haven’t even started on the two tubs of French Paisleys plus the Indian stuff

To be continued…

6 Comments

Filed Under: 1800s Reproduction Fabrics, Paisleys

Gorgeous basket blocks

The first Tuesday in November…

Paisleys part 2…

I really can’t go past a good Paisley…

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