Antique Cheddar Houses Old and New

I'm sew excited to give you a sneak peek at my secret sewing project that will soon be coming to your mailbox, newsstand, quilt store or bookstore. Okay, it is soon to be published in American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine!!!

 Just a tease for now. 

 Antique cheddar houses quilt top from my Starley Quilt Collection with mini repro blocks. Blocks are from the amazing Homestead Harvest Collection by Me and My Stitches - Julie Letvin. Fabric by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. It is still available in limited quantities - released earlier this year. You'll need fat 1/8's of each print (24 in all) or get quarter yards (more is better) to make the soon-to-be-published pattern, So if you find some, snatch it up and get ready to SEW!!!

2021 Color Challenge - August Pattern -Mushroom

 Cool new Geese block for the August Color Challenge.

For the 3rd year, I'm joining in on a fun project run by Jen of PBJ, Patterns By Jen; her awesome free mystery quilt - the 2021 Monthly Color Challenge.  August pattern link. Pattern is free during August.

This year the inspiration is healthy fruits and vegetables. August's pallette is supposed to be the standard tan Mushrooms. However, I'm taking my color cues from the more unusual orange mushroom to match my prior blocks. 

There are some really cool orange mushrooms - look at this collage of them from The Nature Treasure Hunt.

Jen provides great instructions for each monthly free pattern and gets fab sponsors/prizes too (see more below). Join in by posting a picture of your block at her link-up (see pattern link above).

August's Geese again features the quick & easy way to create a flock of flying geese but I wanted to do a scrappier version so I modified the pattern and used 2 fabrics (triangles instead of a large square) for my geese. 

Next step is to draw sewing/cutting lines on the background squares. I use a special ruler to mark all the lines. 

Next place the small squares on the large and sew on the lines on both sides of the center lines.

Next cut apart on the center lines (unsewn lines) and press out. Add another small square to the 2 new units.

Cut again on the center lines and voila, 4 easy Flying Geese units. Pair each goose with a rectangle and then join these sets together for a cool new block.

Here's why I wanted to use 2 different geese fabrics - to coordinate with the blocks I made in the previous Color Challenges. I think they will make a fun little quilt!

Please visit the other quilters making this month's block to see their cool blocks and some mushroom recipes too. 

August Bloggers

Anja - Anja Quilts

Sandra - Textile Time Travels

Raylee - Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting

Andi - True Blue Quilts

Crystal - Daybrook Designs

Patti - Patti's Patchwork

Ashli - Quilt 2 End Alz

Kate - Katie Mae Quilts

SPONSORS

PRIZES

Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio - Goodie Bag*

Bea Quilter - PDF pattern

Faith and Fabric - $25 Gift Certificate to Faith and Fabric

Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting - PDF pattern

Carole Lyle Shaw - $50 gift certificate to your choice of shop

Cherrywood Fabrics - Mini Monty (fabric bundle)*

Benartex - Fat Quarter Bundle*

Quilters Dream Batting - 60" square Dream Cotton*

The Warm Co - 90 x 60 Soft and Bright Needled Polyester*

Appliques Quilts and More - $10 Gift certificate

Said with Love - PDF pattern

Daybrook Designs - 2 winners, PDF pattern to each

Patterns By Jen - PDF pattern

Antique Signature Quaker Quilt

 Zimmerman family quilt from Montgomery Co. Pennsylvania, 1840s - Starley antique quilt collection.

The quilt was made for Cecilia Zimmerman.

Detail from the Zimmerman quilt

Another one of the signature blocks

Happy to share these treasures with you in live presentations - in person or via Zoom. Contact me to arrange an antique trunk show and/or antique quilting study sessions or quilting classes. 

Utah - Around The Block - US Tour - Block 23 - Utah

 I hope you have already been touring and sewing all around the United States with the Around - US Tour! If not, then you have a LOT of new blocks to learn about since we are already on Block #23. Yes, you'll have a great new sewing project for the new year. Of course with Utah being the Beehive State, I had to make a beehive block. And since the top right corner of the state was cut out for Wyoming, I had to add that too. I used colors that represent the natural beauty of our "Pretty, Great State".

Of course, you can travel virtually to all the states (and some territories too) or just make a few of your favorite blocks. Perhaps you'll make a small quilt representing the states you've lived in or visited. Maybe that will make a big quilt if you moved or traveled a lot. You'll want to visit the main site after you are done making your Utah block.

I hope you'll enjoy this tutorial.  (PS. A bit about me -Sandra Starley - Textile Time Travels. I'm an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser & an avid antique quilt collector. I love sharing my collection in virtual online trunk shows (can't wait to do live ones again) and quilt classes -see tabs aboe for more info. I'd love to come to your guild, show, or shop. I  enjoy recreating quilts in my collection and design new ones -patterns available in my Etsy shop Textile Time Travels. Follow me via Textile Time Travels on  Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

**All the instructions are listed below. Nothing to download** 

The cutting and piecing is all simple so if you are new to quilting, please jump in!!

You'll just need scraps as the longest cut is 5 1/2". ALL strips are cut 1 1/2" High. I used 2 blues alternating (light and medium) for background and 2 yellow/browns for the Beehive. Plus 1 small rectangle for Wyoming (top right corner) and 1 small square for the hive opening. Just 6 fabrics.  All cutting measurements are below next to the pictured rows.

Row 1 - Lt blue 1 1/2 x 5", Light 1 1/2 x 2"

Row 2 Med blue (2) 1 1/2 x 2 1/2, Yellow 1 1/2 x 2 1/2"

Row 3- Lt blue (2) 1 1/2 x 2, Brown 1 1/2 x 3 1/2"

Row 4 Med blue (2) 1 1/2 x 1 1/2, Yellow 1 1/2 x 4 1/2"

Row 5 Lt blue (2) 1 1/2 x 1, Brown 1 1/2 x 5 1/2"

Row 6 Yellow (2) 1 1/2 x 3, Dk. brown 1 1/2 x 1 1/2"

Sew by ROWS - join pieces. Start with row 1, sew blue and light pieces together. Row 2, sew blue to yellow and then add another blue to the yellow. See the layout above and below. 

Join rows in pairs and then join the pairs together. And then you are done!!! Block measures 6 1/2.

PRESSING: Press all row piecing seams to the center, inward. Press all the row joining seams downward. See the picture below of the block back:

And here's the completed block again. Hope you enjoy making your own version of UTAH, the Beehive State! 

Shout out and thank you to Cheryl Lynch for letting me play with her new fabric line: Mosaic Masterpiece for Hoffman Fabrics

Visit my Facebook page Textile Time Travels for a chance to win great prizes via our block designer 

Rafflecopter giveaway 

Hope you'll visit all the prior and future block designers. For more info visit the Around the Block - US Tour Center 

Upcoming 

Week 24 Puerto Rico 

 Week 25 Rhode Island

Antique Quilts - A Monthlong Celebration of Antique Red and Green Quilts - Day 31

 The last day of our monthlong celebration of antique red and green quilts from the Starley Antique Quilt Collection features a variety of Birds and Blooms  - stars of my virtual/online trunk show: Birds and Blooms.

Four block Eagle and Tulip Medallion Quilt from Southeastern Pennsylvania. Circa 1865/70. And part of its extra folky eagle (or dove) friends. They also hail from Pennsylvania.

A detail of an adorable crib quilt - circa 1850.

Part of another adorable crib quilt from the same time period, I do love Birds and Blooms!

Detail of a very unusual quilt that features birds, fish, and roosters in the border!

Two birds from my Quilted Joy antique quilt - pattern available to make your own mini version!

A bird from another circa 1850 crib quilt - this one from Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Yes, I like little quilts, especially if they have birds and flowers!!!

And finally, a delightful bird applique from a circa 1855 basket quilt from New York State! Enjoy!

Antique Quilts - A Monthlong Celebration of Antique Red and Green Quilts - Day 30

 This is a wonderful antique quilt with an amazing paisley sashing and great red and greens and blues and more. The icing on the top is that it is an early signature quilt to boot.

Interestingly for a signature or friendship quilt - the focus is on the fabrics rather than the names which are written in corners of the background. Usually, names are placed in the block centers especially with a star block like this one.

Isn't that paisley border bold and beautiful! A star of my Signature Quilt trunk show and my Antique Stars lecture.

The full star quilt from Hunterdon County, New Jersey (Western NJ, just across the river from Philadelpia). It is an early signature quilt and has dates of 1841 and 1842. 

Antique Quilts - Monthlong Celebration of Antique Red and Green Quilts from the Starley Collection

 Another different Red and Green antique quilt from my collection- enjoy! This is one of a small group of Tumbling Block Stars featuring solid fabric center stars made in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the 1880s. My friend Greta and I have found about 15 and fellow collector Pat Nickols found quite a few too. So I think that at least 30 of them were made at that time and place. 

Here's one of mine with the distinctive center star (above) made of only solid fabrics and generally the only solid fabrics used in the quilt. And look at the stars around the central stars - note how carefully she matched the three sets of fabrics used in each star. Look at the lower right star and notice how nicely the two pinks match each other, as well as the two browns and the two purples. \Click on the photo to enlarge - there are 6 different prints in each star.

This is the only one I've seen so far with a diamond braid border which is a great finish! This maker was very careful with her color placement to create the twinkly Tumbling Block Stars. Again, note how carefully she was to match the three sets of fabrics used in each star.  So many different fabrics. I think several different ladies made the quilts based on workmanship and fabric coordination (some didn't pay attention to color placement and lost some stars). I think they traded fabrics to get such close matches. Great variety of prints - look at the two Madder orange paisley prints in the star below. 

Also wonderful novelty prints like this circus dog jumping through a hoop - one of the all-time best novelty prints!

Antique Quilts - A Monthlong Celebration of Antique Beauty - Antique Red and Green Quilts

 I hope you have been enjoying this peek into my antique quilt vaults! This month has just been the tip of the antique quilt iceberg. I'm happy to share them NOW in VIRTUAL antique quilt trunk shows over Zoom and then in person once we can travel again.

Today's red and green antique quilt has lots of red and green (and pink and yellow and ...) but it isn't a traditional red and green quilt. It sure is a HAPPY quilt though. Circa 1855,1860s Courthouse Steps quilt pattern (variation of the Log Cabin quilt pattern) from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Starley antique quilt collection.

Here's the full quilt top. Isn't it a happy quilt? I'll bet you are smiling! Purchased from my friend Molly of Fourth Corner Quilts. Thanks Molly.

Antique Quilts - A Monthlong Celebration of Antique Red and Green Quilts - Day 27

 Red (with green) antique quilt! A sparkly, starry quilt made by Quakers living in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Delaware County) in 1850. Starley Antique Quilt Collection

Love how beautifully arranged it is and how lovely it looks both up close and from a distance.

Antique Quilts - A Monthlong Celebration of Antique Red and Green Quilts - Day 26

 Today's antique treasure from the Starley Antique Quilt Collection is a striking red and green antique Princes Feather or Princess Feather quilt. It is an amazing 4-block quilt with awesome details. I think it is the perfect antique Christmas Quilt and it makes me smile as the feathers look like the German Christmas pickles.  Circa 1850, likely from Ohio. Part of my virtual trunk show, Birds and Blooms. Yes, I am now doing virtual antique quilt lectures - giving you lots of up close and personal looks at the treasures in my collection. I don't just show you my regular trunk show, I revamp them with LOTS of additional photos!

Look out all those teeny sikes/notches on the feathers and those teeny sawteeth in the sashing. And that the double star in the feather centers! Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge and see the details.

And here is a close-up of one of the border corners with a delightful spriggy star flower. But the coolest thing about the border treatment is the maker used circles in the 4 corners to artfully turn the corners. This is one of two antique quilts I own that use this ingenious technique. No matter where your border vine ends up in the border area, you can connect it to the corner circle and voila, you've rounded the corner!!!!

Another way of explaining this:
 ***Here's a huge trick for making a vine applique border work right -- put a circle in each corner and then each side of the vine can go join to the circle where ever it needs to and go from there.