Quilt Mania Back to School - School House Block

My block for this month's jam-packed Quilt Mania theme of Back to School is a School House block.

My recreation of an antique quilt block from 100 years ago. It was paired with the alphabet so I think it is a school house block rather than simply a house block.

Here's the diagram with the sizes you'll need to cut is listed on  each piece.

Further instructions for piecing the sections. 

Free pattern/directions are above. I will update this post later today with more cutting instructiosn.

Visit the other sites for a whole host of amazing school theme blocks and all are free. You'll be able to make an adorable school-themed quilt with crayons, pencils, lockers, etc. I will add the link this afternoon. Please stop by again.

July 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

I'm joining Jen Shaffer once again for her fun monthly block/color challenge. Last year's challenge was based on flowers while this year is for the birds.  July's bird is the American Robin

© Dakota Lynch/Wikimedia Commons (CC 3.0)

The colors shown for the robin were a rusty orange and so I decided to work with the same orangy palette that I used last year. Isn't it a cool block!!! And I added the yellow of his beak too.

Don't forget to stop by Jen's blog in July to pick up the FREE pattern. **Each month's pattern is free for the month on Jen's blog.** And if you post your completed block on her link-u[ you will be eligible for great prizes!!

Sponsors and Prizes: July thru September

Quilters Chic - PDF Pattern

For The Love of Geese - PDF Pattern

Carole Lyle Shaw - Pattern and Grunge bundle

Quilters Dream Batting - Dream 80/20 - 60" x 60"

The Fat Quarter Shop - Fabric Bundle

I used two different tools to mark my sewing lines. The blue Fons & Porter tool also lets you mark the middle cutting line. I wasn't using my regular machine so it was nice to just stitch along the marked lines.

Chain stitching the half square triangle blocks, sewing one side and then the other for efficiency.

Getting ready to trim up the blocks with a ruler marked with painter's tape to make it easier to see the important measurement.

Just little slivers to trim off. Nice not to have waste and to get great results.

Trimmed and pressed - you can see the nice instructions that Jen provides!

The little half squares become cute 4 patches.

And then are paired with the larger half squares to make rows to finish up the block.

Here's this month's block with the card trick from last year's color challenge.

See more versions of this super fun block by visiting the other

July Bloggers

Wendy - Peaceful Thoughts

Claudia - Create with Claudia

Kathleen - Kathleen McMusing

Stephanie - Steph Jacobson Designs

Sandra - Textile Time Travels

Fawn - Quilty Creations By Fawn

Stephanie - Quilt'n Party

Rocky Road

Things are so crazy that the Rocky Road to Kansas block seems an appropriate block to share.

This block is one of the featured designs in my Patterns Through Time lecture/trunk show. Can't wait until I can get out and share these again with quilt guilds.

Circa 1930, Rocky Road to Kansas quilt made in Utah by my great grandmother Isabelle Day Rogers. The backing is made of sacking (flour sacks) that she dyed at home - a bright bold yellow!

 1890 Rocky Road To Kansas made in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Smaller scale and more planned out.

The two together as I would show them in my lecture.

Thanks for stopping by. Please comment and let me know other blocks you'd like to see or favorite eras, or styles.

Quilt Candy Facebook Live Trunk Show Update Link Next Show April 7

Missing your quilt guild, trunk shows, show and tell, and classes?
Join some of your favorite designers and meet some new ones as well for 10 days of Free trunk shows viewed online on facebook live. Each show will be on the individual designer's facebook page. Mine is textiletimetravels. 

****Link for video of first show  ***  Second antique quilt trunk will be April 7th at 6 p.m. EST, 5 p.m. CST, 4 p.m. MST, 3 p.m. PST.  Again it will be on my facebook page.

The trunk shows will be approximately 15 minutes each and scheduled throughout the day. To see more details and the schedule.

I'll be doing my  2nd antique quilt trunk show on April 7th at 6 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Utah time. Comment below on what you'd like to see.  Do you want to see antiques and repros? Antique fabrics? Antique signature quilts? Any favorite quilt of mine you'd like to see?

I'll be doing my trunk show on April 1st at 7 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Utah time. Comment below on what you'd like to see. I may be doing a second show on the 7th.  Do you want to see antiques and repros? Antique fabrics? Antique signature quilts? Any favorite quilt of mine you'd like to see?

Hope you'll hop on over to facebook and join me!

New Year Old Mysteries - Antique Quilt Research

I found this amazing quilt online at an auction. Did you know that you can buy quilts from live auctions over the web? Well, you can. There are several online auction platforms and bidding is similar to the end of timed listing on eBay. Live auctions end when the auctioneer bangs her hammer and proclaims the item as sold (or sometimes passed). Quite often there is an actual live auction being conducted simultaneously at the auction house and you are bidding against the attendees, other online bidders, and people who have left bids online before the auction. I purchased the mystery quilt below online from a live auction.

Double Irish Chain antique signature top dated 1842. It may be from Maryland? But where and for whom it was made is a mystery.

In addition to the lovely 4 hearts in the chain intersections, there are absolutely amazing inked drawings and sentiments on the quilt top like the ship below with Biblical quote signed "your son, Emaniel Dumar". There is another block with the Lord's Prayer, Our Father, dedicated to Shelby Pruitt from Shelby Pruitt (son?). Seems like for 2 different people??

Not sure what is depicted in this inking with another Bible passage, Psalm 110:1 and signed "your affectionate _____ Benjamin Pruitt."

Love this cornucopia of wildflowers or maybe they send a message using the symbols attached to flowers at that time. Signed Mrs. Rebecca Dumar but another block is a message to Mrs. Dumar? Very confusing.

***I found Emanuel and Ruth Anna Dumar (she's on another block) in Philadephia Episcopal church baptism records for their son George Washington Dumar, born in Feb. 1844. The next child baptized was also named George Washington (he was really popular). Hopefully, I'll find more of the signers/names now. Stay tuned.

Day 31 - Bethlehem Star- Month of Antique Hand Quilting

Ending the year and month full of antique quilts with hand quilting with this firework Bethlehem Star!

Bethlehem Star, circa 1850 from Pennsylvania.  One can't help but smile when looking at this quilt!  Part of my antique quilt trunk show, Quilt Masterpieces.

From the eBay listing: "An amazing rising sun quilt with satellite stars and deep blue print background. I love the way this quilt was designed with the blue background. The center star floats against a blue background sky."

Note:  the quilt top is from around 1850 BUT it was finished much more recently probably in the 1940's or 50's.  That is when it acquired that wild yellow backing

Day 30- Antique Whig Rose -31 Days of Antique Quilts - Hand Quilting

Tonight's antique quilt from the Starley Quilt Collection is another "best quilt" Whig Rose from Ohio, circa 1850s. Like my Quilted Joy, this one is a 9 block applique with NO negative space and is chockful of applique and intense hand quilting. And that border!! Isn't it delightful?

Check out the hand quilting! Close triple-rod quilting (three lines close together separated by similar sized space and repeated across the quilt). ***Note that the diagonal quilting goes right across the appliques.

Here's the same flower used in my repro quilt, Pennsylvania Posies for Paducah.

Day 29- Old and New Oak Leaf, Reel A Month of Antique Hand Quilting

Tonight's quilt is antique Oak Leaf (Reel) quilt with hand applique and lots of straight-line hand quilting. And the single block/quiltlet is my repro version made for a potholder project for Pam Weeks. Potholder quilts are constructed of blocks that are individually quilted and bound.

Here's a close-up of my little quilt. Click on photo to enlarge. Hand applique and hand quilted.

The Oak Leaf with more of its red and green friends ...

The full quilt. So effectively composed with the sashing and red cornerstones and the 5 strip borders.

Antique Hand Quilting Antique Hearts Signature Quilt Day 28

Today's antique hand quilted quilt from the Starley Quilt Collection is full of LOVE!

It was made for a beloved Sunday School teacher - Esther McAllister whose husband was the reverend of the Willet Street Church (Methodist Episcopalian) in New York City. But is was made for her because of her works not because she was the pastor's wife. This is shown by the poignant poem below:

Antique Hand Quilting Day 27 - Rocky Road To Kansas

Today's antique hand quilted quilt is a jazzy Rocky Road to Kansas or Kite block quilt from Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, circa 1890. Only in Southeastern PA would this double pink Greek Key stripe fabric be considered a neutral. 

The backing is a fabulous neon print in green, pink, and black. People think clothing back then was boring but they used prints like this for everyday dresses.

\

The full quilt - look at all those stripes! Love how they are all in a line for the borders and go every which way in the blocks.

This block is part of my Patterns Through Time lecture where I share at least 2 examples of about a dozen different designs from the early 1800s to mid 1900s. You learn quilt history while looking at amazing quilts.

Here the Lancaster quilt is shown in the lecture with a much larger scale Rocky Road circa 1930s made by my Great Grandmother Isabelle Rogers in Kanosh, Millard Co., Utah.

A Jolly Quilt-mas, A Month of Antique Hand Quilting - Day 26 Red and Green French Star

I couldn't do a month of antique quilts without one of my favorite patterns, the French Star. To see another early French Star from the Starley collection, visit Day 3 of this month long journey.

Look at the beautiful grid background quilting and the curves in the swag. Click on photos to enlarge and see details.

Can't go wrong with a swag border and this one is quite impressive. The quilt is from Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, circa 1865/1870.

The uncommon French Star pattern is part of my Patterns Through Time trunk show (a combination of quilt history, eye candy, and humor). A recent review hailed it as the perfect blend of education and entertainment. The lecture features about a dozen patterns with at least 2 examples per pattern spanning the early 1800s to mid 1900s.  An example are the 2 French Stars below - red/green quilt circa 1870 and multi-colored top circa 1940s. I'd love to come share a bit of my collection with your guild, shop, or show. See more information in the pages (tabs below main banner photo, top of page).

French Star quilts are also part of my Antique Stars  and Quilt Masterpieces trunk shows. I also do custom designed lectures on request. Have Antique Quilts - Will Travel!

Month of Antique Quilts - Christmas Stars Day 25

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I couldn't do a month of antique hand quilting without sharing this amazing antique Christmas Star quilt with some stunning hand quilting - now in the Starley Quilt Collection. Circa 1850.

Look at that trapunto work - love the 5 point star - stars in stars! Don't forget to click on pictures to enlarge and see the details.

And that quilted pineapple!!! Oh my !

The full quilt in all its glory. What a triumph of hand quilting. Ps. Have Antique Quilts, Will Travel and bring treasures to your guild or show or shop.