TST #40 - Mackenzie's heritage and signatures

Each year in the fall there is a quilting retreat held at a summer camp.  Yes, yes I know.  The summer camp is rented out in the off season, that's how we have the retreat in the fall.  Anyway, each year the teacher/quilt store owner who hosts the retreat chooses a theme for the retreat.  In 2007 she chose a heritage theme.  Little did we know what this would entail, but rather we were told to bring along what we thought was reproduction fabric.  I had never worked with reproduction fabric so this is what I brought, except for the floral print.  I borrowed that from Joyce at the retreat.

I know better now.  During the retreat we were shown samples of the styles of quilt that would have been produced during the 1800's; medallions, vertical row quilts and various individual blocks.  We were given a choice of pattern to piece, so I chose to do a medallion style quilt.  A medallion quilt begins with a central block and successive borders are added. 

Diane, the hostess had brought along some patterns that we could purchase.  I spotted this one by Kaye England and decided that it would look okay in the fabric that I brought.

I pieced the central block, continued piecing the borders until it was almost finished.  During the retreat we were then given an opportunity to share our signatures with our fellow retreaters.  Each of us wrote our signature and the date on sufficient pieces of muslin to exchange with everyone.   Then it was back to finishing off the medallion quilt.  This is it here.

What happened to the signature blocks you might ask. 

 

This is the fabric that I used for the signature blocks.  This is a better representation of reproduction fabric, but still not the best.  I chose to put the blocks into vertical rows similar to quilts from the "heritage" period.  This is a close up of my efforts,

 

and the full picture of the quilt.

 

TST #39 - Friendship Stars

During one of our small quilting group's annual get togethers we decided to exchange friendship stars.  The stars were to be 6-inch blocks and constructed with jewel tones and black.  Each of us were to make sufficient number of the stars to be able to trade with every other person in the group.

Okay so some of us didn't know what "jewel" tones were.  Perhaps some of you out there aren't sure either.  Well think of jewellry and the colours of gems like emerald, ruby, topaz, amethyst, sapphire, etc.  Those are "jewel" tones; the colours are clear, not dulled down or greyed.

Now put those colours with black and you've got POP!  I mean things just sparkle!  This is the quilt that I put together with those friendship stars.

 

Unfortunately the picture doesn't do the quilt justice.  It does sparkle more than the picture shows.  I donated it to a care home and I'm told that the recipient's eyes sparkled just like the quilt.