In Need

Yesterday was one of those days: time to catch up on all the chores which weren't done while we were away last week; a fridge freezer to order which wasn't in stock even when the internet said it was or alternatively, that couldn't be delivered for weeks; and when I finally got down to a few hours sewing, my maths was all wrong and my blocks the wrong size. I think I was out of practise after my week off. Oh dear. Off out we went for a curry, instead!

Today then, how lucky was I when a promised trip to the Lego store was sidelined when one of the school mum's rang to invite the Munchkin over to play. Ahhh, I deserved to do something nice, something unchallenging.

So I dived into my vintage stash and decided to make a really simple quilt. The sort of quilt I made when I first started quilt making and the type I probably still love the best. A quilt all about the fabrics.

I wanted to use some of the fabrics I had collected most recently (I've decided I am now officially a collector of vintage fabrics!) These seemed to have a predominantly blue and pink colour scheme so although I was initially going to add some red, I stuck to just blues, pinks and whites for this quilt. I cut out large 10" one-patch blocks and many smaller 5.25" patches destined for four-patch blocks. Just like the first quilts I made.

I got entirely carried away with the fabrics. Fabrics from France...

Fabrics from aprons now too worn or stained to use for their original purpose...

Fabrics which were likely once bedding/eiderdowns...

Fabrics which were probably pretty frocks...

Fabrics which were feedsacks...

Fabrics which are simply gorgeous!

The larger ten inch squares...

Hmm, it took some muster to cut squares that big from my precious fabrics (given they are mainly fat quarters, around 18" x 22" in size) but there's no point in them sitting on the shelf forever.

Hooray, we love quilts, say the furry friends!

I joined the small squares into two-patches before going up to my quilting room to lay out all the blocks on my huge (table tennis) table. I don't always do this, mainly I just "fly by the seat of my pants" (wild) and join them as I go but sometimes, you don't always get the most pleasing arrangement that way. My fragile ego couldn't take any more mishaps!

Oooh, isn't it looking scrumptious?

And while I arranged the blocks, I had a furry friend keeping a watchful, not entirely selfless, eye on my progress.

Edit: Rarely I find vintage fabrics thriftily, more likely I find them at vintage fairs and buy from my fave dealers, Sal's Snippets and Donna Flower. The French fabrics were mainly from Sandy at Rag Rescue.