Time for Color

Hard to believe but it's just about the end of January, and that's when I usually put out a few Valentine's Day decorations.

Last year it struck me that my quilted wall hangings I hang at this time of year didn't have much red in them (dull, bor-ing) so I made a couple of new pieces that added some color inside the house and tied in with the Valentine decorations besides.

This one was kinda fun to make because of the "ribbon" inner border. (Would be gorgeous on the edge of a big quilt, wouldn't it?) The hanging measures about 2' x 2'. I stupidly hand quilted it with a Baptist's Fan pattern, lots and lots of curved lines about 1/2" apart. I say stupidly because on the background fabric I used, which is the bulk of the piece, the quilting barely shows up at all. Arrrgh. Didn't I think about this? Oh well, live and learn as they say. I still like it.

These two table runners are made with the simplest of blocks, a Four Patch, but because of the colorway chosen, you don't see the four patch but rather the string of diamonds. Again, the runners brought in some reds and cheeriness. (Cheeriness? Is that a word?)

Around the same time last year, I made these two small wall hangings. Both are old, old traditional quilt patterns, the kind I tend to gravitate toward.

In this I used the Broken Sash block, and the fabrics are reproductions of Civil War patterns. I love the old-fashioned look of it. Someday maybe I'll have the patience to make a full-sized quilt in this design. So simple, so effective, so attractive to my mind.

This one was done all by hand. Whenever I do piecing by hand, I can't help but think of all the quilters who made unbelievably beautiful quilts tiny stitch by tiny stitch without ever having the convenience of a sewing machine. (Or decent lighting to work by!) There are a few different names for this pattern, probably Apple Core being the most popular. Lots of curves and careful coaxing to get each piece to fit with the next one. Know what I named it on the label? "Never Again." You will not see a full-sized quilt made by me in this pattern. (Although, dang, wouldn't it be somethin' to gaze upon?)

Okay, time to get off my rusty-duster this morning and dig out the February decorations. Maybe getting some red splashes on the walls will make our once-again-back-in-the-deep-freeze temps (barely above zero forecast as a high today) a little easier to handle. Hey, could that be why they made longjohns red?