Vintage Butterflies and Flowers Handmade Quilt

Doesn't this look like butterflies have taken over? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Vintage Butterflies and Flowers Handmade Quilt

I caught the end of the 2017 Piece and Plenty Quilt Guild "Bed Turning" session in time to see this lovely vintage Butterflies and Flowers handmade quilt. It was love at first sight, and you can see why, there are a variety of different-sized butterflies all over the applique flowers!

June is usually the month for National Pollinators Week and this year, it will be celebrated June 18-24. Butterflies are among the many pollinators who keep our landscapes full of a variety of flowers not to mention the largest family of pollinators, bees.

This vintage quilt has its own celebration, starting with the variety applique butterflies all over. There are two sizes of butterflies, the larger dominant applique ones and the smaller ones forming a border.

Love how the butterflies are paying close attention to flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And in one of the quilt corners, a delightful surprise, the name of the quilter and the year she made it hand-embroidered: Dot French, 1984.

See the surprise in this corner? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I had a butterfly quilt in my teenage years, a patchwork butterfly quilt pattern with more details than this one. Taking a closer look, it would not be hard to make a similar butterfly quilt, the applique butterfly shape is pretty simple as are the flowers. Looks like the longest time would be in embroidering the flower centers and leaves.

The larger applique butterflies have a basic, easy shape. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I have been contemplating making a new butterfly throw design and this vintage butterflies and flowers handmade quilt will definitely be my inspiration!

Charlotte

Vintage Grandma's Flower Garden Quilt Secret

Isn't this a pretty version of the traditional Grandma's Flower Garden quilt?

Vintage Grandma's Flower Garden Quilt Secret

I suppose it's no surprise to anyone who knows me that flower quilts are one of my favorite patterns. No, I have to confess, flower quilts ARE my favorite patterns and grandma's flower garden is one of the all-timers.

Of all of the handmade quilts I have made over the years, I still have a Grandma's Flower Garden quilt I started when I was 15 years old. Took me about 35 years before I finished it but it is done, each block from a favorite fabric that was some clothing my mother made me, or fabric that was incorporated into something else in the household. If those fabric blocks could talk!

One of the traditions in quilting is that no quilt is perfect and this vintage grandma's flower garden quilt is no exception. It is beautifully made, don't get me wrong but the quilter made sure the tradition of the handmade quilt not being exactly perfect was maintained.

Do you see it?

The secret of this vintage grandma's flower garden quilt is in the tradition it keeps.

In one of the flower garden patchwork blocks. one of the flower pink flower petals is darker than the rest. It's the only one on the whole quilt, and a definite nod to the tradition that the quilt is not perfectly made so as not to be arrogant enough to assume that one could even make a perfect quilt.

I love the colors in this quilt so as far as I am concerned, it's perfect. Shsssss. That's our secret, too!

Charlotte

Vintage Blue Work Quilt

You have heard of redwork? I call this vintage child's quilt in blue and white blue work since all of the blocks were done in blue floss with a solid blue border. I found this quilt at the "Little Shop Around the Corner" in St. Louis.

Each of the 4x4-inch blocks had a theme or saying:

Vintage bluework child's quilt with "Home Sweet Home" embroidered in blue floss.

Besides favorite sayings, the 4x4-inch quilt blocks also featured favorite nursery rhymes, like Little Red Riding Hood:

Blue Work with Little Red Riding Hood as one of the 4x4 inch quilt blocks.

Look at the hand-quilting, those are teeny tiny hand stitches!

Another favorite saying "Home Sweet Home" in vintage blue work child's quilt.

I can't imagine how long it took to embroider these blocks, some were very detailed. There was some wear along the edges and backing but this vintage quilt would make a lovely wall hanging in someone's nursery.

This photo is not the best but gives you an overview of the blocks put together:

An overview of how the 4x4 inch embroidered blocks looked together.

Charlotte

Fixing Noah's Ark Quilt

Over the year, I have periodically repaired a variety of quilts, from museum-quality to well loved ones. None, however, where in the condition of this vintage Noah's Ark printed panel baby quilt, with a matching printed cotton on the back.

When Dad contacted me about making the repairs, I said I was willing to look at the quilt to see if it was possible to salvage. The front was torn and worn; the back had several bad spots so we basically had to take the quilt apart and make a new one from the remaining pieces.

Luckily I was able to find another matching Noah's Ark panel for the front and I pieced the best of the packing fabric into a new back, adding a very soft blue cotton on either side to protect the center pieces from wear. A little machine quilting in a similar pattern as the original, with the same polyfill, and the quilt was "good as new!"

Charlotte