Cheddar Baskets

My newest quilt, Make Mine Cheddar, made for the American Quilt Study Group's 2016 19th Century Basket Quilt Study. Every 2 years, the AQSG has a quilt study on a specific topic and one finds an antique inspiration quilt to reproduce in a small size (42" or smaller). I picked a cheddar orange Mennonite basket quilt from the late 1800s (see below). I chose to recreate it in 1/2 scale - 1/2 sized blocks (5") and 1/2 the number of blocks.

Make Mine Cheddar
31" x 31"
Sandra Starley

The original had only 3 fabrics but I'm a scrappy gal and so I used a different set of fabrics for each basket and then used all of those in the border. So I went from 3 fabrics to 27.

I paperpieced the baskets and sawtooth border and hand appliqued the handles. I machine quilted in the ditch to stabilize and then hand quilted the heck out of it with hearts, lines, and feathers.

1890 Mennonite Baskets
Southeastern PA
Starley Antique Collection

Quilted Moab

There is a great new retreat in Moab called Quilted Moab 2016, which will be held next week. This will only be the 2nd year but there is already a loyal following and awesome teachers and classes.
Come on down, over, up, etc.!

On Feb. 19th, I'll be teaching a unique class that is part paper piecing class and part antique trunk show. You get to work on creating a fun Flying Geese doll quilt while looking at lots of antique doll, crib, and children's quilts from the last 200 years. Guaranteed to be a LOT of fun!

Day 5 - Applique made modern

I love to give antique quilts in my collection a new life by recreating them. Often I make reproductions in close repro fabrics but sometimes I use modern fabrics. This quilt was made for a Riley Blake challenge (Isabella line) for the Home Machine Quilting Show (HMQS) in 2011.

Detail of Riley Blake challenge quilt.

Full quilt made in 2011  by Sandra Starley

Another version in repro fabrics along with the antique inspiration.

Heart detail

Fun with Antique and Modern Quilts in St. George

Need a breather and a chance to create.  Then come see me and lots of other wonderful people  in St. George, Utah,  January 6-10, 2015.  Time for the 2nd Annual Quilt St. George retreat, a truly Quiltabulous Event!

Need a jolt of joy or craziness ?  Then this funky free-form and fun, alphabet paperpiecing class with the choice of two delightful projects would be perfect.

Love Birds & Lady Bugs  18" x 30"

Crazy Quilt, 16" x 16"

I'll also be teaching my cheddar stars class as well as a red rock landscape quilt.


And I will be sharing antique quilts galore.  With a half day class on antique signature quilt, you'll get to see many museum quality early quilts from 1840 forward.  You'll be able to get up close and really examine the fabrics and names and the amazing tiny stamps and drawings that many people added to their signatures.

Hoopes Worral Quilt, dated 1850, Chester Co. Pennsylvania

And I'll also be doing a second half day class, Patterns Through Time.  You'll see about a dozen different quilt patterns and 2 or 3 examples of each which give you a chance to see the changes in quilting and society over time.

If you like modern artistic quilts, my luncheon trunk show: Everything Old is New Again will show you how to learn from past quilters to make amazing new quilts.

And I will be doing quilt appraisals in my spare time at the retreat.  I'm certified to appraise all types of quilts, old and new, traditional and modern.  Email me if you want to schedule a time.

Have Quilts, Will Travel

Here's my recent great find.  A folky, funky and fun four block eagle wreath with tulips quilt from Pennsylvania.  Circa 1865.

 

And here's a close-up.  Don't they just make you smile!  Wouldn't you love to see it in the cloth and study it up close -- see below for information on my lectures and classes.  This quilt and lots of other wonders could soon becoming to a quilt guild, show or shop near YOU!

 

And to make things even more fun, there is a twin to my quilt in the International Quilt Study Center Museum in Nebraska.

I love to share my antique quilts and reproductions through quilt trunkshows/lectures/bed-turnings and classes.  I also have quilts available for exhibits. And in addition to my reproduction quilts, I also teach other quilt classes.

  I have added lots of informational pages on my professional presentations  -- see the tab/page names at the top of the blog (under the blog title and before this post). 
There you'll find photos and descriptions for the following:
 antique quilt lectures/trunkshows
antique quilt classes
other quilt classes

    You'll also find information about
AQS Certified -Quilt appraisals
my calendar and
my professional qualifications

I would love to come to your quilt guild meeting or quilt show or your shop.

Stars Contest - Vote for Team Cheddar

I'm asking for votes for my miniature reproduction quilt: Cheddar Stars Over Moab  (scroll down to see picture).

 Voting is open now until early Monday morning 12/3/12 about 8 a.m.  Here's the link:  http://quiltinggallery.com/2012/11/30/vote-now-star-quilts-3/

But since so many of my followers have already seen that quilt, I want to share a few other cheddar stars with you as a thank you for reading and voting.

 

Antique Sunburst or Sunflower Quilt, circa 1860 from Pennsylvania

Antique Compass Star Quilt, circa 1880 probably Southern US

THE Contest Quilt:  Cheddar Stars Over Moab, 20 x 24"

 

Here's a shot of the beginning of the grueling fabric selection process including a few blocks that didn't make the final cut.  I need to turn those into a mini mini quilt, I guess.

And another behinds the scenes shot of the quest to find the perfect fabrics.  That is the original antique 1890 Ohio/variable star underneath the fabric applicants.

 

Thank you for reading and voting

http://quiltinggallery.com/2012/11/30/vote-now-star-quilts-3/

Tiptoe through the Tulips - AQSG Quilt Studies

 

 

Tulip Stars - Batik Makeover Edition  28 x 28"

Here's a preview of my reproduction quilt for the 2012 American Quilt Study Group - Quilt Study "Colonial Revival Quilts of the 1920's and 30's." Every 2 years the AQSG announces a study topic and members reproduce an antique or vintage quilt that matches the guidelines. 2010 was 19th Century Stars (any star quilt from the 1800's that we had permission to reproduce). The resulting quilts are exhibited at the annual seminar and then a selected group tours through the US stopping at major museums and quilt show. This year's required a 1920 or 30's quilt and I choose an interesting tulip design purchased for this challenge.

 

Here is my vintage inspiration, a 1930's kit quilt called Mountain Star by Home Needlecraft Creations. I have since found several versions but this is the only one with the funky giant tulip border. I think a later quilter found the original quilt and decided to jazz it up. I decided that I also wanted to do a fun border and choose a piano key with the bright bold batiks.

 

Here's a close-up of the first block.

 

And here is my 2010 quilt Cheddar Stars over Moab that is shown in the newest issue of Quilters Newsletter Magazine in an excellent article about the 2010 Quilt Study.  It is also patterned in the Kansas City Star Book about the study:  19th Century Stars.  It is a terrific book and also features my sister Donna's Cheddar LeMoyne Star.

 

Applique Posies - Blogger Quilt Festival

A favorite spring and fall event, is the Bloggers' Quilt Festival run by Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side (a fellow Utah blogging quilter).  I'm sharing my recently completed quilt, made/donated for the 2013 Pilgrim Roy Invitational Challenge (fundraiser for the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky).  It was recently displayed in Paducah and will be traveling to other AQS shows over the next year.  Here's block one (before quilting) :

 

And the full quilt, Pennsylvania Posies for Paducah:

40 x 40", Completed 2012
Original Design
Hand Appliqued and Hand Quilted
Donation to National Quilt Museum

It is a reproduction/adaptation of several antique quilts in my collection and inspired by my favorite Pennsylvania German colors. 

Here is one of the inspiration blocks.  You can click on my earlier 2012 entries to read/see more of the antique inspirations.

Click on the words below (not the logo) to see all the other quilts in the armchair quilt festival

Bloggers' Quilt Festival Spring 2012

Antique Quilts Re-making Their Way to Paducah

Pennsylvania Posies for Paducah
40" x 40",  2012
Hand appliqued, hand quilted

Double Woo hoo.  My quilt for the 2013 Pilgrim Roy Invitational Challenge is now on display in Paducah, Kentucky at the American Quilter's Society Show.  More about this quilt in a minute... The other thrill is my cheddar star repro was juried into the miniature category at the prestigious AQS Show which is quite an honor. 

Cheddar Stars Over Moab, 2010
19" x 24"
Paperpieced, hand quilted

This quilt was made for the 2010 American Quilt Study Group, 19th Century Stars Challenge and was patterned in the Stars book published by Kansas City Star. Click here to see another version of this quilt and the 1890's antique inspiration quilt.

Now back to the Pilgrim Roy Quilt:

It was inspired by several antique quilts in my collection. And you can see more about the challenge by looking at my posts from earlier this year. After the show, the quilts will travel to other quilt shows in the US and then will be auctioned off next April at the 2013 National Quilt Museum fundraiser Auction. 
This quilt was hand appliqued and then the applique flowers and baskets were stuffed for a trapunto effect.  While the borders/ major seams were machine quilted, the applique motifs and blocks were hand quilted.  The Legacy wool batting was a dream to quilt through and even with heavier thread I was getting about 10 stitches per inch without (hardly) trying.

 Click here and here to read about the challenge and my creative process and see all the antique quilts that inspired this project.

Antique Quilt Make-Over: Choices, Choices and More choices

I think this is my favorite arrangement  and then my 2nd choice

I think I like having a 3 and a 4 stemmed flower on each horizontal row (see above) rather than 3 next to 3 like these two examples

And just for giggles, down and up       OR  up and down
(Don't think I can handle either of these arrangements.)

And now to decide about inner sashing or whether to put a floral applique in the center???  And what about inner border?  outer border?  Do I want to do a red, green and cheddar zigzag triangle border, like on this antique applique quilt?  I would do it in a larger scale  but the nice thing about this zigzag is it is all triangles and could be paper pieced.

Or do I want to make a big zigzag like this one, found on an amazing Bethlehem Star with Lilies from PA -- again see the Pennsylvania color scheme that keeps inspiring me.  Problem with this one, is I'll have to figure out how to piece it and I don't know if I can paperpiece it?

 Or maybe I will just do a big flying geese border?  Any suggestions???

Antique Quilt Makeover PA Style Part 4

Block 4 is done !!!!

Now to figure out how to put the four blocks together, sashing, additional applique in center,
border(s)????  Just when it seemed like I was making progress?

The inspiration for the 4th block came from the border of a wonderful cockscomb and currant quilt (an antique quilt) from circa 1850.

I decided to eliminate the center so that the block would better match with the other 4 stemmed block.  I also deleted the basket handles for the same reason.

And drumroll................................ here are all 4 blocks together (in one possible combo).

Antique Quilt Makeover PA Style Part 3

Woo hoo.  Block 3 of my challenge quilt is done!  Only one more to go.  I think these flowers look very happy and almost like they are waving hello.  This block was adapted from a little basket that is part of my circa 1845 antique crib quilt from Virginia.  Here is the original block with a bird being shot by cupid's arrow (very appropriate for Valentine's Day):

And here is my prior reproduction of the full block:

Scroll down or click  to see block 1 and block 2.
Here are all 3 together:

  And some more Pennsylvania quilt inspiration, a circa 1880 rolling stone signature quilt from Berks/Lehigh Co. PA:

Antique Makeover PA Style, Part 2

Block 2 of my current challenge quilt (reproducing several antique quilts).  See prior post for the 1st block, challenge fabrics and inspirations. http://starleyquilts.blogspot.com/2012/01/antique-makeover-revisited-pa-style.html

This block is an adaptation of 2 different basket blocks.  My main inspiration was a circa 1860, 9 block whig rose, rose of sharon or democrat rose quilt with a great floral basket border part of my antique quilt collection.

I wasn't super fond of the center flower so I substituted the center of an elaborate  4 block Pot of Flowers quilt, circa 1875, also part of my collection.

Here's a close-up from the Whig Rose, Rose of Sharon, enjoy!  Check out the amazing intense quilting.  Triple line, triple rod quilting, very close.