Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Lady Sings the Blues - a finished quilt top

This quilt began with a box of twelve orphan basket blocks, the rejects after my friend L completed her own quilt made from a kit of Barbara Brackman's Baltimore Blues.  My friend is a perfectionist and these blocks failed to pass muster for several reasons, basket points too close to the edge, a variety of finished sizes, not square, etc.  By themselves they looked pretty bland to my eyes, but the first thing on the agenda was to border them  and then trim them all to the same size.  But the overarching goal was to preserve as many of the basket points as possible in the process.  Believe me when I say there are a LOT of 1/8" seams in this quilt!

So, after a couple days, we had this.  Still a bit bland but getting better, thanks to enough scraps of that delightful blue floral to fussy cut cornerstones for the sashing.

Last week while sorting through some bins of donated fabrics for our quilt ministry I found what to my eyes would be a perfect border to add more fun to this top.  Lucky for me there was one 18 inch wide strip about 76 inches long.  Enough for the side borders.  It just happened to be a drapery fabric from 1986 according to the selvedge, a bit heavier than quilting cotton, but perfectly serviceable.


For top and bottom borders I tried out a serpentine strip of a similar peachy-pink on solid navy blue.  Really wanted to keep that peachy vibe going since it seemed to invigorate the entire quilt.  And tada, a finished top!

The "stained glass" shot

Kitten approved

Not sure what that streak is in the bottom center of these last photos, suspect it's just a shadow cast by a fold in the center. 

I've been smitten with large-scale prints after using this one, actually there are a couple in my stash that have been waiting for years to be used.  I think their waiting days are about to end!  

Hubby brought the little bistro table and two chairs out to the back porch, and this morning it was sunny and over 60 degrees out, warm enough to enjoy my first summer latte on the porch.  Just waiting now for the hummingbirds to return and the flowers to appear!

Happy Wednesday!




20 comments:

julieQ said...

Oh I love that quilt!! The perfect basket quilt...lovely handle curves, and just so great that you bordered each block!!! I like the border you chose!

Nancy said...

What a way you have with orphan blocks! These looks spectacular. I think the borders around the blocks add so much without calling attention to themselves. Really, just perfect all the way around.

Kyle said...

It's amazing how you took the rejected baskets and rejuvenate them into a great summery quilt. A large border print is perfect for the borders. It draws everything together.

Needled Mom said...

That large scale print is wonderful with it, as is the pink/peachy strip.

Hill Top Post said...

It didn't take me long following along with you to realize how talented you are with colors and design. Once again, you beat the odds and end up with a winner! I love those large florals with the baskets.

Lizzy D said...

Wonderful Baskets quilt! I like the ingenious use of frames to correct size, a common problem I face using antique blocks. Love the soft colors too.

Quilting Babcia said...

You are so sweet to say that. I've been trying to expand my color and pattern choices to include more lighter and brighter fabrics. I've never been wild about blue, but lately it seems to end up in a lot of my quilts and it's been fun seeing how a "cool" color can actually brighten up a bland combination.

Janet O. said...

What beautiful fun this is! I love what you have created from someone else's discarded baskets and a beautiful piece of drapery fabric from a donation. So clever to put the serpentine along the top and bottom. You pulled it together wonderfully! I too have recently discovered how much large border prints can enhance a quilt. This is a great example of it!

FlourishingPalms said...

Oh, I love how you pulled this quilt top together! You must feel pleased about it, how you made everything sync beautifully. You're so good about using-up - not wasting anything - and I admire you for it. And I love knowing that your bistro table and chairs are back on the porch again, I hope for good! It's a wonderful feeling to be through winter, barreling into spring, and being vaccinated. Can it get any better?!

Robin said...

This is terrific! I love the beautiful floral fabric and the wavy stripe border enhances the whole quilt. It makes it better than if you had had enough of the floral to go all the way around it. Very very nice.

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Well, I would say you used those orphan blocks perfectly! How beautiful! I particularly love the serpentine top and bottom. Such a great quilt!

QuiltGranma said...

BEAUTIFUL!

Paulette said...

Beautiful job bringing those orphan blocks together in such a great way!

Barb said...

What a beautiful basket quilt! I like your setting and the borders are great. I too love large prints too.
Kitten approved :)
I'm waiting for the hummers too. Think I'll hang a feeder soon and start watching.

Ann said...

Congratulations on keeping these lovely orphans out of the discard bin. What a lovely quilt to gift. You made some great choices.

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

You did a great job rescuing this quilt and the borders are great, with that pink serpentine wave. Just a pretty pretty quilt. Cute kitty too.

Angie said...

Love the result - a happy quilt that looks perfect for snuggling!

Barbara said...

What a wonderful finish! The setting along with the large print and serpentine borders look perfect together. Nice stained glass photo :) So glad kitty approved.

audrey said...

What a great challenge quilt! I think you totally mastered it.:)

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

This basket quilt is glorious~ those cornerstones and borders take it to another level entirely~ bravo! I saw our first hummingbird of the season last week. Spring is coming...