New Quilts from an Old Quilt

In August I purchased a nine patch quilt top on Etsy which measured 66" x 83".  I liked the colors! The palette was so happy compared to the somber prints of the 19th century which fill my shelves.   Before I even clicked the purchase tab, I had mentally challenged myself to create four baby quilts from this piece.  Happy colors for happy times with baby.

You can see how the bright colors acted like a neon sign flashing "buy me.... buy me".

But during my love fest with this charming piece of 20th century, I found myself a bit leery of the above red fabric.  I have made it a habit to wash fabrics to ensure color fastness and stability to ensure they will hold up in years of repurposed use.   Good reason to be cautious as the red dye was not stable and bled into the adjoining plaid.  The lesson for everyone:  when in doubt always test your fabric before sewing.

 

My plans for how I was going to make the baby quilts had to switch gear as I had to cut out every nine patch with the red cotton.  This new plan of action was easier than I thought.  Here was the first quilt.

The nine patches now resemble hole in the barn door blocks.  I included reproduction 30's prints and Moda fabric by Sandy Klop.

It was purchased for a new baby expected in March 2012. 

The second baby quilt I made I called Vintage Blocks New Quilt Nine Patch and Circles.  The circular blocks were a nice addition, but I was accumulating a pile of fabric scraps.

Since I couldn't throw away even the tiniest of pieces,  my solution was to piece them together in long bars for the Homage to Mary Engelbreit quilt.  The traditional Chinese Coins  pattern was my inspiration for the design for the third quilt.

I can understand why 20th century quiltmakers fells in love with feed sacks.  Unlike broadcloth and percale also manufactured during the era, feed sacks have a lower thread count making it easy to needle. 

Today I finished up the fourth quilt from the original vintage nine-patch quilt.

I set four patches I salvaged from the original quilt on point. Then I set them with alternating blocks from the American Jane fabric by Sandy Klop for Moda. 

Now the real challenge - how to use the remaining scraps to create just one more quilt!