Fancy Flowers pattern |
I see design
ideas everywhere. Magazines, blogs, Facebook, Pinterest and nature are my
favorite inspirations for color and block layouts.
Lately I've been
experimenting with Accuquilt dies to reproduce vintage blocks. My
resources are Granny Rose's clippings from Progressive Farmer
magazine and Nashville Tennessean newspapers. I also search online
for photos of vintage quilts.
Lydia Rose block |
Before
starting a new project, I usually sew a test block to see how it will
look, especially if it is new to me. I also use EQ8 to design and test color combinations. If that block doesn't end up in a
quilt, I keep it in my sample drawer or make something useful out of
it.
I found Fancy
Flowers in Granny Rose's pattern shoebox, complete with templates
and notes of how many to cut of each fabric. She also had one
completed block in a lovely yellow, green and navy color combination.
Fancy Flowers - my version |
My scrappy version is
cut with Accuquilt Lemoyne Star, 4½” half square triangle, 2½”
square and strip dies. I made an 18½” table mat with the sample,
quilted with several decorative stitches. You may see this pattern
again in a larger quilt.
I am thankful
to Lydia Fort Rose for her quilts, and to Hazel Rose Ireland for
saving these bits and pieces of patterns and scraps. Using them to sew new
quilts brings me joy.