Doc's Folly

Doc's Folly

I love vintage quilt block designs, and Propeller is one of my favorites. Published as Air Ship Propeller in the Kansas City Star around 1938, you could buy the pattern by mail order. I ordered this die from Blue Wren a few years ago.

My latest version features black, cream, light red, and melon remnant prints. It has a kind of steam punk look with this coloring. I designed it in EQ8 and cut most of the pieces last November. I pieced the block in January on Annie, my Singer Featherweight 221, also using it to applique the center circles.

As I was arranging the blocks on my design board, my husband walked in and wondered if I could shift the rows, and I love the effect. He also helped choose the center circle fabric, and named the quilt Doc's Folly. He's a wonderful supporter of my quilting obsession and definitely a keeper!

I used a tan vine print sheet for backing, and free motion quilted in a large meandering stitch with tan thread on the Janelle, my Janome MC9450. Finished size is 50” square, and it's folded over the love seat in our living room right now.

See you next week!

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6924 Propeller 10” block
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding

Amelia

Amelia

I've been staying inside and cool during this Tennessee heat wave. It's the perfect excuse to retreat to my sewing room, especially since I got to play with my new Blue Wren dies.

The block name is Propeller, a vintage design from the late 1930's that was published in the Kansas City Star under the name Air Ship Propeller.  I used EQ8 and BlockBase to lay out the quilt and experiment with color ideas. 

For my modern version, I chose summery fabric in hot pink checks and stripes, with a touch of yellow and a background of pale pink.

The curves sewed up nicely as long as I maintained a consistent ¼” seam. The yellow center piece is machine appliqued on with light yellow thread after finishing the block.

After assembling the quilt, I stitched on the block seams using baby pink thread and a serpentine design. Then I changed to straight stitch to sew across each propeller blade.

Amelia finished at 50” square, nice for a picnic once it cools down a bit. I'm too old and delicate to eat outside when it's 94 degrees with a heat index of 109!

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6924 Propeller 10”
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½” binding