A November Mini Quilt Challenge

A challenge was made

by the Rogue Quilter, Janet.

Take a small baggie of fabric

And make a mini quilt with it.

My baggie from Janet 

was filled with browns and with pinks.

This should be fun

said Kyle with a wink.

Pinks

 Browns

A little more fabric can be included

 if you must.

The 4 B's can be added 

Now don't make a fuss.

( Background, Borders, Binding, Backing)

The wheels began turning.

and it didn't take long.

The stars began appearing 

like a heavenly throng.

Hand piecing 8 pointed stars

3 inch finished stars

Using just the small bits

each star was unique.

I like how they looked

Oh, so chic.

Connecting them all 

with a sweet background

Was easy to do

with this fabulous brown.

Next were the borders

that took some planning to attach.

Just so the corners

could be an excellent  match.

With simple machine quilting, 

 binding and an interesting backing

The quilt came together

and wasn't too nerve wracking.

Using Janet's tiny scrap pieces

my mini was now complete.

The challenge was a challenge

but the result were oh, so sweet.

Thank you, Janet for the

challenge you made. 

Check out Wendy's blog post

for a mini parade.

Until Next Time-

Kyle (with a smile)

A Hint of Autumn

 According to the calendar and

and the view outside it is still Autumn

here in Colorado.

Yes, we've had one snow flurry and 

it won't be long before we have more, but 

for the moment,

if I show you a new fall quilt

it is still in the seasonal boundaries.

Pumpkins and Blossoms

66" x 78"

This quilt is an example of a perfect quilting storm.

My LQS was having a sale,

I bought a layer cake of Fig Tree's fabric,

Pumpkins and Blossoms,

and I had this pattern from

Fat Quarter Shop,

and FQ Shop also had yardage of 

the Fig Tree fabric.

I had not bought a group of fabric

for a very long time.

I'm not sure what possessed me to do it 

this time, but the soft oranges and green vines,

charcoal greys and black and frolicking deer

 just spoke to me.

It is one of Joanna's classic vintage Autumn lines.

The pattern is simple and easy

to whip together some fun blocks

using a layer cake and charm pack.

I added some borders to make the quilt a bit larger

and had my fabulous machine quilter

stitch an overall pumpkin and vine design.

It was a fun quilt to stitch from start to finish

using a single collection.

I just put the sewing on cruise control and

let it all happen.

(a little help with the wind from one of my little friends)

Until Next Time-

Kyle

An October Mini Quilt and Some History

First a story: 

In the spring of 1623,  90 some passengers

embarked on two small English ships,

the Anne and a smaller ship, the Little James.

After 3 months at sea, The Anne arrived at

Plymouth on July 10, 1663.

On board was my 9th great grandmother,

Hester Mahieu Cooke and her children

Jacob, Jane, and Hester.

She had stayed behind in Leiden in the Netherlands in 1620

while her husband, Francis and her oldest son,

John, sailed on the Mayflower heading for America. 

She must have been a very brave and very confident woman

to remain behind.   Her faith must have given her the strength 

she needed to stay positive and hopeful that

everything would work out according to their plan

 and that her family would be reunited someday.

There couldn't have been much communication

between November, 1620 and July, 1623,

but Hester left Leiden with others

from her Separatist group and

set sail for the New World.

What would life be like?

Would Francis and John be waiting for them?

Fortunately,  it was a happy reunion

on the shores of North America after 3 years apart.

Later they had one more child, Mary, who is my

8th great grandmother.  I'm glad everything

worked out!

They remained in Plymouth until their deaths

in 1663 (Francis) and Hester (1666).

This month I decided to work with my

Dutch fabric and use the book, Promenade in a Dutch Garden

to make a quilt honoring Hester and

her story.

It didn't take long to decide to stitch a small

mini quilt  made up of hourglass blocks with

a small appliqued star in the center. 

Maybe Hester focused on a star each evening and hoped that her 

husband and son were looking at the same star,

bringing them closer in her mind and heart.

Leaving Home, Leiden, 1623

17" x 21"

Pattern from Petra Prins and An Moonen's book,

 Promenade in a Dutch Garden

It gave me a chance to play with all the

beautiful Dutch fabrics that I have been collecting

along with some Jo Morton favorites.

An hourglass was a way for people to keep track of time.

I'm sure Hester kept close track of the days, months, and years

while she remained in Leiden.

The quilting is simple in the ditch

machine quilting,

nothing fancy, similar to her probable life style.

I finished the edges in a traditional

Dutch way with a separate facing.

This method makes the edges sharp and clean without 

an added frame created with traditional binding.

With Thanksgiving approaching it

will be nice to have this small quilt included in 

the holiday as a way 

to remember this brave woman

and her Dutch connection.

Until Next Time-

Kyle