Floral Bouquet made with 1930’s reproductions
Some days need a little more color. Some fabrics speak to me more than others. That’s what the 1930’s reproduction fabrics do for me. Talk to me. They speak of a less complicated time where family & friends were the focal point of what mattered. A time when everyone didn’t walk around with a chip on their shoulder, a time when charity meant more than just throwing a few coins in a red bucket at Christmas, and a time when society was more thoughtful of others.
1930’s fabrics represent an era of quilting that was in many ways the 20th century pinnacle of the artistry and creativity which lies at the core of this ancient art. Due to socio-economic issues, the quilters of the 1930’s took what was a dire situation and created beauty from it. The wealth of the Roaring ’20’s and the Art Deco era segued into extreme frugality and the creation of magnificent fiber art by women that society deemed unimportant.
While cleaning out the sewing room closet, I went through my stacks of plastic Sterilite shoe boxes filled with swap fabrics and found a stash of 1930’s strips. I wasn’t sure what to do with them so I rummaged through my pattern books and found Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintot.
There are a lot of simple quilts in this book, but the pattern I chose was “Floral Bouquet” for two reasons: the skill level (for me easy = fast) and the overall impression. It’s a very feminine quilt and quite suitable for the fabrics I had chosen. You can view some variations of Floral Bouquet on Pinterest.
For the background I chose, you guessed it, Kona Snow. My favorite fabric. So much so that I purchase it by the bolt.
If for whatever reason you can’t find or afford the book, the assembly method is the exact same at Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Ribbon Stars with a couple of extra rounds. Due to copyright and fairness to the designer of Floral Bouquet, I will refrain from sharing the materials list.
Chain piecing makes this quilt fast and easy. I started by snowballing the printed strips. The nice thing about chain piecing is that you can work on it as you have time. I did the snowballed ends over several days. Then used my Add 1/4″ Ruler to trim them. Lots of mindless sewing to catch up on my favorite podcasts & audiobooks.
To make the quilt the same size as the book, you need 39 blocks. I was surprised at how quickly I had them all made. The time went lickety-split!
Once the blocks were finished, I used my insulation board design wall to lay them out. Many people who make this type of design wall tape the boards together and have a continuous piece of batting to cover it, then mount it to the wall. I don’t have the wall space and they fit nicely behind a door or between the wall and a piece of furniture so I can move and store it as needed. Being able to display blocks while working on projects so I can refer to them as needed really helps with fabric placement.
These blocks are set on point and the results are stunning. Lots of happy, floating tulips.
To finish the quilt top, I used the remains of the 1930’s strips and mitered them together to form one long strip. After measuring the sides, I cut the strip down to create borders. I used the method from The Perfect Y Seam tutorial to create mitered corners and attached the strips to complete the top.
As of yet, I haven’t quilted my Floral Bouquet. I’m still learning how to machine quilt and this top is too pretty to mess up. Hand quilting is out of the question because it takes me way to long to finish a project. I have a Diamond 4-Patch that has been sitting in a hoop for over 5 years now. Eeeesh. Someday.
Do you have any suggestions for quilt backs or motifs? Let me know in the comments.
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