I am making this tribute to the Sundial Coverlet without attempting to match either fabrics or colours. Many of the fabrics in the original are quite strange and I have nothing like them, so I decided to make the blocks from my current stash, just as I make all my quilts, to try and capture the essence of the original but not attempt to reproduce.
I have always used Liberty of London and Laura Ashley fabrics because I want my quilts to have a British dimension and will certainly continue to use them in this project and others in the future. Sadly I don't think either are produced here in the UK now, but luckily I have a large amount of both collected over many years. I need never buy another piece of fabric, but of course I do, now mainly on eBay!
The first picture is a block from the original coverlet and the second is my version and they are not remotely alike-
As it happens this is one of the few that I have simplified - I drafted it a while ago, probably meaning to add in the extra details. However, when I chose the fabrics, I felt that they would work without the extra piecing involved in dividing the central square and adding others.
Writing about this block here, I realise that I could draft another little block using a pinwheel centre. I don't particularly like the "card" blocks and there is one block that I haven't a clear enough picture of, so am subsituting these with blocks from other quilts of the era and maybe a new pinwheel one?
The black and white zig zag fabric (which I have also used to border the house in the centre) and the one with tiny spots, were cut from the same Nina Ricca handkerchief that I bought in Japan. The Japanese have departments of designer handkerchiefs in their wonderful stores and I bought quite a few to cut up!
.
I have always used Liberty of London and Laura Ashley fabrics because I want my quilts to have a British dimension and will certainly continue to use them in this project and others in the future. Sadly I don't think either are produced here in the UK now, but luckily I have a large amount of both collected over many years. I need never buy another piece of fabric, but of course I do, now mainly on eBay!
The first picture is a block from the original coverlet and the second is my version and they are not remotely alike-
As it happens this is one of the few that I have simplified - I drafted it a while ago, probably meaning to add in the extra details. However, when I chose the fabrics, I felt that they would work without the extra piecing involved in dividing the central square and adding others.
Writing about this block here, I realise that I could draft another little block using a pinwheel centre. I don't particularly like the "card" blocks and there is one block that I haven't a clear enough picture of, so am subsituting these with blocks from other quilts of the era and maybe a new pinwheel one?
The black and white zig zag fabric (which I have also used to border the house in the centre) and the one with tiny spots, were cut from the same Nina Ricca handkerchief that I bought in Japan. The Japanese have departments of designer handkerchiefs in their wonderful stores and I bought quite a few to cut up!
.
2 comments:
I was so surprised to see these two blocks next to each other. You have captured the spontaneity of the block but made it your own. You have some splendid fabric choices.
This IS such an interesting project! Especially when you show the old and new blocks side by side. Your fabric choices really make this your own. And the sunflower block is exceptional.
best, nadia
Post a Comment