Roosters to wake you in the morning

By on 3-09-2010 in Embroidery, Vintage Patterns

null
I love this rooster from two McCall’s Needlework & Craft Magazines. The pattern is from the Fall-Winter 1970-71 magazine. They used it for two mosaics, one made with beans and seeds and the other from nails and brads. I chose to use it as a quilt pattern. The edges of each of his feathers were left raw to give him a better “feathery” feel and a mother -of-pearl button turned to the back was used for his eye. My little rooster is hanging at the back door entry wall and greets everyone who enters through my door. He would also make a great cook book cover, or maybe painted onto a bread box or planter. It’s time to redo him and this time I think I will try different patterned fabrics for his feathers.

null

A 316kb pdf rooster pattern is here : McCall’s Magazine Rooster Pattern

McCall’s Valentine Delight Quilt

By on 2-10-2010 in Embroidery, Vintage Patterns


Betsy Nyhan’s Valentine Delight Quilt


The February 1986 McCall’s Magazine carried this pretty pattern. Designed by Betsy Nyhan, it is an exquisite way to use antique hankies, laces, pillow case edgings etc. She used antique hankies. The quilted heart pattern shown below, which was included in the article could be used for other applications as well. I can see it on an album cover, using trapunto to fill out the hearts. It would also look great as the center medallion for a small whole cloth quilt.

Betsy Nyhan’s Valentine Delight quilt pattern. This pattern is a 715kg PDF document. The heart is 6 1/2 ” x 6 1/2 “. Just the right size for a sweet wall quilt.
McCall’s Needlework Feb 1986 Valentine Delight, Designed by Betsy Nyhan

Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island, Canada

By on 1-28-2010 in Original Quilts

Prince Edward Lighthouse

The lighthouse quilt was made for a black and white with one colour pop challange with the Valerie Hearder Landscape yahoo group. I could not find printed fabrics that I liked for this little quilt so I bought solid black and white and used my machine’s fancy stitches to pattern them. A tear away backing kept the stitches raised and then was removed for easy quilting. The gulls in the clouds were done with a scallop stitch. The whole quilt was machine quilted. This 17″ by 17″ quilt is the first black and white quilt I have made. I usually use a lot of colour as you can see in the Sunrise, Sunset quilt.

I designed this quilt from a photo of the Prince Edward Island lighthouse with a free piece of software called “Quilt Assistant”. Here is where you can find it:

http://www.cosman.nl/software_en.html

It is an awesome program and I plan to use it more often.

Welcome to Cotton Arts Boutique

By on 9-29-2009 in Original Quilts

Sunrise, Sunset, 2008

Sunrise, Sunset, 2008

Years ago I woke to a rising sun with the geese flying across it. I immediately drew a sketch because I knew there was a quilt there and promptly forgot it again as time and circumstances got in the way. I always knew though that it would be a quilt and it stayed with me. When I began designing the quilt I did not think of the sketch. I had different corner blocks made, but was not happy with them. Then the idea of the sun setting in all four corners would be better. Several months after making the quilt I found the sketch while looking for something else. Not only was there a sun with the geese flying through it, but the sun setting blocks for the corners.
The rising sun is made of small pieces layered onto a paper circle, then sewn with a crazy stitch on the machine. The setting suns were made the same way on smaller circles. The resting geese are an original pattern and paper pieced along with the flying geese. The quilt is 28 1/2″ wide by 22″ long. The resting geese are 3″ blocks.