Tuesday, November 12, 2019

September Maple Leaves....on the wall!

September seemed to call for a Maple Leaf quilt....especially since I had been eyeing the quilts in the "Unconventional & Unexpected" book  by Kiracofe and found one which intrigued me made in PA by an 'unknown quilter'.....more's the pity for there being no signature. I love the new improv quilts but I also like using well-loved traditional quilt patterns and making my own version of those familiar blocks that have been around forever. It feels fitting and proper to add to the quilt story with one's own humble version of the tried and true....a joining up with the sisterhood!




I chose smaller calico-like prints from my stash and dug deeper into my older fabrics. It's always such a pleasure to place an 'older' fabric in a quilt and give it a reason for being! I took my cues from the inspiration quilt (below) but didn't use any stripes or plaids like this quilt maker did. I also did not add that unexpected strip of  bright red on one side. My blocks seemed to call for a softer green border. My quilt is approximately 51 1/2" x 51 1/2". The inspiration quilt is 65" x 68" and notice how there is binding on three sides but not on the fourth! There is definitely a story with that added strip of red but we'll never know! Ah...the mysteries....

I machine quilted it in horizontal wavy lines and pieced a large maple leaf for the backing.




And I didn't forget the signature!


And now the completion of  this Maple Leaf has me eyeing yet another Maple Leaf quilt in another exciting book full of inspiration:  "Signs and Symbols: African Images in African-American Quilts" by Maude Southwell Wahlman.


And I find myself thinking hmmm......

13 comments:

  1. OH, I especially like that last photo you shared from Signs and Symbols. Someday I will make a maple leaf quilt (or an oak leaf one since most of our trees are oaks). Your version of the U and U quilt is wonderful!

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    1. I know....Isn' that Signs and Symbols quilt the best ever? My eye is now tuned to spy maple leaf quilts and I love the old ones for ideas. It's one of those traditional blocks that I needed to make.

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  2. I really like your maple leaf quilt. I have a bunch of mid-20th century fabrics waiting for the right project. I'm inspired to dig them out and play.

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    1. You should! Some fabrics wait for a long time to take their place in the sun!


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  3. A number of years ago I made a queen sized maple leaf quilt for my sis and her hubby who live in MD. They love the bright autumn leaf colors. And they remind me every year how much they appreciate it.

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    1. Maryland has some beautiful color in the Fall!

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  4. Well done with your Maple leaf quilt, it's a beauty and lovely use of your older fabrics which were perfect for this quilt. I suspect we may well be looking at another Maple quilt soon!

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    1. I have my book open to this quilt in my sewing room and am giving it a lot of thought but it may have to wait for a bit because of the upcoming holidays and some projects to finish before Christmas!

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  5. Both great quilts, inspiration and yours! And I like the next inspiration to!! cheers,

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  6. This turned out beautifully and your fabric choice inspired. A wonderful finish! I too wonder about that red side piece....

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  7. What a sweet quilt. I've always liked this block. The last quilt is extremely inspiring too!

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  8. Congratulations on your finish. It's a very pretty design. That red strip on the original is certainly mysterious. Do you think it could have been a repair? Have fun with your second maple leaf quilt.

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  9. I MUCH prefer your maple leaf quilt to the inspiration. Yours is more balanced, and the colors show the blocks better. The other is too blendy-blendy. I made a maple leaf quilt for my sis in MD, and they get it out every fall (fall colors) for the bed, adn she keeps saying thank you each year. NOW THAT IS NICE! Not all recipients are that thoughtful.

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