Yellow Times Two

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  Yellow has been our Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for March, and it has really brightened up my sewing room.  (Thanks, Angela!)

It's the last Sunday of the month, so I'm showing quilts from my collection.  It seems like a good time for this yellow pair.

They're twins!  I apologize for all the photos in this post.  It has been raining for days here, so not much natural light.  I ran out this morning and hung the quilts on the clothesline for some quick pix before the rain started in again.

It's somewhat unusual for a 19th century quilt to be set with yellow.  Not rare, just not something you see every day.

It's even more unusual to see a matched pair!  I bought them in a quilt shop run by a friend many years ago.  They were probably made around 1890, but I have no information on the maker or makers.  My guess is they were intended to be used on twin beds in the same room.

Here's quilt #1.  Reproduction fabric lovers, do you recognize this print?  (I think it looks like a light bulb.)

The yellow "light bulb" print has been reproduced in modern times!  I actually have two pieces of this print in my stash, which I've placed on the right and the left of this photo.  It's not just the bad lighting, these prints are considerably lighter and less "greenish" than the original.

The blocks in both quilts are pieced in this pattern which has lots of names, like Hourglass and Yankee Puzzle.  The oldest name found in print by Barbara Brackman in her Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns is Big Dipper (#1195a).  Did you notice the yellow triangle pieced into the block, the same fabric as the setting fabric?  Not something quilters today would ordinarily do.  Also, take note of the pink fabric on the bottom right.  We're going to see it again.

Isn't this backing a hoot?  It's cheater cloth!  That is, it's printed to look like a crazy pieced quilt.  It has also been brought over to the front as a very narrow binding.

Now for quilt #2.  Kind of the same, right?

The yellow print reads the same from a distance, but is totally different up close.

Remember that pink?  Here it is, being used to finish the border.    (Did she run out of yellow?)  None of the blocks in this quilt have any of this pink in them, but it's in several blocks in quilt #1.

This black fabric is the backing of quilt #2, and it has a red solid binding.  Look how the binding is sewn down on the back with a running stitch instead of the more invisible whip stitch or applique stitch.

 Although the blocks are the same, they are different sizes.  The blocks in quilt #1 are about an inch bigger.  

The slight differences make me wonder.  Quilt #1 has better workmanship than quilt #2--was it made by a different person?  Could these quilts have been a mother-daughter project?  I also wonder why neither of them have very much wear.  Were they put away for company, or did yellow go out of fashion for home decorating?  Sadly, I will never know.  (Note to self--don't forget to put labels on the quilts you make!)

The block is simple to cut and sew, but has a lot of seams to match.  I made one block, just to see if I'd like it.

All the pieces in the blocks are what we quilters call quarter square triangles.  This means they are cut with the straight grain on the outside edge.  There are several ways to make them, but I like using the Companion Angle ruler for three reasons:  1.  No math formulas needed.  2.  No lines to mark on fabric.  3.  I already have the ruler.

For my block, I used 2.5 in. strips.  I cut 8 dark triangles and 8 light triangles, and laid them out by the machine.  I tried to use repro fabric that reminded me of the yellow quilts.

Oops!  What's wrong with this picture?  Apparently, it is easy to get these hourglass units turned around.  At least for me.

There, that's better.  Thank goodness for seam rippers.

My block is 8.5 in. unfinished.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it.  I might need a table runner.  Or some new pot holders.

 In other news, we went antique shopping last weekend.  I didn't find any quilts (not exactly looking!) but I got some cute quilt note cards, a ceramic bunny Easter decoration, and a shamrock cookie cutter.  I thought I had one, but it disappeared (leprechauns?), so we had round cookies with green sugar sprinkles for St. Patrick's Day instead of shamrocks.  I'm ready for next year, though.

When it's rainy and cold, we have to find things to do indoors.  My little grandsons have been using Grandpa's magnifying glasses to look at gemstones.  Big Buddy says he's "studying rocks".

My little guy goes from serious to silly in a hurry.  He makes us laugh every day.

Life is short!  Let's all laugh, love, and quilt!

Have a great week, everyone!

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap