Country Baltimore Blocks-1999

I designed this one myself.  Using pictures from quilt books and mixing and matching elements.  Notice the untraditional background fabric.  My love of all things dotted.  I chose brilliant colors (though the yellow isn't what I wanted--not golden enough) and traditional Civil War greens because I wasn't as sure of myself as I could have been (now) to go with the acid greens.  I can see the influence of Canadian Curling here also.  (ed: the red is reading as an orange on the screen)

I believe this block was made from the commercial pattern.  There were patterns for 6 blocks (which I purchased) and an eight inch wide appliquéd border.  I was learning to do needle turn and these were my first ever pieces.  I took to it like a duck to water.  I went to class with a friend once a month and we learned to do the stitches for each of the blocks.  The designs were meant to be primitive and not elegant as are the designs I made later from Ellie's Baltimore books.  Silk ribbon roses and couched velvet.

I think the finished 4 block by 4 with sashing and border measured at over 100 inches.  More like 116. There was no way this was ever going on any bed in my house.  My husband didn't like it.  The original was supposed to be a twin sized bed quilt.  Six blocks plus a border.  Once I started making new blocks, my husband I made quite a few 60 mile trips looking to match the red, greens and mostly the yellow and blue and the background.  I THINK I have enough to make all the sashing but not enough to make the wide borders.  And certainly not enough to do the heavy appliqué. I bought the very last of the dotted background from three quilt shops.

Another original design (meaning I took elements from a few patterns and mixed them up).  I see the need for some stem stitch to join the grapes to the stems.  I think all the blocks could use the added design element of some stem stitch.  Like Bemused.  I used the bias stem and leaf design in my friend Beverly's round robin.  Only I had the bias stem curve over the mitered borders.  Eight repeats of 27 leaves.  Wider bias and larger leaves.  I did each section in one night of watching television.  I am very fast and my stitches hardly ever show.

I also am (was) in the process of making a hand turned sawtooth sashing to attach the blocks.  I saw it in an 1800's quilt book and thought it was the perfect design element.  I think I had 49  eighteen inch strips to make and I think I made it to 29.  One of the blocks I photographed has the border sewn on so you will see it tomorrow.  The pattern for the sawtooth had to be handmade by me.  All that 9th grade geometry came into play.  Good thing that was the ONLY math class I excelled in.  Is geometry the most artistic of the maths?  My sawtooth looks very primitive and uneven.  From the looks I got from 30 year hand piecing veterans--I was certified crazy to even be making it.  They would have pieced it but NEVER would have appliquéd them.  Beginners are nothing if not fearless.

As usual, I enjoyed the challenge of this project.  The learning.  The search for fabric.  The making of patterns.  The tracing of said pattern onto freezer paper.  But once I got close to the finish line, it was all just repetition and knowing I would never USE it--well, I lost interest.  Would I do it again.  I don't know. As I never finished, it's hard to say I would ever begin again.  It took a long time to get all 16 blocks to this stage.  IF I actually have all 16.  I should go back up and count.

Any Baltimore I made now would be of the elegant, very detailed ones.  Ships with sails.  After making this I did make a few elegant "starts" and then transferred my love to crazy quilts.  And then I began teaching applique and crazy quilting.  Stay tuned.