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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Vintage Closet

I finished up my AMH Dowry quilt last night and could not be happier with the way it turned out!  The whole time I was working with these fabrics, I was thinking about exactly why I am so in love with them.  Besides the fact that I love the colors and details in the prints, I think I have finally figured it out.


When I look at this quilt, I imagine that each of these fabrics could have been a beautiful dress from decades past.  So, the quilt as a whole is like stumbling upon a closet full of fabulous vintage clothing.  Each block is like discovering a different fashion treasure.


Since many of the colors are rich and deep, I chose one of the lightest prints as the main backing fabric.  AMH fabrics are pretty busy and have large prints, so I didn't do a lot of piecing in the backing.  Just an offset stripe with the fun coral print.  Here's a close-up of the two fabrics together.  They play so nicely!


I'm really happy with my quilting on this one too!  With bigger (bed sized) quilts, I always find it to be a little harder to keep my spacing and stitches even because the weight of the quilt can be tiresome.  Even though it is well supported and I use a slider and gloves, moving that much quilt around with free-motion still takes some muscle! This quilt is a twin size, finishing at 68 x 94 inches, so I'm declaring a personal quilty victory for it!


I didn't want anything to draw the eye away from the prints in the quilt, so even though it is busy, I made a scrappy binding.


It's funny, I haven't made a simple patchwork quilt since my very first one, almost 15 years ago.  It was so much fun to put together, and I love how the 8 inch (finished) blocks really let the fabrics sing.  Sometimes simplicity is best!


The name of this one is a nod to these gorgeous fabrics and the "past life" they have all had in my own imagination.


My mom is redoing her guest room with a cozy, vintage vibe, and is planning to use this quilt with a cream colored chenille bedspread.  I think it will look right at home!

I'm linking up to several places on my Link Party page, as well as a new party- Free Motion Mavericks!

22 comments:

  1. Hello Kelly,
    It looks great, lucky mum! Is this the first quilt started and finished in the new sewing room? And well done with the FMQ - I can imagine the weight of it. Now all you have to do is link up with Free Motion Mavericks on my blog this weekend...
    Love, Muv

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  2. It looks lovely. You're right - those fabrics make me think of the dresses my mum would have worn in the 1950s. I think it's a great idea to put them together in this way, and the quilt will look great in a vintage inspired bedroom.

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  3. Congratulations on beating "The Beast" and quilting your treasure. It is quite lovely and the fabrics are beautiful. I think you did just right in making them into blocks and letting them sing themselves.

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  4. Ohhh, this is my favorite of yours yet! Simplicity is beautiful!

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  5. I love the name and story that goes along with it! Gorgeous through and through!

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  6. the way you have done large blocks shows off the fabrics so well, much better that cutting into little pieces, backing looks good too. My favourite binding is scrappy made from fabrics in the quilt

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  7. Oh my do I love this quilt. I am doing my Spring cleaning (on the first day of summer...) and I have a stack of these kind of fabrics; they went right into the "Project" pile. Guess what I'll be doing in the next few days? Thank you so very much for your amazing inspiration. I love your blog!!

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  8. I have been debating with myself about making something like this. You have convinced me, it is in the queue! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. This quilt reminds me of some of my Grandmothers quilts. Each block just a plain square and made from either some of her dress fabrics (she wore cotton house dresses a lot) or flour sacks. Your quilt is very similar so you are probably spot on in your reasoning as to why you love it. It is a gorgeous quilt and I am sure your mother will love using it in her guest room. Great job. Phyllis

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  10. I LOVE this quilt, Kelly!!!!! It's just beautiful...I'm sure it will be the centerpiece of your mother's guest room !:)

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  11. Great quilt! Gorgeous fabrics, and you're absolutely right, the simplicity lets the fabrics sing!

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  12. This turned out beautifully! Your mom will love this in her guest bedroom!

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  13. Thank you for linking up Kelly! Looking forward to seeing your next FMQ project...

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  14. I think the "simple" patchwork of this quilt really allows those bold fabrics to speak. Nice finish, Kelly!

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  15. I think the scrappy binding was a great choice. sometimes simple patchwork squares are the best way to show off much-loved fabric, not to mention the simple piecing is so refreshingly relaxing :)

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  16. What a beautiful quilt Kelly and you know I wasn't crazy about those fabrics until I saw your quilt! Of course you know I think your labels are the cutest! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. I absolutely love this quilt! The fabrics and colors are spectacular!

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  18. Very nice! Sometimes a simple quilt is best to show off such gorgeous fabrics.

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  19. Isn't it fabulous when the fabrics do all the hard work. Great Job!

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  20. The scrappy border really is great, it frames it a tiny bit without competing.

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  21. Absolutely gorgeous! I'm making a quilt with Dowry right now and I just adore the fabrics!

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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