Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A UFO From the 1860s.

I have been inspired to finish off some UFOs. Some are mine and some are from other quilters. I purchased this set of blocks from the US about 20 years ago. They were made in the 1860s so another 20 years waiting for completion wasn't really a big issue. They have never been washed and are in pretty good condition considering their age. They are all pieced by hand and are not really accurate, leading them to be of different sizes. As a result, I decided to frame each block and then cut them all to the same size. This cuts off some of the star points but I didn't want to put too much stress on the fabric by trying to stretch them to fit.
I am adding sashing which blends in with the framing fabric.


As you can see they are made from clothing scraps and by finishing them as a quilt I hope to prolong their life as well as being able to enjoy them rather than having them in a cupboard somewhere.
This is my favourite quilting book for working with blocks of different sizes. It's an older one but also gives lots of good ideas for working with odd numbers of blocks and it's the book I use the most when piecing block sets.
  I've had a few nights of work and now have a little break so I plan to get this quilt finished while I have all the pieces set out and before I lose anything. LOL This may well be my first finish for 2015 and after 155 years it's not a moment too soon! I hope you all have a very happy and prosperous year for 2015 as well as finishing up lots of your UFOs. That is my aim for the coming year but time will tell if I can maintain my progress before succumbing to starting something new.
 Happy New Year everyone.
Hugs, Jan Mac

2 comments:

Marijke said...

this is a lovely quilt Jan ,a good find 20 years ago .i love the binding ,and I m looking for the book .i hope to find it somewere.Its already 2015 in your area .we have to wait another 12 hours .

Sharon~Two Bits Patches said...

Cut off points never seemed to worry quilters last century ... well, the century before the last one. I use that as an excuse for my own workmanship, I go for finishes rather than perfection. Hope your 2015 is full of happiness.