Thursday, February 10, 2011

Butternut and Blue, 60"x60"


Started in a class with Barbara Brackman on the border wars between Kansas and Missouri prior to the start of the Civil War. The book is BORDERLAND IN BUTTERNUT & BLUE.
In this quilt there are 5 Memory Wreath blocks. These were traditionally made of the clothes of the deceased. The corner blocks are Blind Man's Fancy.
This quilt was a challenge because of the designated palette of butternut (the color of Rebel uniforms, a natural dye from walnuts); and the blue of Yankee uniforms.
This was probably made in 2004-2005. I sent it to a national show, and 3 of 3 judges remarked that it need more quilting. I put it back under the needle and quilted more. I didn't get that comment at the next show. Color selection took me longer then. I cut all the pieces for the blocks, and then was able to more them about until I had the contrast needed. I wasn't able to limit myself to butternut and blue, and added brighter yellows and red.

4 comments:

  1. A stunning quilt. Really like your addition of bright yellow and red. And that border just sparkles!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think it is very striking with reds and yellow. This is what i love about traditional blocks. just by changing the placement of color and textures, you can get completely different result!
    Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's gorgeous!!! The reds and yellow are subtle and fabulous. I cant' see this all in blues! I love what you did to it! you have a great eye for color!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yummy - I agree with adding the bits of color. It is much more appealing to my eyes. Fantastic!!

    ReplyDelete