Donna's Quilty Valentine

A new Pearl's Post poem was planned for today. But I'm' postponing it in favor of a new story related to  Quilting Nurses, one that is perfectly suited for celebrating this Valentine's Day.

Dad was again in the hospital this week, just for testing, and he is doing great. It was a new hospital, very nice yet unfamiliar to us. Imagine how happy I was to see this:

There were six giant framed batik blocks decorating the hospital main corridor! A tag on each frame said,

"Created by Donna Smith in loving memory of Donald Smith"

What a lovely tribute! See why I wanted this news for a Valentine's Day post? 

Do you think Donna is a local quilter? I hope I get to meet her some day.

Then I can tell her, thanks Donna, for the extra effort in framing your blocks, and making our hospital stay more beautiful and homey and bringing peace to my heart.

Happy Valentine's Day



Silk Quilt

Here is a vintage treasure from the RHQEtsy shop:

Full silk quilt!

Trip Around the World patched in silk, with silk panels for backing. Tied, no batting. Very heavy. One of the green silks shattered but the rest is in surprisingly excellent shape. And best of all.....

Silk prairie point border:)
This genuinely makes be smile. I mean, you couldn't put binding on the silk, right? So the quilter had to invent a different edging.

Wow, they sure were dedicated to making this quilt happen. I hope it finds a good home soon.

Quilting in Williams

Alex and I made a rainy day trip up north and look what we found!  Williams is home to Grand Canyon Railway, Bearizona, and best of all, Quilts on Route 66
Easy to find in a turn of the last century building on the old Route 66 historic Railroad AVE of Williams, Quilts on Route 66 has tons of charm and some unique finds too:

This sample of Creative Girl Pattern from BelieveMagic stopped me in my tracks.

Yes, it really is raw edge applique, Customized with tiny sayings patch and script quilting too!

 

Here are handmade lampwork bead fobs. So great to find local arts represented:)

 

This sparkly Japanese floss was another  must-have find.

Quilts on Route 66 is a  great LQS for Americana and Route 66 fabrics -

Alex chose a prickly pear FQ, of course;)

 

An adorable shop in an adorable town, I can't wait to return:)

 



An Ideal Doily Quilt

I've searched ages for the ideal quilt plan for showcasing vintage handkerchiefs and doilies. I think Leana has discovered it:

Leana mixed pictorial embroidery, colored pencil, and silk ribbon with crochet from her grandmother.

Blocks are large enough to frame/border the featured handwork, in addition to serving as interesting backgrounds.

 

Plus, the blocks are William Morris. You wouldn't guess it, but the detail and scale of this fabric perfectly compliments the white and cream crochet alike.

 

Mostly outline quilted by hand. This block is a wonderful exception.

Leana's only tip was to spend ages at the design wall considering each placement.
There are no empty or setting blocks.

Leana says she will never show this quilt because it is too precious to risk.

I'm so honored we got to see it:)

 

Here are a few affiliate links for more embellished quilt ideas. Enjoy!:

Hanky-Panky Crazy Quilts by Cindy Brick





Handkerchief Quilts by Pat Long Gardner

Quilting with Doilies by Barbara Polston