Alberta Quilt Study Society

Recently I had the opportunity to take part in a quilt documentation day with the Alberta Quilt Study Society (AQSS) put on in cooperation with the Dalemead Quilt Guild. (Apologies for the fuzzy phone photo!)

Documenting a quilt in Chestermers

The mission of the AQSS is to "promote an understanding, appreciation and knowledge of quilt making and its heritage in Alberta and beyond". Appointments were made for about a dozen quilts and as each quilt was spread out and documented, we learned about the quilter, the fabrics and the patterns that are all part of the quilt.

Antique butterflies. Top bought from Tennessee, Machine Quilted by Marie Lingwood from Blueberry Hill Quilts

I didn't bring any of mine to be documented, but will probably do so in the future. I am pretty good at taking photos of the quilts I make and putting labels on the quilts I have sold, but I am not so great at doing the same for the quilts I keep for my home and the ones I gift to family.

Antique Butterflies Summer Coverlet made by my husband's grandmother

So, last night, I set out to make a list of the quilts I currently have at home that are being used on a daily basis and there are at least 13 that do not have labels. Some of them I know when and where they were completed, but for others, the details are getting fuzzy. If I don't remember, how will I ever expect my family to?

Double Wedding Ring made by me. Started in 1986, Finished ~ 1996

Quilts documented will be added to the records of the Royal Alberta Museum and eventually added to the online records of The Quilt Index.

Do you have antique quilts? Quilts without labels? Does your family know the value of the quilts that you have made? Do you?

Stay tuned to find out what you should include on your quilt label!

--Ann

More Red & Gray Quilts

And here's a couple more quilts made for a customer that loves reds and grays and blacks.

Red & Gray square in a square - SOLD!

The square in a square block is a pretty basic block and I chose to do it with a common center of red fabrics, but it's also very effective when made with alternating blocks of a dark outer square with a light inner square and a light outer square with a dark inner square.

Christmas Present Runner - SOLD!

And the Christmas present runner is one that I've seen many times online - I didn't look for a pattern, but just drew this one out on graph paper & put it together - I may make this one again will some more traditional red & green Christmas fabrics!

--Ann

Christmas in July

One of the things I enjoy about sewing for an online audience and doing custom work is the opportunity to work with fabrics and colour combinations that are not part of my normal. I've made a few red, gray and black quilts for one of my customers and she found this line of fabric from Henry Glass Fabrics called Holiday Magic by Jan Shade Beach. You can find it here at the Fat Quarter Shop.

Red & Gray Christmas fun! - SOLD

The printed panel had 15 pictures on it and I had some fun coming up with some block layouts that highlighted the adorable pictures.

Christmas in red & gray - FOR SALE

I've seen a number of quilts that alternated a pictorial block with a chain block, so that's what I did for 2 of the quilts made from the panel. The other quilt I arranged differently and set the pictorial blocks off with star blocks.

Christmas in red & gray - FOR SALE

The last two of these both have a hanging sleeve on the back so it can be hung on the wall or they can be used as a table topper - would look great in a black & white kitchen or dining room!

I still have quite a lot of the fat quarter pack left, so there will be some more red & gray Christmas projects coming!