The little 'square-in-a-square' blocks are 4 1/2" and the finished quilt measures approx. 70" x 70". I quilted it with simple straight line machine quilting.
There are heaps of older smaller pieces of fabric in this, scrappy bits from my days of being a quilt shop owner. Patchwork wasn't as popular here in NZ back then and my partner and I struggled to make a go of it. We ran classes, attended every show that was happening, and printed out a monthly newsletter to drum up interest.
It was great initially. I had trained as a nurse so being self employed was different and exciting, and it felt good to be back working after babies. But as time went on and things didn't pick up, it became a really difficult three years. And we never actually managed to pay ourselves. I remember the last few months were very tricky, and we ended up pulling the last few bills out of hat one at a time. I went back to nursing after that.
It squashed my love of quilting for about 10yrs or so, but the lure of fabric, colour and creativity eventually won me over again.
There are heaps of older smaller pieces of fabric in this, scrappy bits from my days of being a quilt shop owner. Patchwork wasn't as popular here in NZ back then and my partner and I struggled to make a go of it. We ran classes, attended every show that was happening, and printed out a monthly newsletter to drum up interest.
It was great initially. I had trained as a nurse so being self employed was different and exciting, and it felt good to be back working after babies. But as time went on and things didn't pick up, it became a really difficult three years. And we never actually managed to pay ourselves. I remember the last few months were very tricky, and we ended up pulling the last few bills out of hat one at a time. I went back to nursing after that.
It squashed my love of quilting for about 10yrs or so, but the lure of fabric, colour and creativity eventually won me over again.
Back to the quilt . . . it's definitely a pre-modern quilt! However, looking at it now, I'm still loving the soft gentle low volume palette, with all its quilty memories.
Linking up with Sandra here for 'throwback Thursday'
17 comments:
Love the soft volume of the fabrics. Great quilt.
It's great that your quilt contains memories. Where was your shop? I might have been there.
love the colors in this quilt
Oh, yes -- I love this very much.
Nothing like a well-loved and used quilt and yours is a delight. I'm pleased you gave us a lot of photos it's fun peeking at all the different fabrics.
What a lovely quilt. I didn't know you had once owned a quilt shop. I wonder if you still have some scraps of the fabrics in this quilt lurking amongst your stash?
Sounds like you were well before your time. And the quilt is lovely.
Thank you for the "photo overload". I could look at this quilt for a long time. It's a classic scrappy beauty and I don't think it will ever go out of style. I'm sorry you coldn't make your shop profitable back then. I work in a quilt shop, and while I enjoy the work there is no way I would want to be the owner and be the one in charge of figuring out what and how much to stock...
Such a sweet, cozy looking quilt. I can totally see why it's still a favorite.:)
Such a sweet quilt, Linda! So glad you found your way back to quilting.
I love this quilt, in fact I have similar ones pinned as inspiration. Maybe we should do a QAL on day to use up some of our scraps, and showcase it in more modern fabrics. Still a timeless design.. I continue to learn new things about you all the time - ex quilt shop owner being one of them Have a fabulous weekend.
Love the soft color palette and the pop of a few brighter ones here an there. It's a beauty. Even better, it's been well loved.
Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
This quilt is so soft and feminine, and you've photographed it so well! The one of it on the bed as if someone's just got up (I bet they were reading in bed with a morning cuppa or maybe a coffee)...I'm with Julie thinking a QAL with our scraps would be a great idea, and I don't even think 'modern' would have to be the deal, as it is a timeless pattern with timeless florals, of which I have a bunch, having done colourwash probably when you were a quilt owner! (something I didn't know about you either!) How old is the quilt? And let me know if you do do a QAL...
Thanks, Linda, for sharing your beautiful photos.
Your scrappy four patch, square in a square is a classic with nice contrast.
I liked your 'throwback' story.
How wonderful you had your own quiltshop! I know from helping out at my local quilt shop that it’s tough to survive! Not a spare minute left for the owners!
The colour palette of your quilt is gorgeous!
I’m glad your difficult foray into the quilt business didn’t sour you on quilting forever. This is such a pretty quilt—all the prettier for being well-loved and used. I’ve always liked square in a square quilts, and I like this four-square in a square variation of that a lot. Classic and modern at the same time, I think.
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