bluemeadowdesigns

Day 5 - of 100 days of quilts

Websters' Tulips - from 'Four Season's of quilts'

The weather up here is Canada is so mild and warm, that it feels like spring. It was 4 degrees outside today, and it feels wonderful! So the great weather has inspired me to talk about this quilt today. It is called Websters Tulips, and it was on the cover of our 4th book.

This has always been one of my favorites. The honest truth is that I have never been inspired by many past quilt designers - except one. Marie Webster was an American quilt designer who had a quilt pattern business at the beginning of the 1900's. When ever I would come up with a new design, I would look back in my history books, and find out that Marie Webster did it 100 before me. So, several years ago, I decided I was going to try to design a quilt that would pass as an original Webster. To look like one of hers, the quilt would have to be applique, with one flower as the theme, and when all the blocks were joined together, they would need to make a secondary design. So based on those idea's, we came up with this quilt...and we named it in her honor.

The basis of the quilt is only one simple block, with a curved tulip appliqued on it. When joined together, the blocks forms the circular shape. There is also an alternative layout - but to see that, you will have to track down a copy of our book.

Of course, the design was only the first part of this great project. As you can see in the picture, it really is the hand quilting that makes this piece shine. This is an example of taking your time, and making a project that you will truly love, and that family members will fight over.

(a hidden truth is that this is a design that publishers and editors do not really want to see, because it is traditional, it has applique, and it is time intensive. But every once in a while, we push them to publish a quilt like this, because even though the vast majority of quilters will never make it - we know there is ONE person out there somewhere who will.)

-myra