Housekeeping for the new year...

I thought that new years eve was as good time as any to take stock of what is happening here on the bride blog. This year a few of us have slowed down, a few have stopped (err, me) and will get back but more of you have made great progress AND we've had a lot of new members this year. A huge welcome to all the recent members, I just love the continuing diversity of not only methods but fabrics that everyone has.


On the subject of new members, if anyone has a personal blog that I haven't put on the sidebar shoot me off an email or leave a comment on this post and I'll get to it for you. Also we're up in the 70s now for membership and blogger will only allow 100 members for any blog! If you're thinking about making the quilt and joining us it might be a good time to jump in! At the rate I'm receiving new applications to join I imagine we'll be close to full in a few months, I guess too, if you're a member and don't intend to go ahead with the quilt please let me know....


I think that's it, have a great new year everyone, stay safe, travel carefully and depending where you are stay warm/dry/cool and most importantly, keep stitching...
xxx

Getting started ..

The (first) difficult part was choosing the background fabric. Chosen a new Kaffe Fassett pattern called Folk Art!

Just loved the bright green and pink. I wanted to give the CWB a kind of a modern twist. Have apples to be red? I don't know. The second block is already finished. Why did I chose a greenish background? How difficult it is to create some kind of contrast with the background. The bride is also almost finished, only some embroidery to be done ...

When I look at the first 3 blocks together somehow block 1 does not fit in. I think I will make a second version, I also would like to include a block with the groom. When all the blocks are finished (yes I am very optimistic) I will choose the right ones. What do you think?

My first post

I love needleturn applique and reproduction fabrics, so earlier in the year I purchased this pattern and all the fabrics for this quilt. I guess being associated with this blog I'll be more motivated to complete this quilt.
Here are the two blocks I have completed so far.

My Christmas Blocks

That strawberry block must have been the one to do for the holidays. I also completed mine between visits with family and other activities these last several weeks. But I congratulate Cheri on thinking of the wool for the tops!! I struggled over mine to get the points sharp ... many are not as sharp as I would like but I am overall satisfied with the outcome (after redoing several that is). I thought about the wool after I was all done ... and I had already used wool for all the bird feet with those skinny toes.

I had completed two other blocks between Thanksgiving and Christmas but haven't had the time to get photos and put them on the blog. I have included them. I have left white paper on the tips of the leaves that wander into the neighboring block. That is my reminder to not sew them into the seams when I attach my blocks.

Judy

Strawberry Block

I just finished the strawberry block this afternoon. The little strawberry tops are made of wool, no tiny points to needle turn that way. I also had some time last week to make bias stems and these:

are my last three blocks all prepped and ready to start. Can you tell which blocks I have left to do just looking at the bias stems?

This Christmas weekend is a little Civil War Bride Quilt anniversary for me. Last year at this time I found this blog and in January I ordered the pattern and some starter civil war fabrics from Corliss at Threadbear Quilting. It has been a joy stitching these blocks and sharing the progress of my bride quilt, and seeing all of the other blocks finished and posted to this blog. I also started my own little blog inspired by all the wonderful blogs I read from the quilters here. It is a high point of my day, some times first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee, some times at the end of a long work day and finally settled down on my couch with notebook computer in my lap, to browse thru your blogs. I have enjoyed reading about your lives and homes all over the world and about your love of quilting.

Thank You Lizzie for starting this blog!

Happy Stitching,

Cheri

Merry Christmas............

...and a safe, happy and quilty 2011 to all the brides....

2nd block

Hi CW brides, My second block is done! Yippie. I changed it around a bit, because the bird looked like a dead bird falling from the sky. Then my daughter noticed that the grapes where growing in the wrong direction so I had to change those too. But I'm pleased with the outcome. Love working on this qult. Every block is like a minature painting. I've come across some Baltimore album blocks but these CWBQ block intrigue me much more. So if any of you know some other patterns like this CWBQ I'm all ears. Happy Holidays from a cold, brrrrr, and very white, yes we have snow!, Holland Lorene

Hi applique friends, While surfing the web I came across another blog group this is working on Beyond the Cherry Tree quilt. Here's the link: http://beyondthecherrytree.blogspot.com/. This looks like a another quilt to work on. I'm still looking for the same type of quilt as the CWBQ. This quilt gives me the feeling that I am creating a work of art. I can't draw at all and while chosing the right colors and tracing the patterns it gives me the feeling that I'm really creating something! All the block are little works of art and tell a story, like the bride block. They are not all geometic shapes but little pictures in themselves. Am I making any sense? So if any of you know of another quilt/blog group let me know! Lorene, greeting from a cold brrr and white Holland, yea it's snowing!!!!

Each block is so different, but are harmonious set beside each other. To keep track of all the fabrics used to make this quilt, I'm setting each fabric aside in a drawer. So far none have been duplicated, but that will change - that beloved poison green is bound to make a reappearance. Block #6 is under construction, but must set it aside to complete a quilt for a March 2011 wedding. Making these CWB blocks is such a joyful experience. I love quilting, especially applique, but never has any other project held so much appeal as this one. Mary in Tennessee

Civil War Bride Quilt Block #5

A favorite memory of ours is the vast bed of lovely yellow tulips we came upon one spring day when we were dating. We sat a long, long time admiring their beauty, and they became a symbol of our relationship. When I saw this block pattern, I knew the only color for the tulips was the vibrant yellow of those long ago tulips that so captivated us on spring afternoon. Mary in Tennessee

Civil War Bride Quilt Block #4

So far in this CWB journey, the vines have dictated the tone and nature of the block. A lovely browny-greeny fabric was my choice for the vine and somehow or another this block became very Tuscan in nature. A French honeymoon, perhaps? Mary in Tennessee

Civil War Bride Quilt Block #3

This quilt is intended to commemorate our 40th wedding anniversary in three years. To that end, I wanted my bride to wear a white dress, as I did in 1973. Boy, did I try to make it pretty, but it fell very, very flat. It seemed that my alter ego from the 19th century wanted a blue calico dress. Brides can be such divas! Facial details are embroidered with thread. Many light-colored pieces are lined to avoid shadowing.

Civil War Bride Quilt Block #2

The impetus for the leaf colors is the vine and calyx fabric, a poison green paisley that is at least 50 years old. I was so tickled with the outcome of this colorful block as I worked very hard to harmonize the various greens and golds. Mary in Tennessee

Civil War Bride Quilt Block #1

How exciting it is to share my work with other CWB artists! Fabric choices, oh my. Nearly every fabric in my stash was piled in various groupings on the floor before finally taking the plunge with the base fabric. The following choices were much easier, and more fun now that there was a framework of sorts. Though not very evident in the photo, the background is a pale, pale green. The fabric was originally bought for curtains, but it seemed exactly the right choice as a background for my interpretation of this wonderful quilt. I didn't much care for the leaves in the upper corners of the pattern so substituted four little birds in their place. Isn't it wonderful how much personalization can be done with these blocks?

This is a picture of my enlargements done for the outer border. These got darker as I enlarged them so there is no detail. As you can see they are 7" wide. These will give you the outline for the animals and man. If any of you are interested in a copy of these I will gladly send one, just email me at julee72@mchsi.com with your info. Look back in older posts for the original quilt from November 11 & 12 posting Kerry and Lee (thanks for the great pictures) as it has very good image of the borders. Keep a picture of these for references. Hope this helps some of you. I haven't worked on the CWB in quite some time. Merry Christmas to all !!!

1st block done

Hello CW Brides, May I present my first block of this marvelous project. I tried to not make this block too busy. I have lots of fabrics and I had to contain myself by not using all the colors in the same block. So this block is outside of my usual box. Take a look at the stitching on the blocks, that's my cross stitch roots showing! Love this project.!The next block is all wonder- undered and ready to cross stitch. Did I mention that I'm in love with this project? Do any of you know about any projects and forums like this one? I'm also working on the Roseville Quilt and am part of that forum, would love to join another, so sugestions are welcome. Greetings from a cold brrrrrrr Holland. Are there any other Dutch stitchers doing this project? Lorene

Two Little Blackbirds Sitting in a Tree

This is a fun block, big leaves and no bias stems to make, it goes fairly fast. So today I am trying to make some tiny bias for the strawberry block. On a different subject I have a question that I hope someone can help me with. I really enjoy reading the blogs on the side of this blog but I have started getting an error message on some of them. The blog loads and then a window pops up "Internet can not open the Internet site". I have gone into google helps but did not really find a solution. All of these blogs I have been able to open in the past but once the error message starts I can not get into them at all : ( Any help would be appreciated. Happy Stitching from frigid Nebraska (14 degrees and some blowing snow) Cheri

A wonderful quote

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

~Earl Nightingale 

Getting started is not as easy as I thought

Hi CW Brides, Now that my broken foot is on the mend I've been upstairs in my sewingroom getting started on this quilt. It's not as easy as I thought. I've got to trace the pattern and then comes the daunting task of deciding which fabric to use where. Too many choices and being a Libra (we have difficulties making any type of descision, and I'm a true Libra), makes this task even more difficult. I've almost chosen the fabrics and then I have to iron on my wonder-under, cut it all out and finally iron it on my background fabric and then I can START. I don't do traditional applique I cross stitch the pieces, since I'm a cross stitcher. I could use the blanket stitch but I like the cross stitch variation. Here"s a photo of a block of the Florabunda BOM that I stitched. I used varigated thread, I like the effect. I've got to go, have to iron the wonder under! Lorene

Horses

Does anyone have a pattern for the horses shown in the original quilt top border. I would like to use these and other animals in my border like the original.

Yardage

Just to make sure - how many yards for the blocks and how many for the borders? Barb/Balto

Progress

I decided to take a picture of my progress to date I started on October 15th and have completed 5 blocks. I like the overall look. I went out on the limb with my background and glad I did. I got my left and right border vines on. Now I have decided it has to be hung when finished.

Block 5 really loved this one

I am very happy with this block (the pic not so great) I have narrowed the stems a bit. I may add another butterfly to the top. I have to say this quilt is just fun!  I started to layout the left and right borders to pluck away at between blocks. Happy Stitching~Susan

Finally started

Well, I bought my background fabric and the backing fabric. Pattern arrived a couple weeks back and now I am ready to go. The group I am in doesn't start making the blocks until our January meeting--but I think I am too excited to wait. I love looking at all your blocks!

My fourth block

I finished my fourth block. I managed to squeeze in time for it while working on some Christmas sewing :0)

This block was a fun one to do. I was anxious about the reverse applique for the urn handles because I hadn't tried it before - but it wasn't much harder than regular applique.

I changed the apples into pears because I really wanted to make the urn red. I left out the butterfly and put in an extra flower. Small changes make these blocks my own :0)

I've started on block 7 next. More bird feet - oh dear.