Piecing and applique in the same block

"So, in a Whig Defeat block do you do all applique, or do as I do and piece the fans with their diamond border, piece those to the background and then applique the scallops (or flourish of your choice)?" -- Nightmist asks.

Well, when confronted by a block such as Whig Defeat, I typically fill my mouth with chocolate and hold my head under running water until the urge to even think about making one passes. That's how I handle that one.

(wink, wink) Sunny

Definitely not my style of quilt, but if I had to make one, I'd paper piece the fans, and piece then them into the background. I can do the curved piecing MUCH faster than I can do the appliqué.

i'm with you Sunny. i'll pass on that water'n my head tho, its nearly winter here and a wee bit cool for that activity. pass the chocolate, please. gobble gobble, jeanne

I always think back to my Nana when I hear these elderly women make broad statements like "I never use white , yellow, or what ever in my quilts" with the wrinkled nose.....or "I only hand piece" or "I only hand quilt", She would roll her eyes.....she was the first in her family to have a sewing machine, a mixmaster, or whatever time/labor saving device....She would scoff at people who could but did nto cook, sew or whatever....since you have all these wonderful products and tools why you would not enjoy these once intensely laborous chores.....Not only that, she would NEVER have thought to criticize another woman endeavoring to keep up these homey crafts.....Just different people. In her own way always a cheerleader for the younger generation. Empowering woman. She was also of the school, "good enough that you can't see it on a trotting horse going by!"

Back to Whig's defeat, I think chocolate would work or potato chips or magarita, Your sedative of choice until the desire passed >>>LOL

Mauvice in Central WI originally from ILL. farm country

Pretty! I like the 2nd example best. I'd definitely piece as much as possible before resorting to applique. Roberta in D

"NightMist" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@news.madbbs.com...

This particular elderly lady was a wee bit of a technophobe I think. For example she said she never had a TV until after her last husband died and her grandson bought her a TV to keep her company. She said she never had sewing machine. She mentioned that "this young woman here" (meaning my gramma who turned 89 last month) said that she had had machines most of her life and that they sewed just fine, but that for herself she just didn't see how a machine could possibly do it _properly_. By gosh she is an opinionated old biddy! I just adored her.

So far as blocks, I have been trying to think of anymore that call for both piecing and applique in the same block. I can think of but two more, and on one of those it would be wholely optional. Darned if I can think of proper names for them though.

There is the one that is the middle part of the rings on a double wedding ring, with ovals (again as for a DWR) set into the curves and then a cresent set over the ovals, and another oval coming off the spots where the points of the crescents meet. This is the one where applique would be optional.

Then there is the one (called blue something I think) where it is naught but a nine patch in each corner, a nine patch on point in the middle, and scallops or a fleur de lis comining off the points of the center nine patch.

Maybe I need a margarita just to shake the chinkers in my brain loose. It would likely have the side effect of keeping me from starting a monster project I couldn't possibly finish in under 5 years what with everything else I have going on!

NightMist pr>I always think back to my Nana when I hear these elderly women make

How about the honeybee block?

marcella

It's not totally my style of thing either, but that is more to do with the block layout.

I am a complete sucker for things like fan blocks in fanciful settings, and those chains of diamonds are the kind of thing that sucks me in just to see if I can do it consistantly.

I did once see a really similar type of thing labled as a wedding ring variation. The fans were joined into circles, and the diamonds were done so as to interweave around those circles. Not lapping like a DWR, just touching enough via a joining piece that you got the visual of the diamonds marching around the circles in a continuous band. I think I have seen exactly one mention of the pattern since, and that join between circles had no mention.

NightMist

There is much benefit to be had in such an approach. It would keep one's hair thick, and one's complexion clear of unsightly frown lines. One's cats, children, and spouse would very likely approve of such an approach.

NightMist

Sounds like a real character. Another block that is pieced and appliquéd is HoneyBee. Many of the Mariner's compass blocks have an appliquéd center on a pieced block. And the compasses can be pieced and then appliquéd to the background.

Seems to me that there are others, but I am not really thinking well at the moment.

Pati, > This particular elderly lady was a wee bit of a technophobe I think.

Just did a quick check in BlockBase- HoneyBee is also known as Blue Blazes, might be the one you are thinking of(but only the 9-patch center, squares in the corners and the "bee" at the corners). And then there are lots of pieced baskets that have "contents" appliquéd in/on them. Some basket blocks are pieced, but have an appliquéd, curved handle on them. Seems to me that there are many blocks that may be appliquéd by one person, and pieced by another. Which would lead to a mixture of the two at some point.

Wish I had been of a mind to talk quilting with my great-grandmother. I know she was a quilter, even had the quilt frame on a pulley system and I saw it up against the ceiling once when we visited. I do have one of my other g-g-g-grandma's quilt. (Not sure how many greats there-- but it is from the 1870-1880 era.)

I know what you mean about start> This particular elderly lady was a wee bit of a technophobe I think.

I thought of a couple more

Carolina lily - flower is pieced, stems/leaves are applique Autumn leaf - leaf is pieced, stem is applique

If we looked through a block book we'd probably find quite a collection.

marcella

Did something once called Carolina Lily. The flower part was pieced into the background, with stems and leaves appliqued.

Dear MIL (now late) used to hate and fear anything that needed a plug. She just knew the evil demon electricity was out to get her. Used an old-fashioned carpet sweeper, gas stove and oven, didn't own a toaster and certainly not a microwave. Eventually purchased an electric hand mixer, but we all had to leave the kitchen on the rare occasions she used it, so that if it blew up, she would be the only person harmed. And what a drama to go anywhere -several trips back into the house to triple-check all the lights were out. Roberta in D

"NightMist" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@news.madbbs.com...

Thanks for that story about your MIL Roberta. It gave me a giggle this morning.

I went and googled up Blue Blazes. Honeybee, even throwing quilting stuff into the search with it, turns up way too many false hits (never occured to me just how easy it would be to paper piece a bumblebee). It does look like what I was describing is just a variation of that. Betcha the one I know was modified to give a bigger block with less applique, or something akin to that. Those extra nine patches did give quite the impressive look in the finished quilt.

You know in the course of looking about it came to me that the other pattern I was thinking of was an old "leaf" pattern. Lo and behold a diligent search found it for me. Hickory Leaf (doh!) Most people do applique it. Applique would probably never have occured to me with that block until I got to the outward pointing ovals. But I imagine that if you did either the center, or the inside ovals to match the background fabric it would just make sense to applique it.

I've never really fancied the basket designs like that, so I never would have thought of them.

The great gramma that I knew was never much for quilting really. It was one of those utility things she didn't really care for. She regarded plain sewing as a job of work as well. Crochet, embroidery, and lacemaking she had a real fondness for though. Embroidered lace on tulle and the rather deco embroidery designs with all the french knots were some of her favorite things. She told me her MIL did not approve of her fondness for such things, being as they were entirely to modern for comfort. The embroidery on tulle was particularly despised because it took boughten fabric, rather than just sitting down and doing netting. Gramma never was much for "shuttlework" like tatting or any sort of knotting though.

Have you ever noticed that whenever you start on a big project, especially one that you just know you will be able to polish off in a couple of weeks if people will just let you be, that immediately the kids get the flu, the high grand poobah of whatever organization rings you up with a Very Important Project that only you can manage, your mother calls to say she will be over in a few minutes, every reletive you have suddenly remembers your existance, the high school reunion committee calls, and you suddenly notice that the cat is walking around with a string hanging out.

I swear it is a conspiracy.

NightMist

Blocks that use piecing and applique in the same block:

Kumiko Sudo uses a combination of piecing and applique in many of her quilts, at least in the book I have. "East Quilts West".

Lynnette in SJ, CA

Have to say, my Gramma only did applique ... and her tops were always hand-pieced - *everything* hand-worked.

She did have a sewing machine, but used it solely for clothing construction. Quilts were "comfy-armchair-work" ... she found the whole process far too pleasurable to do on a machine - it was to be savored. Unless it was for a rush event (rush wedding, late word of an up-coming pregnancy, etc), she took as much time as possible in the creation of it. She loved it that much!! :)

Great topic, NightMist! You just brought back some wonderful memories of a wonderful woman!! Thanks!! :)