Airing of the Quilts 1

Here on the Gulf Coast we usually go from a short cold damp winter straight to a very long hot humid summer.  This year we didn’t have any winter to speak of, but right now we are being blessed (that is the only word for it) with a week of beautiful spring weather – sunny, breezy, and most importantly, low in humidity.  It makes you feel like accomplishing everything that’s ever been skipped on your to-do lists over the last 10 years.

My biggest project this week has been spring-cleaning the lamb barn – adding a 3rd stall, removing all the  bedding in the existing stalls and putting down fresh.  (Here’s a Farm and Ranch Tip – if you store animal feed in an old truck tool box to keep the goat from getting into it, and you’re going to move the tool box to make more room for a new stall, don’t put 200 pounds of feed in it before you move it.)

I’m also spring-cleaning the house.  Since a dry week has been forecast, it’s a good time to air the quilts and coverlets.  So here are the first three.

Cotton Quilts

String Circle Quilt

String Circles detail

This is my favorite quilt ever.  I would guess it’s from the 1930s.  I love the random way the patterns were put together, and I love the way the colors have faded unevenly, to give an even more random look.

What is the name of this block pattern?

String Squares Quilt

String Squares detail showing the back

I get so much inspiration from these quilts.  There’s nothing fancy in them, but they show how creative you can be with just basic shapes and techniques.  The color combinations are so fresh and unpredictable.  These are the kind of fun utilitarian quilts I aspire to make.