All my 1718 blocks assembled, top is ready!

This weekend I finished sewing my '1718 coverlet replica top'. I was very excited, happy and at the same time a bit melancholic that this was over. It sounds strange but sometimes I'm happy when a project is finished and another time it feels a bit sad to end 'a journey'. 

Last week I was busy finishing the last blocks, like these rabbits and geese.

Sewing all the blocks into big parts....

 Making the last corner blocks...

Finally it started to come together.....

My allotment is so overgrown....

There is not much space for laying out the top!

 Onto a bigger space...

Lizzy helped showing the top, as usual.

Now it is time to finish it. I wanted to make a coverlet as is the original one. The thing is I used so many different fabrics as linen, upholstery, old trousers (slacks) en skirts, Japanese woven fabrics, 50 % linen/50% silk, hand dyed fabrics by my friend Teri and many linen and scraps by Margret Behrends-Kohl , shot cottons, an antique striped sheet. All these differnt fabrics made the top heavy and vary in thickness. I don't want to leave it unquilted. This week I hope to find a backing fabric and make a quilt sandwich. To be continued!

If you want to try to make this coverlet yourself: you can find the book here;)

Groetjes

Annemieke

Another 1718 update and lollipops tutorial

The back of the coverlet top in progress.

Detail of the coverlet top with one of the lollipops block (the large block with the 16 hearts on the right).

  I almost finished the third lollipops block, not the easiest blocks to make.

This is how I made the lollipops block:
I prepared all the hearts, and 'sticks' as  normal applique pieces.  I use Floriani ( bought it here: Hergarden, Beverwijk , it is a water soluble stabilizer) and fold and glue the seam allowances to the back. I placed them on the pattern in the book to glue them temporarily together, the hearts on the 'sticks'.

 Secondly I made the dark pieces, using freezer paper on top. This way it is easy to see where they are going and glued them together.

 This is how the back looks.

 The second one is done.

 Sewed these two together with the pieced triangle (inset seam)

I use the freezer paper shapes over and over again. Here I used a white pencil to draw on the dark fabric, around the freezer paper shapes. After this the freezer paper can be removed.

 The back again, after half of the lollipops block is finished.

 And the front. Hope this  little tutorial was helpful.

This is the update of my coverlet top so far. I made 146 blocks (some are not on this photo but on my design wall and not attached yet), 36 blocks to go.

Have a nice Weekend,

 note: The Floriani stabilizer and some coffee and/or tea dye will disappear after washing when it is finished.

Groetjes

Annemieke