a little Amish nine patch...

You'll be pleased to know that i'm right on track with this month's small quilt challenge...  which just so happens to be one of my fav designs, a sweet little Amish nine patch in Kathy's first book 'American Doll Quilts'.

as you can see i've got a very colourful collection of solids in my stash to choose from, so i've decided to push the boundaries with this quilt and make it a very scrappy Amish nine patch.

and these are the colours i've chosen to use....

and just in case you're wondering about the book under my 1 1/2inch squares...well, it just happens to be a wonderful showcase of antique Amish quilts, some of which i'll happily share with you in a bit..so hang in there!

so here's my colourful little two patch blocks, each paired up with a little black square...oooh i do love those contrasts!!

and moving right along... the two patch blocks have morphed into double four patch units, which remind me of licorice allsorts.

time to audition the background fabric, which all along was going to be this plum red... or so i thought.

but then i had a rethink..maybe pistachio green was a better choice.. mmmm..still not sure...

then i spotted this slate (bluish/grey)...oh yes, i really liked this one!!

and just when i thought i had settled on the slate..i tried just one one more colour..mauve

MAUVE??? are you shockecd, coz i am!! it is so.. NOT my colour, but hey...it works!!

YEP... there was no denying it..it definitely had to be mauve.

and what a perfect contrast against the 'licorice allsorts' blocks..LOVE it!!

with the addition of the border and little four patch corner stones, the quilt top was done..

now onto the fun part of hand quilting, and i must say, after looking through my book of antique Amish quilts, what really impressed me, was the beautiful & intricate quilting designs.

Such a contrast to what otherwise would be a plain (yet often very colourful) quilt. the Amish definitely don't hold back when it comes to the quilting.

and so, with that in mind, i decided to quilt the plain mauve blocks quite densely, nothing too fancy, just a lot of cross hatching.. with a little surprise in the centre.

and a week later....tadaaah

i do love my little Amish quilt..i think Hannah does too :))) 

AND, as promised, here are a few pics from that amazing book...

see what i mean about the quilting...gorgeous!!

~ Broken Star ca. 1930 ~

~ Triangles (crib quilt) ca. 1930 ~

~ Nine Patch variation ca. 1930 ~

~ Sunshine & Shadow ca. 1930 ~

~ Crazy Quilt ca 1930 ~

~ Double Nine Patch ca 1930 ~

Beautiful aren't they???

AND...as i flick through the pages of 'Amish Abstractions' i suddenly feel inspired to make an Amish quilt for my bed...one day, perhaps :)))

Comments

[Raewyn]

I love your little quilt and am looking forward to making my own version - wow that mauve really works!! The quilting is brilliant too. Thanks for sharing the photos from the book too - very yum.

[Helen F]

Marian it is soo beautiful!!! glad you used the mauve - getting out of your comfort zone!!! It looks perfect with Hanna!!

[Heather]

Oh what a darling little quilt. Great job, mauve worked really well, and that quilting is perfect. Thanks for sharing the photos from the book, didn't know Amish quilts were so colourful. I'm going to sort out my 'plains' now!

[Karen Beigh]

There is some about the solid colors with black that is so striking. It makes a simple design very eye catching. That said, I have never made an Amish style quilt but would love to.

[cityquilter grace]

serious drooling here, lovely little quilt. amish quilts got me into quilting 35 years ago and i've never stopped loving them. i too have a solid stash recently enhanced during a trip to lancaster. they are all gorgeous, i think.. thanks for showing!

[Jeanne]

Your colors are wonderful! I'm still quilting mine ... and it's Christmas, not solids.
That looks like an inspiring book!
Jeanne

[Barbara J]

A lovely quilt indeed Marian! And your personal touch to the design took it up a notch! Love the quilting and the Amish doll too!

[Meredithe]

I LOVE that first photo - serious solids envy happening. And then the little quilt!! My, you're a clever girl - it's gorgeous! Must check out that book when we're next at yours!