Monday, January 19, 2009

I am seeing Stars...

Usually on Mondays I share something that makes me smile. This star quilt makes me smile. I found the orphan quilt top in an antique shop in Lynden, WA (a charming Dutch town). The top was $30...given the cost of material and someone's hard work that went into making it...this was a steal in my opinion. I think most people passed on purchasing it because it is a scrap quilt, therefore no true planning went into the color scheme and the only constant is white (if you have seen any pics of my house in previous posts or on the sidebar...you know that I like 'hospital' white). I saw its potential as a porch quilt and thought it was worth having quilted...so I snapped it up, bought some white muslin (99 cents a yard) for the back and binding, and sent it off to Lynn, my long-arm quilter. When we were discussing the quilt design we decided not to quilt on the circles in the center of the starts to make them pop and to make for a beautiful design on the back.
It is amazing how adding batting, backing, binding and a fabulous quilt design makes a bunch of scraps come to life...bringing charm, color and comfort to a room. For the pictures above I laid the quilt on the bed in my red bedroom (see pic at bottom of post to see what the red bedroom normally looks like), however this quilt has a home hanging on my banister. Once it came to life I decided it was too special to end up as a porch quilt.
The red bedroom.

12 comments:

melanie said...

I had bought a star quilt for my son when he was first born. He still loves that quilt, even though he has really worn it out. I often think that I will cut it up and make pillows, but just can't bear to do that. I just love yours...and your blog is wonderful!
melanie

Anonymous said...

WHAT A FIND.I THINK IT'S GREAT.HERE'S TO YOU..ANN

Antiques and More Blog said...

what a lovely quilt! I think it's wonderful to find things that aren't quite complete and make them fit you and your home so perfectly...you landed a winner! Looks great on the banister too.

Hugz,

Lisa

Anonymous said...

Hi and it's so nice to meet you! Thank you for choosing to be a follower of mine. I'm thrilled. Oh, how I love your quilts today! My Mother is a quilter, although she says she's made her last one, and we have lots of them. Your red and white one is glorious and what an unusual pattern!
Thanks again for the visit,
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

The Raggedy Girl said...

I am a quilter and I love the pattern and they quilting is so great. Thanks for sharing.
Roberta Anne

Terri Steffes said...

I am smiling, too! First I am smiling because the colors are cool but then I am smiling because you found art when everyone else was seeing WORK. Good for you and congrats. What a find and a steal!

trish said...

Such a labor of love, your new quilt is. :o) I can see how it makes you smile. :o) It looks perfect on your banister! :o)
Thank you (in advance) for your sweet award. My heart is touched!
Sincerely ~ Tricia Anne

Donna said...

Oh my gosh, Renee - your quilts are GORGEOUS! It looks great on the bannister, and the red room quilt is so beautiful, too! Thanks for the kind comments on my family room/bookcase reorganization!... Donna @ An Enchanted Cottage

Donna said...

I forgot to mention - I absolutely LOVE your banner!! That snowladened tree and the punch of red with the front door! The red lettering was a perfect choice - Love it all!... Donna @ An Enchanted Cottage

Peggy said...

So pretty. I just love saving old quilt tops.

bj said...

The quilt is truly beautiful...and, I agree that, when it is just a top, it doesn't 'shine' like it does once all the other parts are added. It looks fabulous hanging in the spot you have it. And...I,too, love WHITE.

Unknown said...

Having grown up in Lynden, I can attest that it is a quaint little dutch town. The quilt is great! You did a nice job finishing it.