Quilting

I finished a quilt top!  In older pattern/quilting books, I’ve seen this rail fence pattern labeled as The Spirit of St. Louis.  I assume that the “St. Louis” was an airplane and that the color placement resembles the propellers.  But this is only a guess as I haven’t been able to find a lot of history on this particular block.  I’ve also wondered if it had anything to do with the World’s Fair in St. Louis, MO. 

While I’ve been “wondering” instead of sewing, my nine-patches for Amanda Jean's have been sitting. I am soooo behind on this project, and I was so enthused when I started.  I still love the colors, and I have almost all of the squares cut, but I am moving at a snail’s pace!

I’ve also been working on a couple of bags.  I am almost finished with the Romantic Patchwork Handbag from Fig Tree Quilts Easiest Handbags Ever.

 

I really like how the body turned out – it is just a basic quilted rectangle bag, but I’m not happy with the handles.  I’ve finished them, but haven’t sewn them on.   I am thinking of narrowing them a bit.  I also need to make the covered cardboard insert for the bottom of the bag to make it sit flat.  The pattern  also suggested that you could bind the inside seams of the bag for a more “finished” look, and I definitely will do that next time. 

I am headed to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA this afternoon.  I haven’t been there before and am anxious to take a tour.  Next week they are having a huge festival which looks amazing!   

Elizabeth