Old Maid, new maid
You know what I love? When “start a new quilt” is at the top of my mental “to do” list. That is a good way to start the week! I had in mind to sew a more challenging quilt next, but wasn’t feeling it this morning. Instead, I gave myself the gift of freedom and have embarked on a feel-good, easy sew.
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These are my fabrics. I started by rooting around in my big scraps, because using up leftovers is always a good feeling. My goal with this quilt is just that - feel good. After making a pile of maybe scraps, I started fresh, pulling just the ones that spoke to me most, adding a few fabrics from my stash to emphasize certain colors and creating this spread.
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And the patchwork? I’m sewing a classic block called Old Maid’s Puzzle. I do wonder how this name ever stuck, given that women have historically been the power behind quilt-making and “old maid” was never a compliment. After all, quilting was something that many women did, married or single, young or old.
Well, no matter. I am a woman over forty who is not in a relationship, but I feel more like a new maid than an old one. Here’s to new maid’s everywhere, feeling good and creating beauty with their hands!
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My first two blocks are twinkling! The one on the left is my favorite because it has high value contrast between the background and the triangle shapes. Note to self.
I am sewing 3” finished HST blocks for a 9” finished overall block. It’s a nice, medium size.
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So, here is a row of possible future block combinations. I am appreciating that with Old Maid’s Puzzle you only combine two fabrics at at time. Sometimes it’s good to keep it simple.
xoxo, Rachel
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