A New Quilt and a Trip to Mary’s Quilt Shop!
Three out of four of us are vaccinated at my house, what a great feeling! To celebrate, I am insanely working away at getting some of my UFOs done because, surprise, I’m going to start a new quilt with a friend.
Antique Wedding Sampler by Di Ford
The original as seen in Primarily Quilts. I plan to use a border with more reds rather than browns and a lighter background.
The new quilt I’m starting is Antique Wedding Sampler by Di Ford. You can find it in her fabulous book, Primarily Quilts. This quilt has piecing, appliqué and broderie perse. Di Ford hand pieced (and needle-turn appliquéd) it all, so the pattern is set up to use templates. I’m hoping to do a combination of machine piecing and hand appliqué. To see a lot of fabulous Antique Wedding Sampler Inspiration, check out the Instagram hashtag #antiqueweddingsamplerquilt.
In preparation for this quilt, a friend and I made a special trip to Mary’s Quilt Shop in Bedford, Pennsylvania, to check out her supply of Dutch Heritage chintz fabrics. We were particularly interested in border fabrics, but unfortunately there was no border love at Mary’s. I did endeavor through the disappointment and managed to find all sorts of goodies including Dutch heritage reproduction chintz and some of Mary Koval’s blenders in white to use a background for a future quilt.
Mary has designed for Wyndham fabrics for years, but I was not familiar with her blenders lines. I am here to report they are great! They come in many colors, and have a subtle two-tone look that gives just the right amount of visual interest. You can see her blenders line here.
A quick note on Mary’s Quilt Shop in Bedford, PA: Mary has a gorgeous retreat center and classroom space in her historic 1813 building in downtown Bedford. Pre-Covid, she hosted many fabulous teachers. I have personally been to a multi-day Di Ford class and Karen Styles class at Mary’s, and can not wait for her to be able to host classes again. In addition to her quilt shop which sells new fabric, books/patterns, and notions, she is also well-known for collecting and buying/selling antique quilts.
Bedford is a charming small town and great for a weekend visit. If you are into textile history, it is also home of the National Museum of the American Coverlet.