I have a new hobby. Looking for interesting quilts at auctions. I've always loved quilts, and I've had some great luck lately. I don't really have room to save them, so I've been experimenting on Ebay. It is a very different marketplace than Etsy, but it has some advantages. Here is a quilt I found a few weeks ago. It was FILTHY. I gambled that I could clean it up, and I've been rewarded with a really great find... What do you think??? The price will have to be fabulous to get me to part with this one.
Here is an interesting four-patch variation, where two four-patch blocks are combined with two triangle (half-square) blocks to form the main block for the quilt. The sashing utilizes four-patch blocks as well in each intersection. This is where it gets interesting. The maker combines the triangle blocks and the four-patch blocks in many different ways, almost at random. Sometimes the triangles mirror each other, sometimes not. Sometimes the light dark patterns in the four-patch blocks mirror each other, sometimes not. Was the quilter lazy, tired, stressed, or a genius? I like to think she was probably all of these. The pieced border and the great variety of fabrics used in the blocks indicate a quilt using leftovers, so she was probably financially stressed and tired. I can imagine that she may have been in a hurry and sewn the blocks together without checking to see if the pieces lined up and didn’t want to take the time to rip out her stitches and fix it. (I can relate!) But the result--the visual delight that results from her efforts--enchants me. I can imagine this quilt where all the light and dark pieces were set the same way and the regular geometric pattern created was pleasing, soothing, and interesting. However—what this woman did creates visual dissonances that I absolutely love.
