Monday, April 27, 2009

Charming Charm Quilts—Scrap Quilt Royalty

1000Pyramids2

I’ve been cutting a few pyramids here and a few pyramids there. Here’s what 400+ pyramids look like:

400 CutPyramids

I try to knock out a few each day. Here’s what the waiting pile looks like:

WaitingPile

Oh, and there are several Moda Charm Packs hidden away too, just in case.

And the bag o’ crumbs:

BagOCrumbs

And ten little pyramids all in a row (look like little tepees, huh?):

TenLittlePyramidsAllInARow

I became curious about when charm quilts were first being made so a little googling taught me that they were wildly popular during the American Victorian age. They were also known as “Odd Feller” because there were no two identical pieces of fabric. AKA “Beggar” because women often asked others for bits of fabric to collect enough different scraps. (Womenfolk.com) Womenfolk. com is an excellent site for learning historic tidbits about quilting. There’s even a section on uncovering myths about quilting.

The very word “charm” brings to mind collecting (think charm bracelets) and also delight. These precious 5” squares certainly fall into both categories. As I’ve previously mentioned, my charm squares were swapped and collected with my mini-group. And they ARE delightful. In fact, they are so “charming and delightful” I’ve had a hard time cutting them up!!! I’ve enjoyed a couple of years of just fondling them and looking them over. It was time to commit!!!

According to Victoriana Quilting Designs these quilts sprang from the custom of collecting one-of-a-kind buttons on a string, called either charm or friendship strings. I love that idea! Oh, no, I feel another addiction coming on…

And Quilters Studio stated that generally they are constructed of a one-patch design. So…no two fabrics alike and only one patch template. Love it.

It’s a rainy day here in KC so time to whack a few more pyramids. Have a simply charming day!

8 comments:

Nana's Quilts said...

Oh my gracious - 400? And you're not done? It will be really lovely. Hope it isn't too "fiddly" making those points all work right.

Good goin'kiddo!
Marne

sewprimitive karen said...

Hi, Vera, that will look dandy! Interesting history and terms, love the Odd Feller and Beggar.

Carrie ~ Cricketwood Prims said...

Your task makes me think of sewing and reaping....look forward to seeing your quilt come together.

Cathi said...

What a great quilt you're going to have! I love charm quilts!

Teresa said...

Oh wow...you are making a Thousand Pyramid quilt. That one is on my to do list for someday. Are you going to hand piece or machine piece?

Thanks for the tidbits of information as well...very interesting.

Libby said...

What fun! I love that you've already enjoyed the quilt for the last 2 years before you've even begun . . . . all quilts should be so loved *s*

Doina said...

Your work is beautiful!

black bear cabin said...

what fun...i loved all the tidbits you shared, i need to check out some of those links :)
400 pyramids...didnt look like that many...wow! how many do you need to make the quilt you want?