Pink Chalk Studio » Blog Archive » Inspiration

Inspiration - Round Up + The American Quilt

Mar 27th, 2008 by Kathy

I’m TOTALLY inspired each time I visit the Crafty Friends of Pink Chalk Studio Flickr group. I pull up each new image. Pore over how you’ve interpreted the pattern. Make a note to self to stamp names on twill tape for pencil roll gifts for small friends. Smile back at the joyful faces in the pictures. Gifts for others. Gifts for self. Joy, joy, joy.

1. What I made for the craft swap I was in, 2. DSC02305, 3. knitting needle case–reds/blues, 4. Rubblework reloaded, 5. Pencil Roll by Char, 6. P1010063.JPG, 7. Colored Pencil Roll, 8. Pencil Roll, 9. Picture-316, 10. Rubblework scarf, 11. Sippy Cup / Water Bottle Holder, 12. notelet front, 13. Needle Roll, 14. Pink Chalk Studio colored pencil rolls, 15. Rubblework for me, 16. (and the insides, of course)

I’d like to be the type of person that does things on a schedule. Feature this on Friday and that on the 1st Tuesday. Problem is it makes feel weighted. This Inspiration theme will take place when the mood strikes. A little category has been created on the sidebar to capture it all.

I check a LOT of books out at the library. Bless the librarians that pull the good stuff and put it on display. Here’s some photos from the book The American Quilt by Roderick Kiracofe. Everything old is truly new again.

1870-1890 Elongated Nine-Patch:

c. 1900 made by Elizabeth Hershberger, Arthur, Illinois, Amish:

Apple Blossom 1934 made by Nancy Starmer Mitten for her daughter. The embroidery on the back says “Mother, Utica, Kansas, 1934″. It’s her own portrait, what a quilt label!:

Posted in Inspiration | 19 Comments

19 Responses to “Inspiration - Round Up + The American Quilt”

on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:15 am1Rosalind

My parents gave me this book when I was in high school for a Xmas pressie and it is a book that I can still go back to for hours and hours. I love that name embroidery. How clever was that artist?
Have a great weekend! X
on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:58 am2nicolette

It’s about time I join the Crafty friends of PCS over at Flickr! Wonderful to see all the interpretations… and books… I love books… I consider myself so lucky I understand English so I can read those wonderful books. I started quilting inspired by How to make an American Quilt.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 3:49 am3adrienne

I LOVE that last one! Beautiful!!!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 3:54 am4robiewankenobie

holy christopher! i’m going to flip out! you picked out one of my scarves for your mosaic, AND you commented on my flickr photos. wowza. what a great way to start the day…
on 28 Mar 2008 at 3:56 am5muralimanohar

That “Mother” signature is A-MAZ-ING. Wow.

I made a pencil roll that was apparently inspired by your pencil rolls, though I didn’t know it at the time, lol. It’s on my blog, as well as how I found out that you came up with it! :p I did it a little differently, though, since I was going by the vague memory of other blog pictures, rather than actually seeing the pattern in the book!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 5:12 am6KathieB

Those books of antique quilts never fail to inspire me. Back in the 90s, many antique quilt books were published based on Quilt Discovery Days held in the various US states. I worked at a quilt shop back then and bought some of them but now regret not snapping up every book like that I saw. Most of them went out of print quickly and are probably the sort of thing that’s on Ebay now for a ton of money. They’re wonderful sources of design inspiration and historical accounts of 19th century life.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 7:13 am7Anina

I really should still make a pencil roll. Maybe I’ll use it for DPN’s. I think that’s a splendid idea.
I love quilt books from the library. I was just hunting around in there yesterday while waiting for the school bus.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 8:01 am8Marcelle

Wow! That book looks great (navigating over to the Spokane library…which has it!).

Really love the Flickr photos, too. Thanks for sharing!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 8:01 am9Administrator

KathieB: How lucky are you to have those books. One thing that struck me as I was reading this one is how many photos are of quilts in private collections. The photo in the book is the one chance we’ll all have to see these quilts. Pretty cool.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 9:55 am10Allison

I’m with you on the book-obsession! (i’m a college senior by the way…) I’ve checked out every book I could find from my University’s library even remotely related to quilting or sewing… they are so inspirational! I’ve gotten just so interested in quilts from war-eras, when literally nothing was wasted and such interesting materials found their ways into quilts!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:57 am11dawn

I too spend a lot of time with Library selections, and The American Quilt is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing your inspiration!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 11:53 am12Carrie

Stamping twill tape! How inspired!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:13 pm13katrin

aaaah… you must be so proud that your patterns are so much loved and that people make such wonderful things from it! totally understandable that this lifts you up - and you deserve it!
^-^
love that elongated ninepatch-pattern quilt - it’s wonderful how the simple pattern works with the fabrics!
on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:26 pm14clarice

Oh my gosh, that portrait on the back of the quilt. I think I would hang the quilt backwards !!!!!! Thank you for the inspiration Clarice
on 28 Mar 2008 at 10:29 pm15Donna

Wow Kathy - thank you for including my pencil roll in your mosaic. What a buzz!!
on 29 Mar 2008 at 2:25 am16heather

I own this book!!! Isn’t it wonderful?! I flip through it all the time and love to read it…it’s one of my favorite inspirations! Thanks for sharing so many of your own inspirations!
on 29 Mar 2008 at 7:16 pm17Chara Michele

That has to be such a great feeling to see the patterns you made being made by others and the little bits of themselves that those ladies have added to each project. I actually got to see your notetaker pattern & sample in the quilt shop the other day, it looked wonderful and definitely convinced me that I might have to think about buying one of your patterns soon
on 31 Mar 2008 at 1:00 pm18Nicole

Thanks Kathy!! I was so excited to make your blog! I am anxious to make the smaller version of the note taker!!

~N
thepinkpaintedgiraffe.blogspot.com
on 18 Apr 2008 at 5:35 pm19deborah

Coincidentally, I was just looking at an elongated 9-patch today (2nd photo from the top) at my local quilt shop an thinking it was exactly the pattern I needed for some specific fabrics I have. how interesting.