When you see this block, how big in diameter does it seem to you to be?
And when you see these two together?
Being at the V&A in April was truly wonderful, and seeing the blocks in the George coverlet was mind blowing. As I have mentioned before, the blocks were so small, about four inches. Also all the different patterns this seamstress had come up with was so nice to discover. It was like encountering the aunt or grandmother of Mrs. Jane Stickle. Oh, that is a presumptious assumption, but who knows? One thing they would have had in common, though, would be their love of creating patterns.
The blocks above I made after returning from England. It was one of the rosettes of the coverlet I had not seen before. I drafted the bigger the same size as the other circles, and then gave the smaller size a go as well. Can you guess the size? I decided not to break my fingers making it, knowing there are other more intricate patterns to draft and sew up, so I landed on a five inch finish. That would make the one about five and a half. The bigger one? It is about eleven inches in diameter - finished. Using my compass and quilting rulers I draft them. It is a joy to make my own patterns - from scratch so to speak, from "circle one". I don't know how many I'll make or how to put them together - just plain loving the process.
We are having some chilly but beautiful days, for the apple blossoms to come out from hiding. Just because. Now the compass is beckoning... Oh, and a link to an Austen aficionado reviewing the exhibition.