Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Ruffled Tulips

Welcome to block 12 

and our last block 

before we get to assembly.

The photo above is a detail of

a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.

Normally I show you the block

and you can see a bit of it

in the upper corner, but I wanted

you to see the fun border

that was added too.

As we come closer to adding 

a border, I wanted you to see

that I had other options from

my collection and it was

sooo hard to choose!

The quilting on this one

is all over the place from

clamshell, to flowers, to 

individual symbols and 

small initial placards.

Gifted from a dear friend, 

it is the only one I have

of this design and I do LOVE it!

Let's talk Tulip variations.

Barbara Brackman 

has at least 36 variations

in her applique' encyclopedia

and that doesn't count

the ones with a basket,

bird, or something else.

It comes potted or in 

4 way arrangements.

My tulips are actually

2 parts, green and red, 

but so many German

folk art shows the 

tulips also having

a touch of gold so

I redesigned for that.

I imagine mine was meant

to be based on a 

triple layout but then 

a 4th was added for

her own variation.

In one of the BB links

below you will see some

lovely variations.

ASSEMBLY TIPS

The template for the 

red section shows

 a V but if it 

is rounded into 

a U while hand

appliqueing, it 

will still work.

Remember they are

flowers and do not

need to be exact!

Have fun:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

Tulip TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture is

where I showcase the 

variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 

this lecture is now available

in ZOOM format.

Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 

for availability:)

ADDITIONAL READING 

& Eye Candy:)

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the block OR 

FAB pictures of variations.

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

History of the Tulip

Barbara Brackman

I searched "tulip" and

found THIS...

and THIS...

Quilt Index

Very close...

Beauty for the eye:)

What more do we need!

Bad Girls: Aung San Suu Kyi

 With the Chinese lunar new year

having recently passed I had

decided to write about an

Asian woman who had 

challenged and won against

the status quo of her day.

I started to write about

an icon from ancient
Chinese history and
as I read her story,
extraordinary as it is, there
are many moments of 
cruelty perpetrated by her
as was the case with any
reign of the time.
I will revisit her amazing
story but today I choose 
to focus on peaceful power.

 So, with the events 

happening in Myanmar, 

let's visit someone who

has fought her entire life

and is still fighting for 

democracy.

 Meet Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung won the 

Nobel Peace Prize

in 1991 for her 

non-violent struggle

for democracy and 

human rights. 

Her sons accepted

on her behalf as she 

was under house arrest

after winning a 

democratic election

in 1990 where the military

junta refused to hand

over power.

What did she do with 

her prize money of 

$1.3 million US dollars??

It was used to establish

 a health and education 

trust for the Burmese people.

In the recent news we

see that Myanmar is 

again fighting for 

its democratic future.

She has also had many awards

revoked over her refusal to speak out 

against the crimes committed 

against the Rohingya. 

Unfortunately many

despicable things are

done on both sides of any

fight and one hopes that 

someone who fought, peacefully,

for her own people would never

turn their back on the struggle 

of another but we are all human.

 

Aung's fight for her

country's future is 

ongoing and she 

remains a hero 

to many including

all the young women of 

that nation.

To read more about her amazing 

life and the years of her

accomplishments, go HERE

Every day should be an opportunity

to set an amazing example for

those who will come after so 

they will read our story and

realize how BAD we were!

THANK YOU, Ann Shen!

To read about other BAD girls,

type in bad girls to the search bar

in the upper left corner of the 

blog page.

Enjoy!

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Mexican Rose

                                       Welcome to block 11.

It is exciting how close to done

we are getting, right?!

The photo above is a detail of

a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.
The quilting is gorgeous cross hatching, even

through the applique'.

So soft!

We can see what a popular

style of quilting this is for

that time period because I 

haven't had to write in a 

new design for a few blocks now:)

This is the only one I have

of this design and I do LOVE it!

Again from my dear friend in Illinois

who finds the best deals!

I adore it!

Let's talk Mexican Rose variations.

I would say that mine

definitely falls into the FANCY

variation category.

Most of these blocks are found

with the flowers on the diagonal

with a leaf placed at the 

NSEW directions and the

center showing a basic circle.

The fancier vines of leaves

and the additional center

rosette truly add LOTS

of personality:)

Additionally, the border

vines and intersection

rosettes make this one

truly LOVELY!!

There is one in the 

Shelburne Museum

that is to die for!!

(see BB blogs below)

ASSEMBLY TIPS

*Pin the center rosette in

place first.

*Pin the green flower bases in 

place to use as a basting

guide for the flower petals.

Once they are basted, 

stitch away in this order:

-Petals

-Green bases

-Vines

Then center rosette.

Leaves and outer

rosebuds will be last

so they can be arranged

in a pleasing way.

Have fun:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

Mexican Rose TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture is

where I showcase the 

variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 

this lecture is now available

in ZOOM format.

Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 

for availability:)

ADDITIONAL READING 

& Eye Candy:)

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the block OR 

FAB pictures of variations.

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

Barbara Brackman

I searched "Mexican rose" and

found THIS...

and THIS...

and THIS....

Beauty for the eye:)

What more do we need!

Dogwood Stars

Welcome Dogwood Stars

featuring Connecting Threads' 

fabric line.......

Now out of print!

During testing I made my

own version using these

fabrics because the 

color way spoke to me 

but wasn't available yet.

I am a sucker for pretty

much any fabric with 

script on it!!

This design has simple

piecing along with 

fusible applique'.

The diamonds in the border 

sections are all applique'

vs. piecing so cut and stick:)

These little tweezers make

placement of small pieces

so much easier.  

I also use a teflon applique' pressing

sheet so that these bits

are all applied making 

completed flowers BEFORE

fusing to borders/blocks.

When you have a small space

to work in, the pressing sheet

is a real time saver!

When you are ready to

make one of your own,

find my sweet, 

DOGWOOD STARS,

pattern HERE.

THANK YOU,

Connecting Threads! 

Bad Girls: Elizabeth Blackwell

Did you know that February 1st is considered 

National Spunky Old Broads Day?

A lot of people have been offended by the term, 

Broad, but I have always found it to be a great 

descriptor for those women who were 

classy AND strong. 

They didn't back down from a fight and 

they did it with dignity!

I wrote about a journal my husband 

bought me a few years back and

there are AMAZING Broads in there.

 Meet Elizabeth Blackwell.

In just 2 short days

it will be her 200th

birthday and if only

she could see how

women have thrived 

under her early example!

First woman to be

 awarded a medical

degree in the United States.

First woman to have her

name entered into the 

British General Medical

Council's medical register.

The statement below spoke to me as 

someone who finds her wrist to be 

of utmost importance

considering the work I do:

“The beauty of the tendons and exquisite 

arrangements of this part of the body struck 

my artistic sense, and appealed to the 

sentiment of reverence with which this 

anatomical branch of study was ever 

afterwards invested in my mind.” 

In 1871 she founded the 

National Health Society.

To read more about her amazing 

life and the years of her

accomplishments, go HERE

Every day should be an opportunity

to set an amazing example for

those who will come after so 

they will read our story and

realize how BAD we were!

Other ways to celebrate 

Spunky Old Broads day:

Spunky Old Broads Day | Holiday Smart

For Spunky Old Broads Day, 10 quotes from great older women (chron.com)

THANK YOU, Ann Shen!

To read about other BAD girls,

type in bad girls to the search bar

in the upper left corner of the 

blog page.

Enjoy!

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: Prince's OR Princess Feather?

                                      Welcome to block 10.

The photo above is a detail of

a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.
The quilting is gorgeous cross hatching, even

through the applique'.

So soft!

This is one of a few

variations on 

Prince's Feathers I 

have in my collection.

I have a dear friend in Illinois

that likes to go searching for 

treasure (one of our favorite

past times when we are together) 

and she finds the best deals!

On occasion I will get a

pic and a question mark

text from her.

This was one of those texts.

It is beyond lovely even with holes:)

Let's talk Prince's Feather variations.

Most of these quilts are 

straight forward plumes.

Sometimes the maker dresses 

them up with additional details 

(flowers or leaves) set 

between the plumes as with this one.

Another variation to look for

is the center where the plumes

meet. Is there an additional

detail such as diamonds to 

cover ends?

ASSEMBLY TIPS

My biggest tip is to 

pin the center wheel in

place first to use as a basting

guide for the feathers/vines.

Once they are basted, 

stitch away:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

Feathers TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture is

where I showcase the 

variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 

this lecture is now available

in ZOOM format.

Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 

for availability:)

ADDITIONAL READING 

& Eye Candy:)

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the block OR 

FAB pictures of variations.

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

Barbara Brackman

I searched "princess feather" and

found THIS...

and THIS...

Beauty for the eye:)

For my plant lovers:

AMARANTH

Well-Loved Ladies QAL: APPLES

Welcome to block 9.

The photo above is a portion of

a circa 1860 quilt in my collection.
The quilting is to-die-for triple rods, even

through the applique'.

So soft!

I call it Apple Basket but it 

could also be a tomato plant.

Fun Fact about tomatoes...

They were thought to be poisonous.

This was purchased on my way

home from Paducah in 2017 in a 

cute little shop somewhere in TN.

It is beyond lovely even with holes:)

Let's talk Apple or Tomato variations.

I haven't seen one like this one 

in my studies but the layout

of a center vine/stems is common.

So, with a more common layout, the fruit

can go either way...apples or tomatoes.

What grows in your garden?

When you search for apples, what

often comes up are love apples 

which we did HERE.

I think you will see the differences.

ASSEMBLY TIPS

Such a nice straight forward

design that my tip is 

Enjoy it:)

WELL-LOVED LADIES 

SAMPLER PATTERN

FULL PATTERN

Available HERE

Apples TEMPLATES ONLY

HERE

My Well-Loved Ladies lecture is

where I showcase the 

variations of designs.

I am excited to announce 

this lecture is now available

in ZOOM format.

Guild program chairs can EMAIL me 

for availability:)

ADDITIONAL READING 

& Eye Candy:)

The links below go into more depth about 

either the history of the block OR 

FAB pictures of variations.

Barbara Brackman will blow you away

with all the variations she has accumulated!!

ENJOY~

Barbara Brackman

I searched "apples" and

found this...

apples

I searched "tomato" and

found this...

tomato