Another peek into Kate's wip cupboard.
Seven Sisters is a long standing favourite pattern. My reading suggests the pattern may represent the first seven Confederate states or the seven stars on the Confederate flag. Alternatively, Barbara Brackman says in Civil War Women, the pattern may represent stars in the night sky, an image of old Greek mythology which told of the seven daughters of Atlas. Barbara goes on to say the pattern pre-dates the Civil War with many examples seen in quilts from 1840s and 1850s and was originally called "Seven Stars."
My Indigo Sisters was completed up to this point in January 2010 using 74 antique indigo and blue stars (estimated age 1900) purchased from an antique quilt dealer years ago.
The antique stars had been originally pieced by machine using tiny tiny stitches (all the better not to come undone...ever!). They were really wonky, of various sizes, with centres that didn't meet (a pet hate of mine), so each star was taken apart and resewn accurately by hand after re-marking with a newly drafted template. The stars were then set with a variety of antique and reproduction "garibaldi" style reds (that is reds with black patterning, so named after the red and black uniforms of the 19th century Italian revolutionary Guiseppe Garibaldi). They were then pieced into their hexagonal family groups with a red sister in the centre.
The setting triangles (a repro print) form a secondary star pattern. I can't decide if I should leave the top as is or if it needs a border... the antique sisters I've seen tend not to have fancy borders.
Some examples I found on the web tonight:-
An unusual old Seven Sisters set in a circle with fantastic fan quilting:
http://www.quilthistory.com/study/images/o1__Fan_quilting___Backing.jpg
Gorgeous and scrappy circa 1890:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GQIzY6Xed4U/SsqDSgXsYTI/AAAAAAAAB_8/fJ8yNnnLEw4/s1600-h/HPIM7827.JPG
Another oldie pieced into hexagonal units:
http://www.quilthistory.com/study/images/o4__seven_sisters_hex_alliston.jpg
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11 comments:
I would hand quilt it and bind it with the blue you used for the setting triangles. This is beautiful.
I love the Seven Sisters pattern, and I LOVE THIS QUILT!! Seriously, you are the only person I know (besides myself) who does this -- takes old tops/blocks completely apart and re-makes them (and I totally know what you mean about that teeny tiny machine stitching). Your addition of the red and white is just perfect -- I probably would not add a border, but it's a stunner either way.
My Seven Sisters WIP from 30s/40s fabrics looks similar to the last link -- except that my star groups are monochromatic, but scrappy.
I don't think it needs a border either. The seven sister block is in my TO DO file....someday LOL.
Crispy
Looks great. I also work with old blocks and tops.
Beautiful. Like Crispy, Seven Sisters is one of my to-do quilts.
Love love love. I love this block and your colour choices. seven sisters is also a favourite of mine. I so love handpiecing.
Gorgeous! Indigo is my truly favorite color. I've made a seven sisters, too. Just love working with the 60 degree diamond shape. So versatile, isn't it? Oh, and I also think that a border isn't necessary. This one is a treasure!
Thanks for the photo's of your gorgeous Seven Sisters quilt and the history on it too. It's been on my 'to do' list for a couple of years...always wishing my Grandmother was one of seven sisters and not one of only six, however a clever friend suggested I could be the seventh 'sister'...yipee for lateral thinkers.
Thanks for sharing the photo links too, I am seriously in love with the round one and my mind is in a whirl of fabric possibilities.
I just found your blog, I see we follow a few of the smae ones.
I've bookmarked you and will drop in often.
Ciao M
Kate! It is very beautiful. You have done an amazing and wonderfully loving job. The maker would have been proud too! My gut feeling would have been just a 3 (perhaps)inch border and binding, but you have to follow your own (gut feeling that is;) Take care
You did an absolutely fantastic job of saving and restoring the blocks into a very amazing quilt!!!
Truly wonderful!!!
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