I'd carted this cross stitch pattern around for so many years, and it seemed sensible to at last work it. It was in an old McCall's 'Afghan Rug' magazine I'd absconded with from my darling Grandma's house. I had it for at least 15 years before I had my epiphany (the revelation that I ought to use it, that is).The original Afghan rug was dated 1814 or thereabouts, and had a gorgeous floral border, which I hadn't copied as it seemed like too much work. Funny now huh, considering. The 'Grandmother's Fans' you see around the quilt were originally meant to be repeated to make the whole quilt, and I simply decided to use my scraps to make a cushion with the Horse cross stitch... but... well, it looked good together and one thing led to another... you know how it is. So... I ended up incorporating the Horse into the larger, now changed quilt.
I must add that my intention (with the Grandmother's Fans quilt) was to use all of the borders in Dorothy Bond's little brown 'Crazy Quilt Stitches' book, and to NOT stitch ANY pictures. A plan that obviously fell by the wayside. Fell with a pretty, happy thud.
The rest of the cross stitch sampler motifs you see with the horse were added later.
2 comments:
I am in awe of this quilt and the horse centerpiece. Would you let us know if the horse was a full completed piece of xstitch or just partially completed and used in the quilt.
Thanks Maddie!
I had finished the horse part of the cross stitch, but none of the cross stitched 'sampler'work you see behind it.
There is nothing on the quilt that I didn't work myself. Even one Indian (chain stitched heart)design that was on a shirt I had, I ended up tracing and stitching myself, rather than use the shirt's motif. Fussy, I know. And then... I couldn't bring myself to use my sewing machine in any of the piecing so it's all hand done too! Fussy AND picky! (I love my machine. Dressmaker originally).
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