Folk Art Quilts

Designer: Annie Lippincott

*    Assorted 2-1⁄4"-wide scraps of prints for border

*    6-1⁄2 ×7-1⁄2" rectangle of navy checked flannel for beehive center panel

*    2--6-1⁄2 ×7-1⁄2" rectangles of brown striped flannel for coneflower and chicken center panels

*    1-3×6" piece each of light green, tan, and brown felted wool for appliqué foundations

*    Scraps of felted wool in gold, brown, yellow, green, blue, rust, and off-white for appliqués

*    3-12×13" pieces of backing fabric

*    3--11×12" pieces of quilt batting

*    Embroidery floss: gold, brown, black, yellow, green, blue, rust, dark brown, off-white, and light yellow

*    Olive green seed beads

*    Freezer paper

Finished table mat: 10×11"

All measurements include a 1⁄4" seam allowance. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

To make the best use of your fabrics, cut the pieces in the order that follows. Click on "Download this Project" above for pattern pieces. To felt wool, machine wash it in a hot-water-wash, cool-rinse cycle with a small amount of detergent; machine-dry and steam-press. To use freezer paper for cutting the appliqué shapes, complete the following steps.

1.    Lay the freezer paper, shiny side down, over the patterns. With a pencil, trace each pattern the number of times specified in Step 2. Roughly cut out the freezer-paper shapes.

2.    Using a hot, dry iron, press the freezer-paper shapes, shiny side down, onto the right side of the designated fabrics; let cool. Cut out the fabric shapes on the drawn lines. Peel off the freezer paper.

From wool, cut:

*    1 each of patterns A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I, J, and K

*    2 of Pattern G

1.    Cut and piece the assorted print 2-1⁄4"-wide scraps to make the following:

*    3--2-1⁄4 ×7-1⁄2" border strips

*    3--2-1⁄4 ×8-1⁄4" border strips

*    3--2-1⁄4 ×9-1⁄4" border strips

*    3--2-1⁄4 ×10" border strips

Press all seam allowances toward the darkest fabric.

2.    Referring to the Pieced Foundation Diagram, lay out the pieced border strips around a 6-1⁄2 ×7-1⁄2" center panel. Beginning with the shortest border strip and working clockwise around the quilt, add the border strips to the center panel. Press all seam allowances toward the border to make the quilt top. Repeat with the remaining strips and center panels to make a total of three pieced foundations.

1.    Referring to the photograph, center appliqué piece A on the light green wool 3×6" appliqué foundation; baste. Using one strand of gold embroidery floss, tack the beehive in place. Using one strand of brown embroidery floss, make long straight stitches to create the beehive cross sections.

2.    Position appliqué piece B. Using three strands of brown embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the door to the beehive. To blanket-stitch, pull your needle up at A (see diagram), form a reverse L shape with the floss, and hold the angle of the L shape in place with your thumb. Push your needle down at B and come up at C to secure the stitch. Continue in the same manner.

3.    Using one strand of brown embroidery floss, overcast the cut edges of appliqué piece C. Position the stitched flower on the beehive and tack in place at the center. Sew eight seed beads to the flower center.

4.    Stitch four bees. For each bee, use six strands of yellow embroidery floss to make three short side-by-side straight stitches. Using three strands of black embroidery floss, make one straight stitch across the yellow stitches for the bee's stripe and two straight stitches below the yellow stitches for the bee's legs. Make a French knot for the bee's head. To make a French knot, pull the floss through at A, the point where the knot is desired (French Knot Diagram). Wrap the floss around your needle two or three times. Insert the tip of your needle into the fabric at B, 1⁄16" away from A. Gently push the wraps down the needle to meet the fabric. Pull your needle and trailing floss through the fabric slowly and smoothly.

5.    Position the appliquéd foundation on the navy checked flannel pieced foundation; baste. Using two strands of black embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the light green wool rectangle in place.

1.    Referring to the photograph, arrange appliqué pieces D, E, F, and G on the tan wool 3×6" appliqué foundation; baste. Using two strands of matching embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the stem and flower petals in place. Using two strands of matching embroidery floss, overcast the flower center and leaves to the rectangle.

2.    Position the appliquéd foundation on a striped flannel pieced foundation; baste. Using dark brown embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the tan wool rectangle in place.

1.    Referring to the photograph, arrange appliqué pieces H, I, J, and K on the brown­ wool 3×6" appliqué foundation; baste. Using two strands of coordinating embroidery floss, overcast the comb, beak, and wattle in place. Using off-white embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the chicken to the foundation. Using two strands of light yellow embroidery floss, make straight stitches for the legs and feet. Use two strands of dark brown embroidery floss to make French knots on the body of the chicken and for the eye.

2.    Position the appliquéd foundation on the remaining striped flannel pieced foundation; baste. Using rust embroidery floss, blanket-stitch the brown wool rectangle in place.

1.    Layer each quilt top with a batting rectangle; pin together. Trim the batting even with the quilt top edges.

2.    Place each quilt top, batting side down, in the center of the backing fabric; baste in place. Turn the backing edges under 3⁄8"; press. Turn the folded edges over the quilt top edges. Hand-stitch in place, mitering the corners to finish the table mat.