Courthouse Rotunda started with this picture of the county courthouse rotunda in the local newspaper...
First I took a multitude of pictures for study and reference...
I love the copper window sill....
...Then it was time to draft.....
I knew that I wanted this to be a piece with plenty of negative space for quilting, and I also knew that I wanted it to be subtle colors.
Lots of weird sketching ensued. This shows some of the exploration for the borders.
Lots of weird sketching ensued. This shows some of the exploration for the borders.
My goal was to create some kind of motion in the border rather than the expected straight lines that result from adding simple borders.
I began with the medallion. And, yes, I do make piecing mistakes! And I correct them!
I then made the Courthouse Steps blocks to determine the needed size of the background for the medallion.
I then made the Courthouse Steps blocks to determine the needed size of the background for the medallion.
The medallion was hand-appliqued to the background. Uneven Log Cabin blocks were added for cornerstones, and a coping strip was added to accommodate the border.
The columns were machine-pieced in pairs, then the tiny gold diamonds were added. Finally the individual columns were stitched together.
These units were then hand-appliqued onto a base of background fabric. The excess fabric was trimmed from behind the border as well as behind the medallion.
These units were then hand-appliqued onto a base of background fabric. The excess fabric was trimmed from behind the border as well as behind the medallion.
Then it was time to determine quilting motifs. I wanted the quilting to frame the center of the quilt, and I also wanted to ignore the piecing of the Courthouse Steps border. Lots of options were considered.
I made notes and considered fills.
Clear plastic helps me audition ideas and make corrections. Eventually quilting begins.
And goes on...
And on...
And on!
At last it is finished and hanging at a quilt show, complete with ribbons.
I just recently took it on location. Back to the courthouse ....
As with all quilts, there are things I would do differently. I chose to quilt the outer border with straight lines fairly close together. The quilt was perfectly square and flat. However, the density of the stitching combined with a double batting of 80/20 and wool caused the border to ripple, and no amount of blocking has solved that.
As a result, the quilt was never entered in "name" shows which was my original intent.
Still, I am pleased with the quilt, and so many things worked out just as I had hoped...especially the quilting.
Every quilt is just practice for the next one.
This is on the drawing board now. No telling when it will be "born", but it has its possibilities. All in good time.
As a result, the quilt was never entered in "name" shows which was my original intent.
Still, I am pleased with the quilt, and so many things worked out just as I had hoped...especially the quilting.
Every quilt is just practice for the next one.
This is on the drawing board now. No telling when it will be "born", but it has its possibilities. All in good time.
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