Henry Ford famously promised the purchasers of his Model T– “You can have any color, as long as it’s black” Dress designers and fashion icons have always promoted black. Neiman Marcus suggested that” women who wear black lead colorful lives”. Every well dress woman owns a “little black dress”. Eleanor Roosevelt advised wearing black because no one would remember it.
But black isn’t often thought of when designing a quilt. True, the Amish made black their trademark. Amish women pieced quilt tops from fabric they used in garment sewing—dark greens, blues, reds, purples and black.
(These quilts are for sale at https://amishcountrylanes.com)
But most of the quilts shown in galleries, shops and homes do not feature black. The majority of the quilts we are selling at the October Etc. Quilt Sale are pastels, autumn colors, bright colors of Christmas and fun prints.
But this past week we received two stunners with lots of black —
Just two coordinating prints, a complimentary lime green and black!! The simple half-square triangle was manipulated to create a “parallelogram” on point. Lime green is a trademark of Paulette who made this beauty. The binding is made using the two fabric technique creating a faux flange.
The first photo (sorry about the fuzzy image) is the faux flange. The machine quilting makes the neutral backing a beautiful option on your bed. It is large–84″ x 96″. $350
What do I like best about this–the colors or the quilting?
Two charm packs and black yardage in a checkerboard design with some modern quilting resulted in this striking lap quilt or large wall hanging. The quilt measures 53″ x 63″.
The machine quilting pattern is perfect ! $200
For years I have quoted a source I have long forgotten—A little bit of black makes the quilt pop! But I found this line and I think it expresses the idea better–“Stars can’t shine without darkness.” Even a tiny bit of black is a necessary seasoning for your quilt.
“Stepping Stones” was made from Vicki’s fat quarters in bright colors she requested for our Christmas party exchange. But all these colors sparkle with the addition of black and white four patches.
The binding is black. The batting is cotton/polyester. It measures 42″ x 62″ and is for sale for $150. Perfect for a child’s bed.
Elaine made these two table runners using “Kansas Troubles” fabric. The fabric suggests pioneer times—maybe a bit traditional, but the black and white “flying geese” soaring up the middle give the table runners a contemporary feel. Black to the rescue!
Each one is !8″ x 38″ and is $40. Autumn is just around the corner!
Of course we include black in our Halloween decorations–black cats, black bats, black witch’s hats.
The black half square triangles dance diagonally across this table topper or wall hanging. 34″ x 43″ $65
Corny Cat could only be a black cat. The black tail is impatiently flipping his displeasure. Corny is 13.5″ x 18.5″ . Machine appliqué and embroidered. $50. SOLD
Even for Christmas projects, black insures the colors shine.
Black prints were used in the house construction of this Christmas village. The table runner is machine pieced and quilted. It is 16′” x 43″ and $50. The backing is tiny holly leaves on a white background, giving another option for your table.
Look who is here again! This time he was dressed up in a Christmas sweater! (It is fabric, not knit) Not happy! But only a black cat could look this handsome in this sweater. 14″ x 19″. $50. SOLD
Simple piecing of winter scene prints is made more interesting with the black prints featuring holly leaves, pine cones and red birds. The table runner is 12″ x 48″, $40. Would be lovely draped over a sofa table or entry way table.
This quilt has not been shown on the blog, on Facebook or will not be at the Quilt Etc. Sale in October. Janis bought it to church when it was finished and a visiting friend of the hand quilters snapped it up after we had publicly debated a price we hoped to receive. But this masterpiece needs to be seen.
Machine appliquéd — bright wooly flannels on a black background. Janis bought the pattern but choose her own colors using the pattern as a guide. Look at the details.
Machine embroidery and custom quilting added the final touch. It is in a good home–the owner appreciates the color and workmanship. But guess what? I saw Janis working on something similar for next year so keep on the look out!
Black may have a reputation of being a “downer” but used by our quilter artisans, black makes us all shine!
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Sales tax is included in the prices. Quilted items can be mailed for the cost of postage and insurance.
Quilts, Etc. 