Anyone making the Circa 1880 quilt?
 

I recently found the Circa 1880 quilt pattern and have fallen in love with it! I'm just starting the quilt and am waiting for fabrics and the pattern to come in the mail. Is anyone here making this quilt? I'd love to hear from you! There is a picture here for those wondering what it looks like. It has 2" blocks throughout the entire quilt.

It is a pretty quilt and should be easy to construct. I have made quilts that have this block in it before and I am sure you will have a lot of fun.

Nice quilt and will be whether using 1880'ish fabrics or more modern ones. Lots of Options!

Though I am a bit confused ... you mentioned it uses 2" blocks throughout ...
... yet I see rectangles and two sizes of squares. Or am I looking at the wrong quilt?

Ohhhh I love that quilt!!!!
Patterns like that one are so charming to me.
I wish I could clone myself so I could make every quilt I want lol

Hey friend! I think the finished block is 2" which means that center square is 1" and the side bars and corners measure 1/2" finished! Lots and lots of small pieces. I have been so tempted with this one, but have a couple small block big quilt projects started!

So QE, what option are you going to do?

hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!
Funny lady you are, dear friend!

Definitely a quilt I can see doing as a scrappy project ..... someday!
I even have a perfect background fabric. A whole bolt that I got at a LQS closing.

So now, do tell us the truth ...... which version is going to be your 20-20 project!! :D

Yes, I'm about 2/3 rds of the way through. I had posted pictures on a previous thread, a Virtual Quilting Weekend from maybe early November (?). I have no idea what your piecing experience is, but I had never made blocks this small before. Precision is the key - any little bit "off" in your seam allowance or cutting will be very visible in the tiny blocks. I would suggest joining the Facebook group and reading posts from the beginning. If you have questions or need help, the members there are very helpful. I joined a program from Primitive Gatherings fabric and they ship one packet per month with six light and six medium/dark fabrics. I don't think they are allowing any new sign-ups there but you should be able to contact Pam Buda and find a shop still active.


Starch, Starch, Starch!! And I cut my strips a little oversize and press and trim after each seam. I started by assembling around 100 blocks, then sewing the setting triangles on those. Then sew those into units of two, then sew more tiny blocks with the fabric that arrived the next month. At this point I am assembling the blocks into the long rows, and I have a few of the rows sewn into panels of 4 rows. I am not in a hurry to finish, I still have three monthly fabric shipments to come and I want to save some space in the quilt for the new fabric.


It is a really fun project and I have learned a lot. I feel it has advance my piecing skills tremendously. Do it - you won't be sorry!!

https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...ml#post8324489

I just finished a pattern like this as my leaders/ender project, although I didn't have a pattern. Lovely ongoing project. My pieces were cut 1.5" wide.

I made the quilt. It is a lengthy process thoug nut hard. The little 9-patches are made using 1 1/2” strips ant then cut down to 2 1/2 “..finish at 2” when sewn into the quilt. I really enjoyed making it and also the 6 little quilts Pam Buda shared as we progressed. I made this with a group at a LQS which met once a month. I am naturally competitive and mine was finished first. The shop won a first place award which competed with quilt shops across the country.

Wow Sharon, your quilt is beautiful.

Lynn, thank you so much for the advice. I just bought a large jug of starch last night and plan to starch well. What kind of starch did you use? And if you used liquid, what was the amount you mixed with water?

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

Sharon, that's beautiful! I love it. (and your kitty)

Sharon....gorgeous quilt! Kudo's for sticking with it. I'm currently making and collecting 2" 9P as I work on other projects. The pieces sit by machine and I just whip them through the machine as I sew other stuff ( the regular 9P..not with the rectangle borders) Not enough yet to do anything with so I just place them in a project box until I figure it out. I don't have the fortitude for this to stick with it until done. Kudo's for staying disciplined and committed.

Christine & LynnBBQ....this quilt project is stunning, too. Lynn...Thanks for the tips on small piecing. It is a challenging a precise process. Good luck and can't wait to see both your finished quilts.

Sorry for the delay... life got in the way. I used some older aerosol cans of Faultless Heavy Starch, but they don't make it any longer. In the last year they replaced it with "Ironing Spray," whatever that is... and it does not make the fabric stiff at all. Totally useless product in my opinion. But I did find the Faultless Maxx Starch in a pump handle can - maybe 12 ounces? - and it seems to work like the old Heavy Starch. I'm happy with it so far. For pressing the blocks and rows once they are assembled, I'm using Best Press.

I know I should probably make my own starch but I have not attempted it yet.

canned starch is cheap, relative to how expense making a quilt is, but the one time I bought 4 cans so I wouldn't run out, by the time I reached for them the other three wouldn't spray at all. This was a few years ago.

This month I bought some Stay-flow (not sure that is the right spelling) and when this current can runs out I'm going to try my own. In one of those neat mister bottles. We'll see how that goes...

I did try best press, hated the smell and decided it was the 'emperor's new clothes' as far as I was concerned. and way too expensive.

I'm going to use liquid starch and dry the fabric on a clothing rack. I've never used liquid before so I'm looking for advice from anyone about how to mix it up and how to apply it. Someone told me to dampen the fabric first before immersing it in the starch mixture so I'm going to do that.

I have a 20 oz spray bottle that I put in 10 oz ( 1 1/4 c) StaFlo, then slowly fill with water. Put in sprayer and shake. I spray this to the back of my fabric, fold in half and check for dry spots and spritz on them. Continue folding and spritzing until fabric is damp...not dripping. Let it "rest" a while, unfold it and let it dry. I like pressing it when slightly damp, and if it dries I will lightly spritz with water before I iron. If you think this is too much starch next time use less (1 c or 3/4 c). I hope this helps you.

Thank You for the site. I have a ton of small scraps so I may jump in and try this one. I like working with small pieces so this should be fun.

Thanks for the info Gladie! I'll try using a Salon spray bottle, I can get a 16oz. bottle at the beauty supply.

Do let us know if you start this quilt? I found a facebook group with a ton of good tips for making this quilt if you'd like to check it out. It's called The Circa 1880 Nine Patch Club.

You're welcome. Let us know how it works for us. With the 16 oz bottle use 1 c of StaFlo and then fill with water.

I buy Sta-Flo starch in 1/2 gal jugs and mix it 50/50 or 75/25 depending on how stiff I need my material to be.

Beautiful quilt and I really like the the older look of it. Civil War fabrics have always been a favorite. Thank you for posting, I signed up for their email list

So excited to get started on this quilt! I used Retayne on the dark fabrics first. I've starched my first batch of fabrics, now just waiting for it to dry halfway before ironing.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MuKTw24Vg...52113408_n.jpg

Christine, I think your fabrics are going to make a beautiful quilt!

I've got 35 blocks done, only 700 more to go! :p I'm hoping to find someone who is interested in trading blocks for this quilt.

Christine, beautiful quilt for one who has patience’s of a Saint! Don’t you love working with a variety of colorful fabrics? I made two nine patch quilts but they weren’t set on point. I enjoyed the pleasure of the “mindless” sewing! Excellent choice of quilt!

Thanks MaryLee. I bought a 1/4" quilting foot with a guide on it for my Bernina and that has made a huge difference in the seams matching dilemma of tiny blocks. I held out for so long on getting this foot, thinking I didn't need the guide but I'm amazed at how accurate my seams are now. I can sew mindlessly now with the guide on there!

Plus I bought a 3 tier stand to hold my strips next to my sewing machine. It's so handy to have them organized by size right there.

I have 280 blocks made now. That's about 1/3 of what I need to make a queen size quilt. I'll need about 750 blocks.

Christine, I love the progress photos! You go, girl. The stand would be a big help, I liked to use a wood sweater drying rack thing I had for my strips but my son asked for it when he moved out (he actually liked to use it for drying clothes!) and I never replaced it.

This year I plan to work with some civil war fabrics I've collected. Way back around Y2K I did a lot of fabric swapping and although I'm not a huge fan of them, I amassed a lot of 10" squares of civil war fabrics! I think between the squares and suitable yardage (not all truly Civil War, some just Thimbleberries in correct colors or close enough) I have enough for about 3 quilts. I thought I planned out my first one but I've just changed blocks/directions.and need to play with my fabric a bit more before starting and I think I'm going to need a couple more Indigo fabrics than I have, but that's not hard to find something close enough to work. Currently thinking about a Joseph's Coat variation, where the blocks are made from selected fabrics but each block is different. First thought was a Gentleman's Fancy/Rambler variation (lots of triangles) with each piece different per block, even though I work in random a lot I lean more towards the planned variations than the chaotic variation and I think I'll be happier with the new plan. Plus, I'll probably still have enough fabric for the "Fancy Rambler".

I googled Gentleman's Fancy, that looks like a great block! I've been eyeing some HST quilts to do in tandem with the Circa 1880 for when I need a break from tiny blocks.

If you wanted to use HST block units, you could redraft Gentlemen's Fancy for that... traditionally pieced as triangle going around the center square but the same look can be achieved with HST units.
https://www.quiltingdaily.com/pattern-gentlemans-fancy/
For the Rambler version, which first caught my eye back in the early 80s, the corner triangles were green and you emphasized the flower shape in the center with the fabric selection, usually pinks and reds.

I've been eyeing my stash and fabrics for ideas for the civil war fabrics for a year now... they are starting to speak to me on how to use them up.

One of my sayings is that "the quilt we make depends on the fabric we have" I have a lot of somewhat related fabric in 10" squares and so that limits me somewhat, but what I'm finding with that Joseph's Coat is that the units will all cut nicely from those "layer cake" sized pieces I have.

I'm looking at emphasizing the star pattern in the middle, using reds and madder browns for the stars, and having all 4 of the squares from the same fabric.

https://www.patchworksquare.com/mf/j...uilt-block.pdf

Christine...whoa you have come a long way. It's going to be fantastic..I've eyed this quilt when it first come out, but I have so many big small quilts in progress I hate to start another one!

I've been tempted to make one...check out roguequilter's blog. Her version is the prettiest I've seen. Absolutely stunning! She and Pam Buda (Heartspun Quilts) exchanged blocks. Her's is exquisite (as is Pam's...they had a block exchange). If you're interested and find others who would like to make one I would love to participate in a block exchange.

I finished my Circa 1880 nine patch quilt in August this year. It was a fun journey! I made a queen size with 716 two inch blocks, 7,934 pieces. I entered it in a quilt show and it won a 1st place blue ribbon! The pattern is spot on and I recommend it!

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBGvlC8F7...bbonwinner.jpg

That is a very lovely pattern! I don't know that I would have the patience to complete one. Then again, it could always be a work in progress! Thanks for sharing!

That is simply fantastic! Congratulations on completing it and on winning a blue ribbon!

The Circa 1880 is certainly a scrap buster and almost anything would work as long as the prints were small. I would have the cut the pieces larger if I did it or I'd go crazy working on it for so long.

Congratulations!! A lot of hard work went into that and it certainly paid off. I love civil war fabric and have seen this pattern before and have thought about making it. Your post has inspired to take another look at it. Great work and again congratulations on a job well done.