Nine Patch on Point, Illinois, c. 1850-1870, 66″ x 79″, possibly made by Catherine Beachy Kauffman. From the collection of the Illinois State Museum Fine and Decorative Arts Collection.

In this early Illinois Amish wool quilt, she made lots of colour substitutions, working with what I imagine she had on hand as she made it.  What I find interesting is that she would have had enough of the darker pink to make all the outer corners of another nine patch like the one in the upper left corner but she didn’t.  Don’t get me wrong, I love how she handled the composition of the nine patches, just curious about her construction and thinking and design process.  How exactly did she go about deciding on the placement of the pieces in those nine patches and arranging all the blocks for top? Did she lay out all the blocks and then put it together or pieced together the top as she finished blocks?  

The setting triangles that border the centre are wonderfully balanced in their colour placement and that small triangle in the upper left was such a good decision.  Without a doubt she had an artistic eye.

I love the simplicity of the three concentric circles of quilting in the setting blocks and the organic nature of the quilting of the chevrons in the borders.  She alternated the direction of the straight line quilting in the pieced blocks for interest.  That blue binding is the back brought around to the front and stitched down.  

And I haven’t mentioned yet that superb border with it’s make do piecing and that wonderful dark bit in the bottom border.  I like it!  Would you be brave enough to make a border like that? 

This one keeps drawing my eye in and sending it around and around the quilt looking at all the details. What about you?