The Quilted floor, Apollo and an Orange Crush Quilt


Hi All - Greetings from the UK

I wanted to share with you my daughters entry floor.  And Apollo!  

She lives in a house that is 145 years old in England.
This floor reminds me of my Orange Crush quilt that I made from a Bonnie Hunter mystery a few years back.  


Ohhhh it is so very cold on the feet.  OF course the day that I arrived the high temperature was 32 degrees and snowing.  I had to do some research on these types of floors and it is interesting.  They are called Minton tiles. 

My Orange Crush Top


Minton's Ltd, was a major ceramics manufacturing company, originated with Thomas Minton (1765-1836) the founder of "Thomas Minton and Sons", who established his pottery factory in Stoke-upon-TrentStaffordshireEngland, in 1793, producing earthenware and from 1798 bone china. 
(source:  wikipedia)

Victorian era geometric floor tiles are based on the patterns found in medieval churches and cathedrals (think Westminster Abbey). Some have put this influence down to the rising middle classes of the Industrial Revolution attempting to add 'class' to their houses by imitating the houses of the aristocracy that only master-craftsmen were able to create.
During the Victorian era, it was common to tightly pack tiles together without any grout lines. This was related to the ongoing development and availability of cement. Because of the lack of grout lines, it was beneficial to a tiled floor's stability for the tiles to interlock and hold each other in place.
Later tile patterns from the Art Deco period show tiles arranged with differing shades to create an isometric projection on the floor. 
The neat thing about these tiles was that the homeowner got to design or personalize their own floor or pick out a pre-fabed one.   Look at this assortment of centers.  

They are also used in many government buildings in the United States in Washington DC
source MAW & company

 Out and about in Suffolk, England

Crooked Houses in Lavenham

Shadows in the Snow


We get so excited to have snow in the Carolinas.  
Right under our little dusting are my bulbs peeking up.  

My Work In Progress

I told myself that I was going to use my AccuQuilt Cutter more this year.  I went through all my shirtings and cut a zillion HST's and scraps with it.




 I started putting my blocks together to make a certain quilt pattern that I have had on hand for years.  As I put them on my design wall, I realized that I did not like the pattern at all.  I was so mad at my self for wasting so much fabric.  

 I re-thought the pattern and arranged them a bit differently and this is the pattern that I came up with.  No waste.  Huge 24 inch blocks.  


2 1/2 blocks done and 6 more to go.  



Easy Street Top All Done


Whoops!  Wrong Way Blocks
Just four of them.  

I need new glasses.  I swear it all looked fine until I took a picture and a good hard look.  Yep, I had 4-patches placed in the wrong direction.  It really does help to take a picture and study it for a bit.  Then "pop"  I found 'em.  

 IF you see any more, tell me.  

Here is my corrected top.  



While I was waiting for each Easy Street clue each Friday, I started a leader and ender quilt with my leftovers from another quilt.  What I usually do is keep all my left overs from one project in a plastic tub.  I find a new pattern that I have been wanting to make, and then just about exhaust every scrap of that color scheme from the previous quilt.  This time I used just about all of my pink and brown strips and squares.  

I always start out with good intentions of making it a leader and ender quilt.  But I get so engrossed with the new project that I just go ahead and make the darn thing.  Start to finish.  


Here you can see I reverted back to my old habits.  





This is called Confetti.  
Its 93 x 93 inches.  
264 four-patches



       







 576 cream strips


A braided border





 I used the scraps from this quilt 


To make this 



Sixteen Block A's Done
Whew!


After sewing all my block A's, I only had one goose flying in the wrong direction.   He/She is now on the correct course.   

On to Block B.  I wonder how long each of those blocks will take.