De Novo (Updated With Photo)

My friend's daughter sent photos of her new house in San Francisco and a red and green quilt just won't do no matter what room it ends up in. Although I don't think she picked the colors since she hasn't really had time to do any painting, the house is very small, and painted in blue, white, and grey. Even with small oriental carpets on the floor, a red and green quilt will stick out like a sore thumb. Good thing is that a few years ago I layered and quilted an antique quilt top from about the 1880's that is primarily blue, white, black and brown, with some reds in the middle. It is simply 3 inch squares, no design to speak of, with the reds concentrated in the center. The fabric is in excellent condition especially given the age of the top so I am not worried about it surviving. She keeps dust covers on her beds and couches because of the dog as well. The other good news is that the quilt is complete. That gives me an excuse to continue sewing my new project. I have finished one of the blocks and it looks even better than I thought it would. Sewing all the ins and outs on the feathers means I have to keep a wooden toothpick at the ready. Of all the tricks I know for applique, that one is the best no matter what.

Here is block one of the large four block center--

 I promised myself I wouldn't buy new fabric for this, except for the backing, so all of these are from my stash. I plan to do some fancy quilting in the plain corners and have a coordinating border.  Now you can see why the toothpicks come in handy.