"Premium Labels" top finished - upcycled blues #3

"Wait," you say, "Top number 3? Where's number 2?"

It's finished, but I've not written the pattern, so I haven't shown it yet.

I had a whole stack of yokes that I wanted to use up. The yokes had the labels on the back. I know that some people just rip off the labels or cut around them or whatever. But I happen to like them. I think they are charming and I want to use them.

My stack involved over 100 such yokes. I said to myself, “What can I do?”

While pondering this problem, I saw a video put out by Missouri Star Quilt company where they used their Dresden ruler but not for making Dresdens - it was for making a star point.

I had bought one of these rulers a while ago. In fact, it was at Ewa Kiltowo’s shop here in Warsaw. I hadn’t used it yet.

Then, as I was looking at those labels, an idea hit me.  Yes, it HIT me.  I decided to try to make an angled border around the label – almost “improv”, but me, not being confident enough to go totally improv, decided to use a ruler to give me the angles and straight edges that I need. I looked at my long Dresden ruler and decided I’d try it.

I wanted a double angled border. Like this:

I made one and loved it.

So, then I decided to make them opposite – every other one with dark centers and dark outer colors and every other one with light centers and light borders. 

Then, as I worked, I saw that I should make some facing each direction. And I made them opposite in construction as well.

Both of these are light centers and light outer borders.

So, I did.  I made the lighter “label” sections starting by putting the first angled piece along the top and bottom and then the horizontal side second. 

I made these so that the seams were going in opposite directions from the lights.

The dark centers I made opposite, by sewing the angled pieces on the sides first and then the top and bottom.

It means when I put the top together, I wasn’t having seams butting up next to each other. It worked out well.

Here's an instruction sheet for you, but since each label is a different starting size, making an exact pattern is impossible.

I put a piano key border on the outside – it makes for a very busy quilt. I decided to leave it, however, since I did want to use up those pieces of fabric – and piano keys are great for that.

And I decided once it is on a bed, the keys won’t be the focus – they will hang off the edge of the bed. So it’ll be fine.

If you like busy quilts and you like blues - and you happen to have 72 yokes with labels on them - you should try this! Of course, you could tone down the business of this by using more solids - however, I have a plan for my solid blues - esp. my dark ones, so I tried not use most of them in this top - I need them for top #4. :)

I like the chance to show off the detail of the labels with this one. Let me give you a bunch of pictures of closeups of the labels and their blocks.

I hope this has been fun for you to look at! I've had fun making it. I still have some more blues from those boxes of blue fabrics/shirtings and curtains, etc. ..so expect at least 2 more tops - one is actually finished and one is in the works.

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And don't forget   - if you need something from the shop, be sure to check out what my sis has for you!  She has lots of deals! Lots of beautiful fabrics are just waiting for you!