Vintage Baby Bowtie Quilt: Part One

Last year we were delighted to hear  the news that our very own Peachie was expecting! So around the holidays Bo Peep and I started planning. We worked our way through adorable baby quilt ideas on Pinterest, animals in hot rods, and vintage quilt blocks. Deciding upon color, size, and design requires a bit of thought. Eliminating some choices, such as color, no pink as requested by the Mommy-to-be, helped the process. Our "theme" would be child ( as opposed to baby) and hotrods, since this is a large part of the parents-to-be lifestyle.

 Materials on hand also factor in the design. Digging through our fabric stashes revealed reds and soon we were envisioning a monochromatic quilt with a beautiful redwork centerpiece. 

Division of labor would be a little tricky since Bo Peep and I live some distance apart. We decided embroidery would be my department while Bo Peep manned the quilt blocks.

So I set to work.....

Inspired by a 40's children's record, I sketched up a design and transferred it.

I choose pearlized cotton floss in a classic red.
 This floss is not divided and there for is more substantial for a design of a larger size.
 

Satin stitches of varying widths create interest and depth.

Redwork dates from 1880's to the 1920's. Red was used (and sometimes blue) on muslin as it was available in a sturdy cotton. Other colors were only available in silks. No DMC floss in those days!

The centerpiece was finished! Time to send it off to Bo Peep.....