Blue Willow Teapot Quilts

I love all things blue and white. Raised by a mother obsessed with Blue Willow China, I naturally picked up the eye for seeking out chards of blue and white china poking out of sale boxes under tables at garage sales and antique shops. To celebrate my mother's collection I made a few Blue Willow teapot quilts featuring Kay Mackenzie's wonderful Appliqued Teapots. The result was this little wall hanging. I gave this quilt to my friend Gail to thank her for helping me finish up a series of these in time to attend the International Willow Collector's Society annual convention, where I sold these. My mother has been gone for many years now, but my sister inherited her collection and still attends the IWCS meetings. I go along now and then just to sate my blue and white fix.

It was fun to find fabrics that would go with the blue willow fabric I purchased (Lakehouse produced a willow print in several color ways a few years back and I bought a bolt of it!) It also gave me a chance to use some of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine to quilt these little quilts.

I enjoyed combining elements from other patterns or inventing my own elements to embellish these quilts. I especially like using gold thread for some of the decorative stitching.

The quilts with the "welcome" headings were the most popular and I sold quite a few of them. I did a number of custom quilts in special sizes or colorways (including pink willow and blue with yellow) for specific collectors.

If you are a willow collector and would like a Willow Teapot Quilt, I still have a few left -- or could make up one just for you!

They were such fun, and gave me a chance to enjoy the memories I shared with my mother, all those years ago.

This is a quilt I made in honor of my mother's love of blue willow. That is a picture of her in the center, printed on fabric, holding her favorite teapot. Don't you love the little tea bags in the corners? This quilt was a round robin and several friends put rounds of teapot inspired motifs around the center block.

I just finished this quilt this winter, and it hangs in my sewing room to remind me of where my love of blue and white came from. How about a cup of tea?

I hope you have beautiful things in your life that reminds you of your family and friends.