The North Carolina Lily has always been a favorite quilt pattern. In fact, it was the second block I ever made and braving the A word (applique) was worth it for the final effect.I have a wonderful antique Lily quilt in my collection and it was saved from the decorator's scissors (being cut into pillows) none too soon. Although the huge quilt had holes in it and was not exactly clean, Janice Pope from Raleigh, NC (aka the quilt doctor) repaired and washed this c.1860 beauty and I am so proud to have it! She dealt with mouse holes, rotten earlier repairs, missing leaves and stems, lots of popped seams and did a super job. Note: the quilt is hanging from a pole at right but the photo has been revised to show the blocks in an upright position.
Mouse holes-ugh!
Inspired by the old Lily quilt, I wanted to make a wall hanging using its outrageous border. But one lone Lily block and that big border was too much, so rather than tone down the border pattern, I started to sketch over a lily block and came up with a much freer design. Meet Wild Lily, a wall hanging that I designed and pieced the background for but all the applique work was stitched by my friend Pinky (Dorothy) Porter from Morehead City, NC. Pinky's a better quilter than I'll ever be.
This is the quilt top of Wild Lily. It has since been finished but not photographed.
So while we may love antique quits, there's no reason to always make reproductions of them. I could never re-make that pre-Civil War quilt with grace but the wall hanging seems a fitting modern tribute.
