Quilts We’ve Made: Double Wedding Ring

I believe that the double wedding ring quilt is the quintessential pattern every quilter aspires to at some point.  During the 1980’s, I started making one in mauve, duck ribbon blue, and cabbage roses.  I got so sick of the three fabric color scheme that I felt giddy with relief when I sold it, unfinished, at a garage sale.

Decades later, I found the pieces of this double wedding ring project while cleaning out the shed of a relative.  I fell in love with the scrappy vintage prints and knew I had to finish it.  With the help of a quilt historian friend, we found vintage and reproduction scraps to fill in the missing pieces.  It was determined that this quilt was started in the late 1930’s and was worked on through the 1940’s.  How’s that for a vintage vibe?  Luckily there were enough muslin scraps to finish the top.  That would have been a real bearcat to match or replace.

The binding is done with a thin red and white stripe, cut on the bias (of course) so it can follow the curves of the design.  It looks like a tiny candy stripe going around the edge, and it’s one of my favorite things about this quilt.  Actually, I think this is one of my favorite quilts.  The colors and circles are a very cheerful mix.

Some of the center squares aren’t even cotton but were made from a silky fabric.  This seemed so delightful and original that they were left that way.  It’s a reminder that during the period of time in which it was made, people made do with what they had on hand.

My hope is that somebody somewhere is enjoying a vintage 1980’s double wedding ring as much as I appreciate this more vintage rendition of the same pattern.  That would indeed bring everything full circle.

-Diane