Low Volume Possibilities for Stamp Basket Blocks

Some on-line friends and I want to exchange "Stamp-Basket" blocks that we'll make on our people-powered machines.  (PPMs = treadle or handcrank sewing machines.)

Here are some considerations for "low-volume" fabrics to use in Stamp-Basket blocks:

 I like prints like this because they consist of cream color printed on a white ground fabric so there is no "paint" to deal with. This fabric is more interesting than a plain white, off-white, or muslin.

 While these may qualify as low-volume, the contrast is just a bit too much.  The fabric in the top center is also a great way to make a piecer crazy.

 These are lovely low-volume prints.

 These might be just a bit too loud (have a greater contrast than is desirable) as basket backgrounds.

 However, when flipped to the wrong side, they could be perfect.

 More whisper-friendly low-volume prints.

 And yet one more whsipering volume print that will work well when it's cut into pieces and is free of paint so that it could accept an inked signature or inscription with no difficulty.

 These prints are still low volume but are better suited to use in over-all low volume quilts than as low volume backgrounds in six-inch blocks although they might work well in larger blocks.

I love these low-volume prints, but they would lose their charm if cut into small pieces.  However, they would work well for alternating plain blocks, sashings, or borders.

Because the low-volume makes these prints hard to see, remember that we can right-click on any photo and open it it a new tab or window to see the photo in a larger size. If it's still not detailed enough, we can use Control+ to make it even bigger.

While there are patterns for Stamp Basket blocks on line, I'm going to post tutorials for this block that are simpler and more accurate here on my blog in the coming weeks.  (For the record, Stamp Baskets didn't get that name until the 1970s when the U. S. Postal service published a stamp with these simple blocks that had been around at least since my grandmother began making them in the early 20th century.)

Happy quiltmaking....,