Vintage Double Wedding Ring

Someone from my local quilt guild did not want this gorgeous, vintage Double Wedding Ring (DWR) top. Maybe it was the pink. Maybe it was the thought that it needs to be quilted. Whatever the reason, I grabbed it. Did I know what I would do with it? Of course not!

Vintage DWR quilt top: 72" x 80"

This was all hand pieced. It's in lovely condition (not perfect, but not smelly or with more than a small tear or two. The pink is NOT faded (as it appears in the picture above). I laid it out on my clean kitchen floor to try to take a photo. Couldn't get the whole thing in. Isn't it lovely?

Then, I had a thought: I wonder if I took it apart into circles (4 sets of pieced arcs) to see if I could design a class or even a pattern? WHAT? Yes, I took out my seam ripper and set to work. (If your stomach hurts by this time, it's ok if you close this window right now.)

Here is one of the two sections I removed. The maker seemed to love the lavender and green for those block corners. They just make everything so perky! This measures 17" across at the widest part.

17" x 17" DWR unit

Then I took a cue from something I did with DWR about 15 years ago - I turned the curved edges under and appliquéd it to a larger background square. I was auditioning the purple corners, which will be rolled back in the center like a cathedral window. Just an idea.

This is as far as I've gotten. I wish I had taken some notes on where I was going. I need to spread this out again and see how many of these circular units of 4 pieced melons I'll get from the quilt top. And then - what will I do with the orphan/incomplete units I get after removing the circles?

Well, you've just had a trip through my fertile brain. I like these challenges and might even make this a one time class/workshop. Very much like the improv workshops I taught back in 2012/13. I'll keep you posted!