Quilting 102

Continuing the curriculum of quilting basics, here's the next stage in my education.

After making two basic nine-patch quilts, it was time to start making slightly more complicated quilts. I began asking people what they wanted, while cleverly steering potential recipients away from the Baltimore Album quilts (translation for non-quilters -- LOTS of very difficult applique). Here's one I did for my aunt, who sensibly asked for a Trip Around The World in traditional Amish solid fabrics:


I adore Trip Around the World quilts, and was glad to have a chance to make one. (That was one of the patterns I fully intended to make into duvet covers, before law school.) There's such scope for color and value progression and contrast. I used computer software (Electric Quilt 5) to help me figure out which order I wanted for the 16 blues and greens I'd selected. If you order them differently, it's a completely different looking quilt! As I recall, that was a much lengthier process than I had expected. And once again, I know where the mistakes are. But it's a lovely quilt, and I do enjoy seeing it in Lexington, when we visit.

Next up, a quilt for Coffee Jones. These photos show it on our bed here at Harmony; its natural habitat chez Jones is uber-modern.

I had collected over 100 blue-and-white prints before even starting to sew this! (It's her signature color.) Then, on a quilt-shop-hopping trip through Tennessee, I saw a "Yellow Brick Road" quilt done entirely in blue-and-white prints. Perfect for CJ, I figured. I had the pattern already, so I got started putting together all the blocks. That's right -- there are blocks for this quilt, but they are constructed so that you shouldn't easily be able to spot them. And, no, there aren't 100 prints here -- not all blues have the same sort of tonality; I used the cobalt-based blues, leaving the periwinkles and turquoises for another day.

I will say, there are fewer construction mistakes on this quilt than its predecessors, but the quilting has some glitches. {cough cough} [If you need the white-on-white quilting on the border redone, CJ, just let me know!] I am truly honored that decorating decisions have been made with this quilt as their bedroom's focal point. How cool is that?

And now for something rather different. This is a flannel lap quilt I designed myself specifically to showcase the lovely folk art prints. I did this for my sister's 60th birthday; both pictures were taken by my neighbor, George, because I was literally still whipstitching the binding on, in a mad rush to make the last post on the Saturday before her birthday!

Those are animals on the large octagonal patches. I'm sorry there's no photo of the backing of this quilt, which had nice flannels printed to look like hooked rugs.

And yes, that's me sewing away madly to get the thing done. I did get to the post office with about 5 minutes to spare. There are some construction mistakes on this quilt, as I recall, and the quilting isn't spectacular, but for my first effort at designing a quilt, I'm satisfied.

The next post will be Quilting 201 -- the sixth quilt I made wasn't any harder to put together, but my skills were improving and I think that shows. Also, I did take photos of the quilt in process, as well of the quilt when it was done. So, you'll get to see what making a quilt looks like, from fabric selection through the final product.

That will be the last quilt post for a week or more -- I stupidly gave away my most recent quilt upon completion without taking pictures of it, but we're going to visit it next weekend. We'll take pictures, I promise.

Oh, and I'm feeling guilty about not identifying the quilt designers appropriately. The two quilts I made first, "There's {a Dog} {Two Cats} on My Quilt," were designed by Billy Lauder, who is featured at EasyMade. The Trip Around The World pattern is traditional, but I did use a book, The Simply Joys of Quilting (30 Timeless Quilt Projects) by Joan Hanson & Mary Hickey, for help with piecing and constuction. There is also an Eleanor Burns book from the "Quilt in a Day" series: Trip Around the World Quilt, although I'm pretty sure I didn't use it for my aunt's quilt. Finally, the Yellow Brick Road pattern is by Terry Atkinson, of Atkinson Designs. Now I have to find the freebie quilt pamplet I got that has the pattern for Zach's quilt . . . eek! It's in the "could be anywhere" category...