Tag Archives: Quilt

Quilt Colors! (Step 2)

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

A month or so ago I resolved to make my first quilt–something that still seems like a sin of hubris. The Audacity of Quilting! So here I am, taking my second, wobbly step. I have a pattern (the Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt by Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy). To avoid the real next step (fabric selection), I sneaked in a half-step: palette!

For a long time, I’ve loved the colors of Ray Eames‘s Crosspatch fabric design (this is a sketch of it, from 1947). The fabric lends itself to quilt inspiration: all those little squares.

Inspired by Brigit’s origami paper sketches, I cut out squares of Benjamin Moore paint chips and played around. Very satisfying–I highly recommend paint chip collage. If only quilting were that easy . . .

The quilt calls for a mix of patterns and one solid, so this is a generalized color scheme not an actual one. I think I’d like the solid to be pale gray and the patterns to be pink/red/orange. Brigit, what do you think? Should I stick with white as the solid? I like all the pretty flower prints that Alicia uses in her quilt but know they wouldn’t fit into my house–so I’m guessing I’ll end up with brighter, geometric patterns.

Next step: fabric store.

Eight-point star quilt

Posted in Home Design, Sewing, Stuff to make by

This quilt was adapted from a pattern in Quilting for Peace. The author Katherine Bell kindly pointed out in her instructions that the stars are time consuming–ahem, yes they are, as in they will consume months of your time. But she also notes that the results are worth it, and I have to agree. I learn something new with every quilt. This time I learned all about the stretchiness of fabric cut on the bias. Fortunately, quilts are forgiving of–maybe even improved by–their idiosyncracies. After lots of experimenting with more interesting color combinations, I went with charcoal for the binding. I think it adds an elegant touch.

Albers quilt

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

Remember when I wanted to make a Josef Albers inspired quilt? Well, I didn’t but Heather Jones at the Modern Quilt Guild did, and it’s just lovely. I ended up starting a quilt with eight-point stars–I’m still working on the top. Sigh. I really like how this quilter adapted the Albers square by leaving off the bottom. It feels a little lighter and works so nicely with the dimensions of the quilt.

Quilt show at the Dudley Farm

Posted in Gainesville, Sewing, Stuff to make, Things to see by

The Dudley Farm, a historic Florida homestead and working farm, hosted a quilt show this weekend. Ladies in period costume–prairie bonnets!–showed off some antique quilts. There were some quilts for sale and “quilted apparel”–questionable at best. Still, these quilts looked so pretty hanging on the line, and we had a good time visiting the animals, pumping water, and playing catch with horse chestnuts.

Cassandra Ellis

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

The work of the British quilter Cassandra Ellis is so inspiring. Her impossibly pretty home was featured on design*sponge recently, and her quilts are scattered throughout. I often find it difficult to strike a balance between modern simplicity and lively patterns when I am thinking about making a quilt. I want to use bright colors and patterns, but I don’t want to end up with something chaotic or too patchworky. It looks to me like she is guided by the fabric–she uses gorgeous colors (yay red!) and prints, which are always a good starting point. Then she seems to piece them together improvisationally. The end results are stunning.