I don’t, as a rule, really love quilts that only use fabric from a single fabric line, because… oh, I don’t know. Variety is the spice of life. Nobody had charm packs in the old days, and I like vintage quilts. And so on, and so on. So why did I buy fat quarters of the ENTIRE Nicey Jane line??? I bought 40 fat quarters, you guys. What do I even do with these?
The short answer is this: Make the best quilt in the world! The trouble is this: I’ve never been totally sure what I think the best quilt in the world would look like. I keep asking my husband what it would be, to the point that last night, he googled “Most Awesome Quilt World.”
Most of the results were video game-related quilts. Which is fair.
Anybody more decisive than me want to weigh in here? Because I have 40 fat quarters burning a hole in my sewing cupboard.*
*Who am I kidding? I took them out of the sewing cupboard and put them on display in the living room, to better accost visitors as to the best quilt in the world.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a quilt made from really huge, sprawling blocks Burgoyne Surrounded, of which this is just one variation, comes to mind, but this week I did notice this wonderful entry into DQS 8 made by what I never said.
I’d call this a single block – which it is – but it’s also much more than that. Nine-patches, rail fences, a bit of starriness in the corners…. It’s the best kind of miniature quilt, really, in that it contains everything a larger quilt does. But it’s pared down so you can really concentrate on the integrity of the design.
The fact that some of my favorite fabrics have been used certainly doesn’t hurt, but the more muted color scheme isn’t what I’m used to in the exuberant celebration that is your average doll quilt.
Then again, this is no average doll quilt. I’d like it in solids, but I wouldn’t love it, not in the way I love the blend of playfulness and sophistication she’s achieved here. But if you want to make a quilt like this, note how perfectly precise the piecing is.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here, but one thing I really love is a good sampler containing the alphabet. And I rend not to mention it because traditional alphabet samplers are generally needlepoint or cross-stitch, not quilts at all.
Thankfully, there are quilters who want to change all that. First up: one of the many projects to be found at Orange Flower’s lovely patterns and tutorials blog.
Don’t you love this??? The size is just perfect, and there are so many possible variation to match any decor: boy/girl, adult/child, home/school/office, Christmas/Easter, fall/spring.
This would look great in redwork. Or blackwork. Imagine blackwork on colored linen! Or framed instead of bound, if that’s your thing….
Okay, at this point, I’m pretty much just taking up your time. And you need your time to make alphabet samplers. Find out how here.
I’d love to see this trend continue to include even more of my childhood favorites. The obvious downside is the sheer number of childhood favorites I have!
