Kansas Troubles

I recently finished this passage quilt using the Kansas Troubles variation in Sujata's book. Grouping these sometimes disparate fabrics into larger units helped organize the quilt.

Kansas Troubles passage quilt

A bit more here.

Enjoy the day,
Ann

Windmill Quilt Top

After finishing this top, I posted it on another other blog but never wrote about it here. I made this from scraps my sister planned to donate. Instead she has a quilt for one of their outreach programs.

Rocky Mountain November quilt top

And she thought these fabrics didn't "go together." Ha.

Thanks for a quick and lively block, Sujata.

Ann

Challenge Met

Here's what I made after seeing the Ghanan textile Sujata posted last month.

More details on my blog. Thanks for locating and posting the inspiring vintage textile, Sujata!

Ann

Cowboy Fireworks from Peppermint Pinwheels

The final roommate quilt is finished. My son's other roommate always enjoyed the quilts he took to college. In fact, he appropriated one for televised football games.

As a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, a blue and silver quilt seemed most appropriate.


I used the Peppermint Pinwheels pattern but changed the centers. Instead of rectangles I used some five-pointed stars. This site about Betsy Ross has directions for cutting perfect stars. But I chose to make mine slightly off-kilter. It's more congruent with the free-hand cutting of the pinwheels.



I'm telling the recipient these represent fireworks after a Cowboys victory. Hopefully he will wrap up in it every day.

Quilt Details

Size: 68" x 85"

Pattern: Peppermint Pinwheels from Cultural Fusion Quilts

Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100% cotton

Thread: Sulky Blendable 30/3 variegated cotton

Quilting: Free-hand channels

Thanks, Sujata, for a delightfully fun pattern.

Ann

Tiger Stripes

My son wanted a tiger-striped quilt in purple and gold as a graduation present from LSU. I immediately thought of the freely cut rail fence variation in Cultural Fusion Quilts.

Tiger Stripes in purple and gold LSU colors.

Several of these were fat quarters. FYI: you can get seventeen blocks from two fat quarters rather than the sixteen needed here. Two fabrics were less than a fat quarter so I pieced some rails to finish the 16-patch design.

I quilted two sports chants in cursive on the gold rails: "Hold that tiger" and "Geaux Tigers." You need heavier thread for words to be visible. This is 50-weight 3-ply Gutermann cotton thread. Superior's King Tut would be good also. This was so much fun. I need to use cursive again soon.

Tiger Stripes, detail showing "Geaux Tigers" quilted in cursive.

You can read more about it here.

Thanks again, Sujata!
Ann

Windmills

I found Sujata's blog two years ago by following links from her gorgeous Baskets for Meera to Basket Full of Scraps and then to The Root Connection. When she wrote about her upcoming book, I immediately pre-ordered it. Lucky me (and you, too.) The instructions are well-written, tested, and her color sense is fabulous. Her design degree shines in her work and her teaching skills are evidenced in both her book and blog.

I read it cover to cover the first weekend then set it aside because of the long list of quilts-to-make-for-family-and-friends. Sorting fabrics from a previous quilt, I discovered a small pile of delightfully wild things that seemed to go together. That reminded me of Cultural Fusion Quilts. Looking through it again, Windmills seemed like the perfect plan.

A few other pieces were pulled from my stash; nothing was purchased for this quilt. Some of the pieces were less than WOF so they appear in only one or two blocks.

It went flawlessly and quickly. The top came together in a day or two. Wanting to use as much as possible, my blocks are a little bit larger than Sujata's suggested size. It finished 61" by 61".



I marked one quarter circle twenty-four inches from the top left corner by using my rotary ruler and a piece of chalk. The other circles are echoed off that first line using my walking foot as a guide.

Binding detail.

Leftovers were cut 2.25" wide to make the double fold binding. Scrap binding is the perfect touch for this quilt.

People were very curious at guild show and tell. One of them said, "I just bought that book, too." She went home and made one herself! Very different fabrics, different feel but the same instructions.

Thanks, Sujata, for allowing me to post here and for an exciting book.

Ann