#patchwork quilts

Cats and quilts

Let's say you got a box of fabric scraps and it looks like this:

It's quite overwhelming! Let's make some order out of that chaos!

Much better. This is a roll of scrap strips. When they're unfurled they look like this:

Each one measures the width of my quilting ruler. They are a useful building block for a quilt- you can simply sew your strips together, or cut them into blocks and then intersperse with wholecloth blocks or sashing lines or whatever you like. My plan is a quilt with white stars and scrap hexagons, all from a 60° diamond block.

Start by taking 2 scraps, sewing them with right sides together and pressing open:

The ruler is there to show you to trim one side straight. Sew another scrap to that straight edge and press:

Then you want to trim the bottom edge straight and sew on another scrap. You can experiment with diagonals to add extra interest:

The big quilting ruler is my guide for the strip width, but if you have a thinner ruler you can use the marks on your mat as a guide instead. Trim the sides off your strip and you'll have this:

And that's the start of our scrap patchwork quilt strip! From here you just keep going, adding single scraps or a chunk of scraps sewn together, always pressing open, and occasionally trimming down the sides.

here it is! Started in early November, top finished November 28, and I've been quilting it since probably about January.

The pattern is Plaid-ish quilt, which I have long nursed an ambition to make with plaid(ish) fabrics. It's 67x84 because I added some borders, and it's self bound. The backing/border fabric is from a giant like half bolt I found at the thrift store, and the body fabrics are mostly scraps from @overelegantstranger's mum's scrap bins.

Stu Trololol

I was very surprised to find my quilt hanging in ‘The Corral’ but I think this area if where they hang the long quilts so they can be displayed full length even though they can’t be hung fully opened. Also funny, because this is the area where they usually have me do my embroidery demos, so I will be able to point my quilt out to  passers-by, too! I can’t wait until the fair is over so that I can get the judge’s notes and find out what they really said about the quilt. There were over 224 quilts and wall hangings entered this year.

Patchwork was a designer favorite on the Fall 2017 runways. Quilts are often associated with feelings of warmth and comfort, but some designers are using fabric upcycling and patchwork to represent their ideals of eco-consciousness, unity, and diversity. How do the new designs compare to the classic patchwork quilts in our collection?

“Quilt,” c. 1850, made in the United States 

Viktor & Rolf, Fall 2017 Couture Photo: Allessandro Garofalo/Indigital.tv from Vogue.com

“Pieced Quilt,” 1950s, made by by Carrie Bonivul Thomas, or her mother or aunt 

Raf Simons for Calvin Klein, Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear Photo: Yannis Vlamos/Indigital.tv from Vogue.com

"’Philadelphia Pavement’ Quilt,” c. 1920–50, made in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 

Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear Photo: Yannis Vlamos/Indigital.tv from Vogue.com

"’Triangles in Squares’ Quilt,” 1970s, made in Gee’s Bend, Alabama