Quilts from Two Exchanges

For the last 3 years my quilting friends have participated in an exchange at Christmas of fabric squares. Year one was black and white prints, year two was beiges and browns and last year was circles and swirls. Each of 20 friends brought 2 piles of 8" squares of each type. The beiges and browns became a king size wedding quilt with additions from my stash. 

The black and white top was made with no one in mind and hung in my closet for 3 years. I chose to use the pattern "Chop Stix Strips" that was shared in our quilt class. My friends and I had already used this pattern for a retiree's quilt. 

A good friend's daughter is getting married this fall and it will be the perfect wedding gift for a modern girl. This goal gave me the incentive to sandwich and finish machine quilting it.

The "CIRCLES & SWIRLS" quilt turned out to be very bright and striking. The only guidelines for fabric choices were no poke-a-dots so the color choices were wide open. The challenge was to coordinate the colors in each square. Again I supplemented a few circles and swirls from my stash.

I chose a free pattern from McCall's called "Spice Market", a modified log cabin. I added the last black strip to the block to separate the squares and set off the colors.

This quilt will be a gift to my husband's secretary who is retiring this fall.

"IRORI" Wedding Quilt #6

"IRORI", Japanese for the recessed hearth in traditional homes. These open fire pits are surrounded by tatami mats, arranged in auspicious pattern. This modified Log Cabin pattern came from one of my favorite books EAST QUILTS WEST, by Kumiko Sudo. I was able to use the last of my vintage and modern fabrics from Japan mixed with US fabrics that resemble Japanese style prints.

This wedding quilt is for my grandnephew, Adam, age 10. 

I am working on quilts for my sister's 7 and my 3 grandchildren. I've been making them now while my health is good and my hands still work. They are stored in breathable bags and marked with each child's name. Each one is meant to be an heirloom therefore I have chosen traditional designs. I know they will be appreciated because each of these children have received multiple quilts from me and they are used, loved and new ones requested as they have grown into their next stage of childhood.

Like the others, this quilt is King size, machine pieced and hand quilted. The border is quilted with pearl cotton in Sashiko style and designs.

“FLYING IN FORMATION”

My niece decorated Adam's room with an airplane theme. I found this block online and planned the arrangement to emphasize the diagonals (creates movement). The plaids seemed more appropriate for a little boy rather than the usual prints. Piano keys are a great way to repeat colors and use up scraps.

I hand quilted spirals over each plane, zigzags in the border, and down the center of the sashing.

Adam' favorite part of the quilt is the flannel backing. The print included airplanes, cars, buses, and roads on which he runs his toy vehicles.