QN's Best Tradition with a Twist Quilts special issue is now available at quilt shops, bookstores, newsstands, and on line at Quilt and Sew Shop. Inside you'll find a great article by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, 6 helpful designer tips, and patterns for 21 beautiful projects. At the core, all of the quilts are traditional, but each has a twist that makes it unique, new, and surprisingly modern.
My quilt, Cornflower Crossing (p. 16), is a fast and fun project made using only one block. That block is based on a simple nine-patch block -- so easy and one of the first blocks quilters learn to make -- what could be more traditional?
I also rotated the blocks to give the quilt interest and a sense of motion. As is often the case, rotating the blocks created an unexpected secondary pattern -- if you step back and squint at the quilt, you can actually see cascading leaves:
Another twist: I chose to use only 2 colors for this quilt. There is a subtle linen texture in the French General "Le Bouquet Franรงais" fabrics that I used, but they read as solids. I chose these fabrics rather than prints because I was concerned that prints would fight the design rather than showcase it and because I wanted to keep the quilt from becoming too busy.
Blue and white not your thing? I played around in EQ to give you a few more color options...
A buttery yellow would have been my second choice because I've always wanted to make a yellow and white quilt:
And here's the yellow and white inverted, hmm...:
Here's red and white, maybe for Christmas:
And here's a 3 color version, that I'm kind of liking. It reminds me of plaid:
Choosing a quilting pattern for this quilt was tricky. With such a graphic, geometric design, my mind went immediately to linear quilting patterns that would echo the lines of the quilt. But instead of accentuating the design, the linear patterns seemed to muddy it. I had an aha moment when I decided to go in a completely different direction and try a curvy, meandering quilting pattern. Anne Bright's "Wild Mouse" pattern dances across the quilt without detracting from the clean, simple design.
There's one final, fun twist to my quilt. Look closely at the photo and check out the backing fabric:
Here, let me help:
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It's an oversized toile-inspired floral -- totally traditional and definitely unexpected on the back of a modern, graphic quilt. But I love the juxtaposition of business in the front and party in the back (at least on a quilt!!) and I couldn't help myself.
And now, patient reader, if you'd like a chance to win a bundle of P&B Textiles' "True Blue!" fabric leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm MDT tonight (1/28/2015) by clicking on the word "comments" below. You'll be redirected to a "Post a Comment" window. Once there, either scroll to the bottom of the window or click "Jump to Comment Form" and follow the directions to leave your comment. I'll draw one name at random, so please make sure I have your email address.
Good luck and happy quilting!
***This contest is now closed. Thank you for all of your comments and don't forget to visit the QN blog today (1/29) and tomorrow (1/30) for links to other designers' blogs and more chances to win! Good luck!***