I was lucky enough to post another Moda Bakeshop recipe last month. A pretty Charm-Pack-friendly quilt I called 'Woodruff' (you can find it here).
I made a similar quilt as a gift for my Mum, not long after I started quilting, which repeated the same block throughout the quilt to give a sort of plaid effect. I pieced that version with Charm Packs too, cutting all the little squares individually. So I was immediately drawn to this quilt, found on Pinterest...
A very well-loved quilt uploaded by a Finnish Pinner - I've been unable to find out where it's from, if anyone recognises it I'd love to know - which you can find on my Textile Board, where all the delicious antique quilts live. I really liked the way the creams in the pieced blocks looked like a simple blossom motif. I also liked the effect of alternating those blocks with a plain square. It's difficult to see from the Pin what fabric was used in the original quilt, but it looked like gingham to me and I love a bit of gingham.
And then I forgot about it...until I was sketching away, trying to figure out a method to frame a more complex block, when I realised how easily I could cut and shuffle a simple four-patch, to give this block...whatever it's called...nine-patch variation, coverlet, sheepfold...the text books don't really agree on a name.
It's a fun, quick block to piece and as my lovely long-arm quilter, Maureen, was away teaching in France I decided to hand quilt it. You can read all about that here and it appears lots of you have, as it's my most popular blog post. Thank you and please, please share away.
The really exciting bit is seeing some fun versions popping up in my email inbox and on Instagram...
Top left is Michelle's memory quilt using plaid shirting for the blocks and a denim-coloured solid ~ top right and bottom left were both pieced by Terri, in Vanessa Goertzen's 'Olives Flower Market' and Sweetwater's 'Varsity', both made as gifts ~ and bottom right is made in Fig Tree's 'Farmhouse' by Taryn, who's celebrating her finish with a cuppa...I like her style :-)
I'm enormously grateful to Terri, who noticed an error in my instructions when she was making her first version and kindly messaged me so that I could amend it quickly. Quilters really are the loveliest...
Nicola xx