Arcs!

 

Last year when visiting Missouri Star quilt Co, I purchased the medium drunkard's path template along with the layer cake and easy clamshell pattern in plans to make a clamshell quilt. After reading the pattern and watching the Youtube video, I realized the motifs on the layer cake were too large to work well in the easy clamshell pattern since the pattern calls for two half shells to make a whole one. A small print or solid color is best for this pattern. 

I still wanted to use the templates and the layer cake. So, I googled around to find something that I liked. I wasn't that in love with the fabrics after I looked through the entire layer cake. I thought oh well, let me just practice with these. Sewing the arcs was easier than I thought!

I felt it needed something additional; so, I added a few smaller circles that I machine appliqued with variegated thread onto the top. I added the flange to the binding for additional pop and to use up the remainder of the fabrics. There is no batting in the quilt since the flannel backing is thicker than I thought it would be. I just did a simple quilting since the top seems to adhere to the flannel. Yes, I'm pleased with the look of the quilt! And the fabric grew on me as I assembled the quilt!

Cottage Garden

I love seeing a patch of densely blooming flowers. I also love cottage gardens. In my own garden, I have drought tolerant plants that form areas to create the look of a cottage garden. Each year I add new and different flowering drought tolerant plants in those areas to form a more densely cottage patch. 

This year, I have been inspired by my garden to make numerous quilts with flower motifs.

After seeing these beautiful batiks in a jelly roll, all I could think of was flowers and half-hexis.

Twice now I have arranged hexagons to make quilts with a flower theme. One quilt I did as a quilt-as-you-go and that quilt went to a friend in Japan. The other quilt I own and has a very wide border that is quilted with arcs.

After arranging the hexagons into flowers, I stitched them into rows and then the rows were stitched together. I opted out of doing this quilt as a quilt-as-you-go. Instead I basted the layers in prep for quilting.

I decided to go with arcs, but no borders. 

It took a week for me to quilt the arcs. The arcs represent the blowing of the wind through the flowers.

I opted for a blue binding with a pink flange instead of a border.  I'm into using flange bindings this year for most of my quilts.

The back of quilt is this pretty floral flannel. Come dead winter when I'm in need of "Spring" this quilt should keep me warm.

In my own garden, I have a rose that is a green flowering rose. The quilt has one green flower with a green center that represents my green rose in my cottage garden.