If you follow me on instagram then you probably caught the sneak peek of this quilt a while back. Here, however, is the full view, in the Summer 2016 issue of Modern Patchwork.
The concept behind this design is simple. It started with a question. All my designs do. That question was what would it look like if I sewed large strips together and then overlaid a large, self-drafted template to create a super-sized string pieced block?
Naturally, the only way to find out was to do just that and then tweak the process so that it was repeatable and, since my focus is designs that you all can re-create, explainable.
I started with some of my hand dyed solids.
The final version actually includes a greater variety of hand dyes and, of course, this design would look fabulous in commercial solids as well (personally, I'm a big fan of the feel and colors of Art Gallery's Pure Elements Solids).
Once I had the 4 "string" blocks though, it felt a little unfinished. Also, I had lots of extra bits already cut. So, I crafted the border and corner pieces. It's then that it struck me that this top could also be just a block in a bigger quilt. I could see sewn in a more limited palette as well whether or not you chose to treat the design as a single block or a finished top.
The top was quilted in concentric lines from the center out that mimicked the diamond shape created by meeting the four string blocks together.
I was looking through my Pinterest board devoted to inspirations and found a bunch of examples of creative uses for the humble, but graphically powerful string-based block. Have a gander here and let me know what you think.