|
This quilt was inspired by three
things -- my students, the floors and accessories in a model home,
and a bouquet of flowers. First of all, my students (Suzanne
Barsness in particular) asked why I never made a green quilt. So I
started studying greens - greens in the forest (what made them look
so good?), greens in other places, including in houses (what made
some look good in home decor and others didn't?). One of the most
elegant new homes I recently saw featured green as the dominant
color in the entire home. The greens were dark greens, sage greens,
other medium greens, but not bright green, not light green, not
Starbucks apron (Kelly) green. The greens created a restful and very
elegant feeling in the rooms. Hmmmm. Then a bouquet of flowers
arrived from C&T Publishing to celebrate my first book with them,
Sweet Treats. The bouquet featured fuchsia (bright pink), purple,
orange, and gold flowers against a background of green leaves. It
was beautiful. And inspiring. After all this next dessert quilt
didn't need to be ALL green, I'm thinking, and with those sparks of
color in the bouquet against the green background, it was beautiful
- and thus this quilt was born, titleless, until I could think of an
appropriate dessert. The dessert idea was inspired by my web
designer, Kim Jackson, and one of my students, Joan Christ. Kim
suggested Pistachio Cake, and then Joan told me her daughter Susanne
had just made one - with almonds and other wonderful flavors in
addition to pistachios. And she shared the recipe, which I altered a
bit, but I loved the idea of all the flavors! What a team effort
this has been! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this Pistachio
Almond Cake Quilt! Now it's time to eat, sew, and enjoy!
Finished Quilt Size: 80 ½" x 80 ½"
Yardage:
Do you want your quilt to be scrappy like mine, or not? You will
have a choice.
For a scrap quilt, you will need:
8 different medium fuchsia (bright pink) fabrics, ¼ yard each
8 different medium gold fabrics, ¼ yard each
8 different medium bright orange fabrics, ¼ yard each
8 different medium blue-violets, 1/8 yard each
32 different green fabrics in dark green, sage green, medium green,
but not bright green, not light green, not Starbucks apron (Kelly)
green, ¼ yard each.
For a quilt that has just a few fabrics, you will need:
1 medium fuchsia fabric, 1 yard
1 medium gold fabric, ½ yard
1 medium bright orange fabric, ½ yard
1 medium bright purple fabric, ¾ yard
32 different green fabrics in dark green, sage green, medium green,
but not bright green, not light green, not Starbucks apron (Kelly)
green, ¼ yard each.
I think is very pleasing, even if you only use a single fabric for
the other colors, to choose different green fabrics rather than
just a single green fabric.
Border Fabric: 2 yards
Corner Blocks: Made with leftover green fabrics
Backing Fabric: 5 yards
Batting: 85" x 85"
Supplies:
Sewing machine in good working order.
Sewing supplies you regularly use such as thread, straight pins,
scissors, seam ripper, etc.
Rotary cutting equipment: mat (18" x 24"), ruler (6" x 24"), and
cutter with a sharp blade.
Bias Square Ruler, 6" x 6", or another square ruler.
Cutting:
From the fuchsia fabric(s), cut a total of 32 squares, 5½" x 5½", 4
squares 4½" x 4½", and 2 squares, 3" x 3". If you are making a
scrappy quilt, cut four 5½" squares from each fabric, and then cut
each 4½" square and 3" square from a different fabric.
From the gold fabric(s), cut a total of 10 squares, 5½" x 5½", and 4
squares, 4½" x 4½". If you are making a scrappy quilt, cut one or
two 5½" squares from each fabric, and then cut each 4½" square from
a different fabric.
From the orange fabric(s), cut a total of 12 squares, 5½" X 5½". If
you are making a scrappy quilt, cut one or two 5½" squares from each
fabric.
From the blue violet fabric(s), cut 10 strips, 2½" x 42" for the
Four Patch Blocks and Half Four Patch blocks. If you are making a
scrappy quilt, cut one or two strips from a different fabric.
For the green fabrics, cut as follows:
13 strips, 4½" x 42". Cut these into 89 squares, 4½" x 4½". 16 of
these squares will become the corner blocks in the border. The rest
will be used in the quilt top. Then cut 16 rectangles, 2½" x 4½".
10 strips, 2½" x 42". Cut two of these strips into 24 squares, 2½" x
2½". The remaining 8 strips will combined with the blue violet 2½"
strips to make Four Patch Blocks and half Four Patch Blocks.
10 strips, 5½" x 42". Cut these into 54 squares, 5½" x 5½". Ten of
these squares will become the gold Quarter Square Triangle Blocks.
Eight of these squares will become the fuchsia Half Square Triangle
Blocks. Twelve of these squares will become the orange Half Square
Triangle Blocks. Twenty-four of these squares will become the
fuchsia Quarter Square Triangle Blocks.
Cut 2 squares, 3"x 3", from the above fabric leftovers. |
