Twister-inspired Quilt

February 7, 2011

I love this quilt. I made this one for my neice and nephews, but let me tell you, as soon as it started coming together, there was a certain little man who insisted we have one too.

With all the circles cropping up in quilts lately, I somehow decided that I must make a Twister quilt. The game is a classic....and quilts tend to be heirlooms....so why not combine the two? It would look awesome on either a girl's or boy's bed - so bright and colorful. Plus, you can actually use it to play a hilarious game!

It started out with me and a 9" dinner plate. Trace, cut. Round and round we go. I cut enough for 2 Twister quilts.

The next part is the crazy part. This is actually a whole cloth quilt. Yikes. I pieced two large white sections together, then fused the circles in place. Measure and remeasure for even spacing of the circles. Oi vey. I wouldn't do that part again. I thought the whole cloth look would make the quilt as a whole look so much cleaner, but the sheer fact that it is super time-consuming will have me applique-ing the circles on blocks next time.

Nonetheless, I pressed on with the gameboard! Applique circles were secured by machine with a tight zigzag. The center motifs are hand embroidery.

I cannot believe I will embark on a second one of these, but my boys definitely need one. My 4 year old was just too excited to play it every day until we had to wrap it up. Poor guy, I was so worried he'd get it dirty before we gifted it, that every time he came near it, I asked to see if his socks were clean.

Then when his cousins opened it, he proceeded to give them a lecture on how you must wear clean socks on the quilt!

Quilt Stats:

Name: Twist and Shout -no pattern. Made up as I went.
Size: Twin size
Design: Whole cloth applique, based on the classic game, Twister
Piecing: Me
Quilting: Kathy Balmert (Quilty Pleasures Long Arm Quilter) and her Gammill Statler. Circles all the way!

A finish! Pinwheel Patience

January 8, 2011

This quilt has been a long time coming. Sometimes it seems I can just turn around and whip up a quilt no problem, and other times, it takes Forever! This is a forever quilt (including 8 weeks at the LAQ - so maybe that's why) which I think I started last spring sometime.

The pattern (from Quilts and More Spring 2008) does not use a traditional pinwheel block. Instead the white focus fabric is the center of the block and you add the khaki frame around it, using a different color pinwheel petal on each corner. When you sew the first strip, you only sew it half way on, then you come back and finish off the strip after completing all four sides. It was a little confusing at first, and I'm not really explaining it very well, but I got the hang of it after a few blocks.

I pieced this quilt before I discovered the greatness of solids. Imagine what could be with this pattern and Mr. Kona??? I am definitely in love with pretty much anything pinwheels.

This was a gift for my sister-in-law for Christmas.... and now the quilt lives in sunny California!

Pattern Release: Polka Party! Quilt Pattern

December 30, 2010

Here is Gen X Quilters' 1st Pattern Release....

Welcome to the Polka Party!!

$7.00 USD

This pattern is available on Craftsy.

There are so many fantastic polka dot fabrics out there right now. These playful and color-rich fabrics inspired this festive quilt.

Doesn't it look fun?

It is a simple 3 x 4 block design. 10 of the 12 blocks have easy appliques. The finished quilt measures 42" x 51". It makes a great children's lap quilt or baby quilt.

This pattern consists of 13-pages of instructions plus step-by-step photos AND an applique template sheet. The pattern comes an instantly downloadable PDF files once your payment is complete.