Road Trip Redux Quilt, a Pattern Review

I first spotted the Road Trip Redux Quilt on Instagram, and I was struck by the design's potential to be manipulated by fabric placement. Each version of the quilt looks quite different. The quilt pattern is by Karen of Blooming Poppies and can be purchased through her etsy shop. (FYI, this is not a paid promotion. I bought my pattern and am offering a review so you can avoid some of the challenges, mostly of my own making, which I encountered piecing the quilt).

This clever quilt design is comprised of three simple blocks: flying geese, half square triangles, and diamond in a square. Depending on fabric placement, the possible variations of the quilt are infinite, which is the greatest strength of the design, in my opinion.  Keep in mind, you don't need to make changes. You could simply swap a new color for each one in the original, and make no further changes. But if you do decide to do more than substitute fabrics for the ones used in the pattern, which of course I did, you will need to take a few additional steps.

It may be obvious, but changing the fabric placement in the design will mean you will need to calculate your own fabric requirements and cutting instructions. To do this you will need to do some quilt math and figure out how many of each block you will need for each fabric. This is where I made my mistakes! The pattern is written in such a way that each of the three blocks is pieced in a specific way, using only squares of fabric. For example, the flying geese block is made using a single large square which will become the goose and four smaller squares which will become the outside triangles. That single center square and four outside squares will make four flying geese blocks. SO, when you calculate how many flying geese blocks you will need to cut from a certain fabric, keep in mind the square for the goose will make four blocks, not one. This will help you avoid overcutting, like I did.

The pattern also includes instructions for the diamond in a square block, as well as the half square triangle blocks. The construction of these blocks use squares differently, so pay attention, again, before calculating how many squares to cut. The half square triangle blocks are made from two squares of fabric to create  four triangles in two half square triangle blocks. The diamond in a square will use four squares to make four triangles on the outside of the block though. Just understand how each block is constructed before you do the quilt math, and you will be fine.

The pattern has several great features. It includes a blank coloring sheet of the design, so you can play around with fabric and color placement. I colored several versions before I settled on my design. This will allow you to mock up your quilt easily. The instructions also include nice illustrations for construction of the blocks, and there is little waste in the method. Another asset of the pattern is that it includes cutting dimensions to make the quilt in two sizes using the same instructions - a baby or throw size.

Check out the hashtag #roadtripreduxquilt to see various versions of the quilt for inspiration. I'm waiting for backing to arrive so I get start finishing this cute baby size quilt.

A Lesson in Value, Part 1

I learned a valuable lesson (pun intended) as I got started on a version of the Road Trip Redux Quilt (more on this pattern later). I chose to pair a handful of solids with my favorite Essex linen in black and a fun black and white polka dot print.

I wondered if the two corals were too close in value, but since they were both in my stash, I wanted to make it work. I made a test HST block and thought the difference in value would probably be alright.

However, when I put some of the blocks on the design wall, I found the difference in value was not great enough to make the design pop. The two corals are so similar, they muddy the layout somewhat - not what I had in mind.

Here is my rough color sketch to give you an idea of what I want the design to look like. I had already changde my mind about the pale yellow, opting for mustard for more of an edge.

A quick trip to my local fabric shop, and I think I have a solution. The bottom coral will replace the medium coral in the middle that I used previously. It has a noticeably lower value than the darkest coral, which I think will create the contrast the design needs. Watch this space.

No block will be wasted however, as a quirk in the pattern (okay, maybe user error - again, more on that in a subsequent post) led me to cut far more pieces than I need, so another Road Trip Redux Quilt is likely in my future, perhaps with other colors added too.

Flying Geese Pillow

I drafted the elongated flying geese in this pillow as a foundation pieced pattern to create really crisp points. The high contrast of the black and white makes the simple design quite bold, which I like.

I quilted the flying geese minimally with an outline in black thread, while I filled in the white with a free motion swirl in white thread to keep the emphasis on the triangles.

I finished this 16 x 24 pillow with a lapped zipper back, and I think this quilted pillow cover will be an even better fit once it's washed.

Fall Bee Blocks

I'm in just one online quilting bee right now: Bee Lovely. It's nice to have a single block to complete each month.

In October we made mod mosaic blocks according to Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial. It was easy, improv piecing. Fun.

In November, Briana asked us to make flying geese blocks for her sampler quilt. She let us pick our own layout. I had been wanting to try the circular flying geese block. I'm glad I tried it, but I don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon. :) A tutorial and paper pieced pattern can be found here. You'll want to measure your template to be sure your printer has printed it to scale, if you want to end up with a 12.5" block. I didn't, and apparently my printer made the templates smaller. I added some borders to get it to be the right size.

Redbud Blossoms Quilt, Finished

What started out as a rather strange color inspiration, bloomed into this quilt. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Seriously though, the blossoms on the redbud tree outside my back door are the first signs of spring around here, and the color combination of this quilt solidified in my mind as I saw the pinky-purple flowers around the city.
I decided to try out flying geese as part of the backing, pairing a bold floral from Andrea Victoria with a soft, pale gray.

The binding is also a print from Andrea Victoria that several of you asked about when it was in the pieced top. I like how it looks like a subtle stripe as a binding.I used lots of simple, straight line quilting. There are six lines outlining each wave and two in the sashing. This creates an interesting pattern on the back of the quilt.

Movin' On Up

These cheery flying geese have lifted my spirits today. Who knew this block was so easy? I even found a great tutorial with instructions on making various sized geese. This block has been on my to do list for a while, so I figured I'd tackle it as part of the backing for my Redbud Blossoms quilt. That has been a UFO for far too long now.And look who's movin' on up in the world of fabric design. My friend Lauren of Aunt June is etsy's featured seller today. She is also going to be my personal logo/header/business card designer. Now you can see why she's been too busy to get around to it! These are just a few of her original fabrics.