Feathered Nests

I finally got my quilt back from Stitch, and I'm excited to show you a few more shots of it.  Thanks to my husband for holding up the quilt on a very chilly, windy day. You can download the quilt pattern now as a pdf.  Click the photo below for an affiliate link to the pattern.

My quilt was in the Feather Your Nest section of the magazine.  I chose Valorie Wells' Nest fabrics, along with some coordinates.  See Aunt June's feather fabric there on the right in lime?  Perfect! I used a big panel of the feature fabric on the back of the quilt.

Angela Walters brought out the theme brilliantly in the quilting.  Can you see she quilted a few of the shoo fly blocks as nests, complete with eggs in the center?  The other blocks are done with beautiful feathered shapes and pebble quilting. 

You can see it more clearly on the back.  Angela's quilting took this quilt to a completely different level.  Thank you, Angela!

You can read more about  this quilt and the block I designed for it here, here, and here.

Good Folks Shoo Fly

I finished piecing the top. This is a big, twin sized top (60 x 90), so I'm pondering how to quilt it.

A Whole Handful

96 bonus HST blocks and all 24 modified shoo fly blocks done!

I guess it's time to start piecing a couple of quilt tops.

Halfway

I have made twelve modified shoo fly blocks from my prized Good Folks collection. I'm halfway through my fat quarter set, and I've paired them with Kona medium gray. I'm making four blocks at a time, which works well for me.
And this is my pretty stack of bonus HST blocks!

Modified Shoo Fly Block

I've made this block 15 inches, finished size, to show off larger scale prints. Each enlarged block makes a bold, modern statement. The idea of a large shoo fly as a modern spin on tradition is not mine though - Malka Dubrawsky created a 35 inch block! The tutorial for that giant is here. It requires a whole yard of fabric!

I designed my block to use fat quarters. I think it will be the perfect way to use my Good Folks fat quarter bundle, allowing each print to shine on its own, while still showcasing the whole collection. And my twist - I modified the traditional pattern to use four fewer pieces and save myself four seams on each block! Instead of using squares and half square triangles (HST), my version uses two large rectangles along with squares. I make the triangles with the stitch and flip method. And there's a bonus of four HST at the end!

Shoo Fly Test Block

I've found just the right use for my Good Folks collection. I wanted something that would feature the large scale florals and let each individual print sing. This is a variation on the shoo fly block. I've put my own little spin on this traditional block. Back soon with a mini tutorial!