At last, they are finished! Two rainbow patchwork duvet covers are ready to be loved and cuddled. I made two of them, since duvets need to be washed much more than quilts. How about some construction notes?
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I love sewing curves. I used to be terrified of them. Then when I learned the ins and outs, I felt empowered; however, it was still a high-focus endeavor to piece patchwork curves. Now I feel both relaxed and engaged when I sew this type of patchwork. It requires more attention than straight lines, but the payoff is so cool!
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Sunshowers block no. 2 was this beauty on a Speckled Sunstone Metallic background. Wow, that Speckled fabric really makes it special! I followed the lead of the colors splattered across the background print when choosing my arch colors. I love, love, love the atypical rainbow effect. Hopefully Elora will like it too!
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Ta da! My first cheery Sunshower’s rainbow block! I used two different background fabrics: Tarrytown Holepunch Dot Orchid and a Tilda Basics tiny star print. I was wondering if two backgrounds would look strange, but I like the effect. For my arches I have a red strawberry Heather Ross print, a golden yellow tone on tone print and two solids from the Ruby + Bee collection.
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We are settling in at home again after our summer travels, picking up our old rhythms and making some new ones as well. Part of settling in for me is starting a new quilt, and I am very happy that my next project will be a quilt for Elora’s bed!
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Red-orange-yellow-green-indigo-violet or ROYGIV, that’s the rainbow and she never gets old. I have recreated my Dear Dottie quilt as Dear Roy. He is a square-format color wheel quilt made up of delightful, scrappy polka dots. And I love him, love him, love him!
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Some color transitions, like life transitions, come easily. I have just the right colors in my fabric stash, as with this orange-yellow-green blend. Familiar territory. These are the life transitions that one has made before and can comfortably make again. How many times have I separated green-blues from true-blues? How many times have I packed and moved house?
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Do you know what I love? Sewing scrappy dottie blocks. They’re just fun. At the moment these blocks are just the right combination of color play, simple repetition and a touch of technical challenge to keep me engaged.
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What, really?!? I never sew on solid white; but, for some reason I am convinced. Maybe because it’s summer? Maybe because it looks so yummy graphically? Well, whatever the reason for this change of heart, here comes a scrappy, dottie rainbow on white.
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If you want to sew literal rainbows here is a happy host of patterns to choose from. Do you prefer a scrappy look for your arches? Modern minimalist? Something artsy or something sweet? What about technique? You might choose applique or curved piecing. Choices, choices!
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It was the birds that did it! Once I started cutting up that bird print and putting it up on the design wall, I knew I had arrived in my happy patchwork place. Before long I had a delightful rainbow quilt top: happy scrappy rainbow kaleidoscope blocks and pastel rainbow cornerstones, nestled in a bed of black and gray. Very urban-cool, yes?
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Confession: lately I have been feeling stumped with my kaleidoscope blocks. I know that I want to set them in an irregular grid, but I also want to make a rainbow blend. One concept requires order while the other suggests freedom. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do next in order to move in the right direction.
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Yesterday I got to start a new quilt. Yay for fabric scraps! I guess it’s been since May that I worked with them? That’s a bit too long in my book. I am even following the siren song of rainbow order scraps. Here we go again!
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This quilt is called Rainbow Over Head. It represents my choice to believe that no matter what storms come in my life, it is possible to find a rainbow again. This is not the trite message that everything all works out and that everything is always somehow okay, but that beauty and love exist alongside the real loss. Like color in the darkness or a rainbow after a hurricane. I acknowledge the existence of both in my life. And I choose to be happy.
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People often ask how long it takes to make a quilt. The most impossible question! First because the time varies radically based on the patchwork and quilt size. Second because most quilters don’t keep track! When we’ve really found our groove with a delicious project, time falls away into an immersive, satisfying present.
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Your rainbow messages, bee block rainbows and a fresh take on my Rainbow Plus quilt. This is the third time that I started fresh with arranging the pieces. This time, I am really loving it! May you enjoy the beautiful colors of today.
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This month I have been keeping a secret. Or really, it’s been longer than that. Certainly my marriage has been dying a long, slow death of many months and years. For a long while the edges of that growing reality were soft and slippery until their form became a solid thing that could not be denied.
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