Some of the best quilts are simple patchwork quilts, wouldn’t you agree? Last fall I purchased a half yard bundle of the Oxford collection by Sweetwater for Moda. My bundle included the blues and greens from the collection, in both prints and wovens. I pondered a few different ideas and looked through all of my patterns and books, but in the end, I couldn’t get past how pretty the fabrics looked just lying next to each other. And so it was decided . . . a really big, easy peasy patchwork quilt.
There is so much that I love about this simple quilt: the calming color palette, the subtle design of the florals, the mix of the smooth cotton and the softer, tactile wovens. The Oxford Patchwork will be a perfect guest room quilt. It’s welcoming and pretty . . . but not so fussy that guests are afraid to wrap up in it.
My Oxford Patchwork quilt finishes at 85” x 110”! Yes, she is BIG! But she is also quick to sew. I’ve included some basic instructions at the end of this post, in case you’d like to make something similar!
I sent my quilt to Lindsey at Primrose Cottage Quilts for the machine quilting. We chose this soft and pleasing wave pattern. Yep, this is definitely a lakeside quilt . . . blues and greens and soft wavy quilting lines. Thank you so much Lindsey! You put the perfect finishing touch on a quilt that I hope makes all of my guests feel welcome.
Our guest room is a work in progress. I’d like to find a pretty headboard and maybe a fun painted sign to hang above the bed. I’m on the hunt for another crocheted throw pillow, as the one in the picture is actually from our master bedroom.
My mother-in-law sets a tray on her guest room bed with a book, a little cross-stitch pillow, some floral greens and a couple of rolled wash cloths. Maybe I should attempt something like that. It’s such a welcoming idea!
I guess there is no rush to get this room in order, so I will take my time. The bed has clean sheets and is topped with a pretty new quilt. For most of the guests who come to stay, that works just fine.
Thanks for stopping by, quilting friends. If you love the look of these Oxford prints, I purchased mine from Fat Quarter Shop and I see they still have some prints available. The collection also includes a lovely red range. Mixed with the blues, they would make a festive patriotic patchwork quilt!
~Taunja
Basic Instructions: Oxford Patchwork Quilt
Finished Size: 85” x 110”
Materials:
15 assorted 1/2 yards
Binding: 1 yard
Backing: 7 3/4 yards (backing size: 93” x 118”)
Tips:
If you are using wovens like I did, I would recommend spraying them with starch or a product like Mary Ellen’s Best Press. Wovens are very “shifty.”
When piecing, I recommend using a walking foot and doing lots of pinning. Again, wovens are shifty!
Cutting:
From each 1/2 yard, cut (14) rectangles 6” x 9”.
Here’s how:
- Trim your half yard to a perfect 18” x width of fabric. (They often come just a bit larger than 18” wide, depending on who cut your yardage.)
- Starting at one of the selvage edges, cut (7) strips 6” x 18”.
- Cut each of those (7) strips in half to yield (14) rectangles 6” x 9”.
- You will end up with (210) rectangles. You will use (200).
Assembly:
As you can imagine, the assembly process is really easy. Lay out all of the rectangles on your design wall (or in my case, design floor) until you have a nice mix of print and color. The layout is 10 x 20 (10 rectangles per row; 20 rectangles per column).
Once you have a layout you like, take a picture with your phone or iPad and print it out if possible. The picture will become your cheat sheet for keeping the rectangles in order during sewing and assembly!
Sew the rectangles together from left to right, creating 20 rows. Press row 1 to the left. Press row 2 to the right. Continue pressing in that alternating manner.
Next sew the 20 rows together from top to bottom. Press seams in one direction.
Prep your backing. Quilt as desired and then bind!
