I’ve been making quilts for a LONG time. In fact, I made my first quilt in 1992 . . . an Eleanor Burns “Around the World – Quilt in a Day” project. Thirty-one years later, you’d think some of the thrill would have worn off. Sure, there have been projects so frustrating or tedious that I’ve felt relief when the quilt was completed. And there have been quilts that I wasn’t pleased with when I was done, so I’ve felt disappointed. But for the most part, I have found joy, contentment and a sense of accomplishment in this hobby of ours.
There is another quilting scenario that I’ve found to be true over the years . . . the quilt that sneaks up on me and makes me silly happy, when by all accounts it probably shouldn’t. I’m talking about those easy peasey, after-thought, quick quilts we throw together because we have spare time, or we want to sew down our stash. These are often the projects that cause me to hop around the sewing room and say aloud, “Now that is TOO cute!” And then I proceed to text my daughter, my mom and all of my quilting BFFs because I have to share my happiness. Here is a photo of the quilt top that recently snuck up on me and brought me joy!
Here’s how it happened: The weekend after Thanksgiving, I diligently went to my sewing room to work on some unfinished projects. Somehow, I got sidetracked by a darling quilt panel sitting on one of my fabric shelves, the Blizzard panel by Sweetwater. Before I had time to overthink it, I cut the panel apart.
Next, I began digging through my saved Christmas scraps and making little nine-patches. Most of the scraps are from recent Sweetwater collections, but there are bits from other designers as well. I framed my nine-patches with my favorite Moda Indigo Chambray, and then sewed all the blocks together. That’s when the smiling and hopping began.
The finished size of each block is 8” square. So right now, I have a quilt top that measures 56 ½” square. I plan to add a couple of borders. I’m auditioning the chambray, a creamy white and a red with white pin dot. I’m not sure which combo will be the winner. Hopefully that decision will sneak up on me too.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. Thank you for being my extended quilting BFFs with whom I can share my quilting joy. I appreciate you more than you know!
Until next time, get carried away quilting, my friends!
~Taunja
Blizzard Panel Quilt Top Notes
- The panel blocks were cut at 8 ½” square.
- The nine-patch pieces were cut at 2” square. The finished 9-patch is 5” square.
- The chambray strips were cut at 2 ¼” x 5” for the left and right sides, and 2 ¼” x 8 ½” for the top and bottom. The finished sewn block is 8 ½” square.
- There are 24 blocks on the panel. I made 25 blocks. So, there are 49 blocks total (7 rows of 7 blocks).
- The finished size (before borders) is 56 ½” square.
