Each year I try to make several quilts that are purely for creative fun and that aren't one of my patterns. This really helps me reconnect to just the act of creating and enjoyment of sewing and not be tied to anything business wise. It also seems to coincide with disruptions to my schedule - holidays, weather events, school breaks, etc. Today I am sharing a quilt I made during a winter storm at the beginning of 2024.
I remember knowing a storm was coming and decided to bring home sewing supplies - my machine, iron, cutting mats and rotary cutters, and I threw in a handful of different fabric bundles I had been sent as well as some solids and ginghams. I had ZERO plans but just wanted access to some fun fabrics to see what sparked my excitement.
I didn't snap a photo of any of the fabrics but I landed on using a charm pack called Forest Forage from Fableism and some Merchant + Mills gingham yardage I had on hand.
And look at that! I choose to make a block I've never made before - a disappearing four patch. Jennifer of Penelope Handmade has two different reels on Instagram that show how she made this block. I followed her videos and they came together so easily. She pairs 5" squares together - 2 of one fabric and 2 of another - to create this block. I decided to cut my gingham yardage into 5" squares to pair with the charm pack.
Penelope Handmade Disappearing Four Patch Video One
Penelope Handmade Disappearing Four Patch Video Two
I had no plan other than making all the blocks I could. I set myself up at my dining room table and got to work!
We live in a 1925 Craftsman house that is drafty in the winter. We used painter's tape around those buffet windows to keep the cold air and snow from blowing inside. You do what you gotta do. But the light was so gorgeous in here with all the snow on the ground.
Once I had my blocks finished, I knew I wanted to add very thin sashing between the blocks in a variety of solids to add an additional pop and make a slightly larger quilt. Fun fact, this thin sashing is what gave me the confidence and idea to use thin sashing in my FREE Redford Quilt Pattern.
In the photo below, you can see I laid out a few different solids on the table and laid blocks on top to decide what ones I liked the most. I couldn't make up my mind and felt I was missing some other options so I packed away my finished blocks and waited to get back into the studio before finishing the quilt.
The Forest Forage fabric collection is made up of two distinct prints - a daisy print and a honeycomb print. I decided to group the blocks into groups of 4s, trying to pair similar colors and 2 daisy prints and 2 honeycombs. Then I added a fun pop of color with narrow sashing.
I don't fully remember the numbers of I know the quilt is a 7 x 7 square which means one row and one column don't fit into the 4 block sashing plan. Instead, for one column and one row, I mixed up the sashing to be a mix of all the solid colors. It's subtle but it's really fun. A whimsical touch to this quilt.
The solids I used for the 4 block sashings are Kona Pepper, Creamsicle, Bright Idea and Petal. Then I used Kona Ocean for sashing between the blocks.
Okay in the photo above, do you see that the 5 row down and the far right column are the rows with different sashing, not paired into groups of 4? I love this little detail so much.
So happy with this project. I sent this off to Emily of So Sunny Quilts and I chose the Arches pantograph. I wanted a pantograph that was curved and all over, not directional. Everything about the piecing in this quilt top is angular so I love the contrast in the quilting design.
I bound the quilt in the same yellow - Bright Idea and I backed the quilt in a large scale gingham from Fableism in a dusty tan/pink color.
I made this close to two years ago and now I am wanting to make another. It is always a good time going down memory lane and it reignites my love for what I was working on at the time.
Haha I thought I'd show you the weird stance we sometimes have to get in to capture the shot with no feet and no head showing.
This quilt finished at 55" x 55" and I made 49 disappearing 4 patch blocks. Shall I do it again?