For every quilt pattern that makes it into final form, I only get to actually sew about half of them into actual quilts. It's always amazing to see how the computer files I have been working with for months in digital form translate into tangible fabric and quilts. Although the fabric is new to the market, it often feels like an old friend to me. As I work on virtual quilt designs, I become familiar with little details and nuances, the way the colors play within the collection, and how the patterns all measure up against each other. I can identify them by SKU numbers and color ways. It's a rather sterile beginning for an end product meant to bring warmth and comfort. So to finally get my hands on real fabric and make a real quilt comes as somewhat of a relief.
A few months ago, I had the privilege of sewing a quilt top for one of my new patterns. My Ring Around the Rosie quilt features Verna Mosquera's Love & Friendship collection for Free Spirit Fabrics. These are some seriously cute fabrics with little flowers, love notes, hearts, and a really great twisted stripe. I made the quilt top and sent it off for quilting. Check out how cute the final quilt looks!
The quilt is made of four generously sized log cabin blocks, each employing every fabric in the collection. The final quilt is 70" x 90" aka perfect for a twin bed. How sweet would this be in a little girl's room?! Don't need a twin quilt? -- Each log cabin is 35" x 45", which is a great size for baby or wheelchair quilts.
When I was designing this quilt, I wanted to make sure the construction was as straightforward as possible. My favorite detail in the instructions is that there is no need to sew lengths of fabric together to achieve the large blocks. I might be the only person excited by that fact, but in my opinion, the fewer steps, the better.
This quilt would be easy to adapt to another line if your tastes are different. It uses 24 different fabrics and would also look great as a scrappy stash-buster. Let me know what you think of the quilt and of course I would love to see if you make your own Ring Around the Rosie quilt!
