Zephyr

I’ve turned to my modest stack of layer cakes, aka 10” squares to get them used up and into quilts. This one is a stack of 14 bought from Connecting Threads several years ago. Inside were 16 squares! This is a Rashida Coleman Hale line supplemented with a few solids.

The impetus for making this quilt is twofold: first, way back in April I made a mental note of the block Yvonne Quilting Jetgirl made for a charity quilt block drive she is a part of, and two, I needed something mindless, fast and satisfying to sew after all the work, mental and sewing, put into the release of my latest pattern, Diamond Baby.

Probably the turquoises drew me, or maybe this just happened to be the top one on the stack of six. When I saw that there were 16, I immediately thought, perfect, a four by four quilt. Then I realized the blocks only finished at 8”, so that would be a pretty small comfort quilt (my intended reason for making it). I could easily supplement from my scraps and stash to get four more for a four by five with a border? Easy! And fun!

If you count, you’ll see 21 little stacks...

I organized all the parts, as you can see, and started sewing, placing them randomly on my design wall. Towards the last half dozen of chain-sewn blocks, I realized I had 21, not 20. What the heck? In my exuberance to find fabrics that toned in with the 16 original, I guess I’d cut five not four. I guess I was making a five by five quilt, no big deal, as I got to play more in my stash and then it wouldn’t need a border, because it would end up at 40” square. So, I ended up adding nine fabrics from my scraps boxes and drawers.

Flimsy complete —love!

Betcha can’t tell which are the original 16!

I found the perfect back in my yardage, but only had one metre. It had been bought as adding to my stash of turquoise fabrics, not as a future backing. 

It was just so perfect, and this meant I could use it ALL up, so I added in a 3” strip of the cream and beige check left over from Arabian Nights that I’d used for a square on the front. The turquoise fabric is a little wonky, probably end of bolt? or maybe the print was skewed?

The binding!! I was squealing in my head when I had the flimsy together and was already thinking ahead to the back and binding because I had already cut four 2.25” strips for Circadian Rhythm (and promptly forgot I had done so, and bound it with another fabric), and best of all? It’s a Rashida Coleman Hale, the same turquoise that was a square in this pack! You can see it on the left in the photo below.

I pieced it on my 1947 Featherweight (I’m thinking of selling my 1951 though I prefer her beautiful scrolled side plate) with Isacord and quilted it on Avril with that same Isacord, and then bound it on my Bernina (because walking foot) again with the Isacord.

When I was quilting, I already had a bobbin ¾ full of the light blue rayon I’ve really been happy with lately, so I happily threaded my machine and off I went, just tickety-boo, wonderful tension and flowing over the quilt top, ahh, like watching fish in a tank.

And then, THIS CLOSE to the end, the bobbin ran out!

What are the chances?! I grabbed a bobbin of a light grey and finished off the 20-odd stitches needed for that last swoop.

I have a recipient in mind for this quilt, but need to check if the colours are okay first, adn then I’ll update this post.

Why name the quilt Zephyr? Well, it’s the name of the line by Rashida, but by definition zephyr is the west wind or a gentle breeze, but also and most interestingly, it can mean various soft light fabrics, yarns or garments!

Quilt Stats:

Size: 40” square

Fabric: a 16-piece layer cake and scraps

Batting: Soft Loft 100% polyester

Backing: Then and Now by Bonnie Benn Stratton for Northcott

Quilted: on Avril, 22 467 stitches

Threads: pieced on my 1947 Featherweight; quilted with Isacord 100% polyester; Fufu rayon in the bobbin.

Linking up

Songbird Designs

Quilty Girl

From Bolt to Beauty

Quilting & Learning: What a Combo